Center for Human Reproduction

I think I already answered this question in the previous answer! :) He's the one to go to when you're older and want to use your own eggs--he will listen to you, give you all the information (a lot of it would be news to other fertility "experts") to help you make your own decision about your body and your future.

He'll ask for a ton of pre-cycle tests. It was expensive and took a while to complete, but it was totally worth it. Tests picked up a bunch of issues that I didn't even know I had, and Dr. Gleicher was able to add treatments to address these issues. Yes, the tests add up fast, but when you are paying tens of thousands for IVF to begin with, it's better to identify all the problems to address before you waste a ton of money on a failed cycle or two (something that happened to a friend of mine)!

I used estrogen priming, maximum ovarian stimulation with RAFs for all my cycles. Timing of trigger was adjusted earlier each time because my eggs were luteinizing faster and needed to be taken out faster. I also used viagra to thicken my lining.

I qualified for their discount program, so it was a bit over $10K for a cycle. They have a few other income tiers above and below mine and the prices seem to adjust accordingly. I was also given an option of buying a 4-cycle package they created for women with low ovarian reserve, but I didn't use that.

I have no complaints about working with nor the service I've received from Dr. Barad. Is more attentive and intelligent with me and my situation then my previous doctor so I appreciate that. It would be great if we were local to each other however I do not feel like I have missed out on any service being remote.

I suggest that any patients going through this journey to be prepared for be prepared for any consultation with questions but then also be prepared for the honest truth that is inherent in the answers.

The overall strategy was based on my desires of still trying to conceive with my own eggs and then utilizing donor eggs if needed. I appreciate that he allowed me to do that, as I am aware that some doctors would not given my age. Protocols included several injectables and pills to stimulate my ovaries and egg production as well as it has medications to prepare my lining for transfer; and then after transfer, medications to help maintain the pregnancy.

Definitely not a cattle call. Very organized with an awareness of time on the patient's behalf.

The clinic's pricing icing is significantly better than what I have found elsewhere as a fair comparison. They even offer discounts for certain income levels which is certainly appreciated.

I was offered the opportunity to transfer more than one embryo, however, I did opt to transfer only one given that I only had two. I wanted another opportunity to transfer that one alone if the first was not successful.

I felt that everything was rushed and poorly planned. I made my first appointment about a month in advance, but the day before I received an automatic email saying that I had not uploaded my records to the patient portal and that my appointment could be cancelled. No one had provided me the info to access this website so after a phone call to the clinic I uploaded everything right away, but Dr. Gleicher did not review any of these records before my appointment. He was actually reading my medical history for the first time (which I had provided when I scheduled the appointment) during our appointment. He explained the clinical trial well but diverted me to IVF without providing a clear rationale. During the IVF cycle, I was always seen by Dr. Barad. Dr. Gleicher only showed up once during a routine ultrasound and both doctors started arguing about my so called follicles (Dr. Barad did not think it was an actual follicle, Dr. Gleicher wanted to proceed with the IVF injections). Dr. Barad was more empathetic and spent more time explaining things but it seems that he was just following the plan set by Dr. Gleicher.

I would not recommend a prospective patient to consult with Dr. Gleicher so I have no specific advice.

Menopur 2 vials of 75 IU each daily followed by Follistim 450 IU daily, injected hCG 10,000 U 4 days later. No eggs retrieved. Rationale was not explained to me. I was provided with hormone levels but there was never explanation about the results. I received instructions to adjust dosage by email very late in the evening.

I was an out of state patient and staff was aware but that did not make a difference. There were several women waiting for the ultrasounds but I did not have to wait too much.

I had a discount based on my salary (at the time I was making around 80k per year). I spent about 5k on meds. Besides the supplements and prenatal vitamins, I must have spent about 5k more on monitoring and egg retrieval.

Not applicable

My concern with Dr. Barad and the clinic is that you cannot call him. You can email him and the nurse but he may or may not reply and if he does reply, it's not in a timely manner. In addition, the clinic has an unusual set up and it is partially due to the lack of doctors and the size of the clinic. After they do the ultrasound, you won't have a chance to talk with the doctor because then he's off to the next patient waiting on the next room and for the rest of the morning, the doctors are busy doing these rounds and then the surgeries right after. By the time they're done, the clinic would have been closed already for the day and you could only hope that he replies to your email after that. In another IVF clinic where I did the same treatment, I got to talk to the doctor after each ultrasound in the privacy of her room and I could call her on the phone and speak with her.

Communication is key and patients should be able to talk to the doctor after the ultrasound and also be able to call him. The clinic should change their policy on this.

The doctors are against antagonist treatment. There is human growth hormone and estrogen priming weeks prior. You will be taking 150 of Gonal F and 225 of Menopur for about 8 days. You will also be asked to take prednisone. What I did not like was the continued use of HGH up until the two-week wait and the staff who emailed me after I told her that it was a negative pregnancy test, asked me to continue with the HGH! Crazy. I told her that the HGH use was excessive and that I'm not sure the doctor was even aware of this. If he is, then I'm totally disappointed. I never talked of doing another treatment and even if I wanted to, shouldn't the doctor discuss the protocol first after the failed IVF, shouldn't there be a rest especially since there are risks involved with HGH use.

It's a very small clinic. There is little wait time. After women go to the lab, they are brought to the ultrasound rooms and the doctors would go from one to the next. The problem with this is that you don't have the chance to talk and discuss with the doctor afterwards because he is on to the next patient. There is little privacy because of the clinic setup. I talked to the nurse coordinator while standing in a printer room beside the hallway, where everyone could hear what we would talk about. In addition, although your doctor may be Dr. Barad, you will only see him on days he's there. Again, this is because they're understaffed. So he is there TTHS and the other doctor is there MWF. If your retrieval or transfer falls on a weekend, it will be another doctor.

The Assisted Hatching was overpriced at $2K compared to $600+ in other clinics.

It was fresh transfer, day 3 of all embryos that developed or total of 3.

I think Dr. Barad is patient in explaining things but I wonder if the protocols they provide are specifically catered to the individual because the list of meds have already been prepared even before I came in for my bloodwork on day 3.

Again, this feedback is about CHR and not one specific doctor there. I noticed that unlike in other IVF clinics, where patients get to sit down and talk with their doctor in the privacy of the doctor's clinic after an ultrasound, at CHR, patients when they come in for monitoring, undergo ultrasound but are not provided time or privacy to discuss and conduct consultation afterwards. The doctor for the day performs ultrasound on one patient right after another, as they move from one room to the next and there is no opportunity to talk. They are in a hurry to move to the next. Bear in mind mornings are very busy because that's when all monitoring happen and unfortunately, there's only one doctor. Afterwards, the doctors go to the surgery room and then they're off for the afternoon. You cannot even contact them on the phone. They won't connect you. You can only email the doctors, CC the nurse but unlike phone calls, you may or may not receive an email and it may not be in a timely manner. The assistant doctor does call in the afternoon but most likely, he's not the primary doctor you had consultation with (Dr. Gleicher or Dr. Barad). You may only see Dr. Barad twice because of the way they schedule their doctors MWF, TTH and the doctor that will perform your retrieval or transfer if it falls on a weekend is another doctor. In addition, the nurses provide you a list of meds and I'm not sure the doctors even look at them. For instance, even after the two week wait, I was asked to continue to taking Human Growth Hormone and it was shocking because some clinics do not even prescribe this due to potential risks, and if they do, it's typically during priming (or before start of ovarian stimulation) and during stimulation, but in the case of CHR, they asked you to continue until after retrieval, transfer, two-week wait and shockingly, even after a failed IVF even if there is no talk of another treatment. Clearly even if the patient is interested in undergoing another treatment, the patient should first discuss medications and approach/protocol with the doctor.

They are aggressive when it comes to prescribing meds. They were against the antagonist protocol but prescribed HGH, estrogen priming.

There's privacy because it's a small clinic. When you come in in the morning, you're sent to the room for ultrasound or lab for bloodwork, as are the other patients, so you hardly end up waiting in a room. This is finished within an hour. There's no long line.

The IVF fee is $20K including the overpriced assisted hatching ($2K compared to $600+ in other clinics) and ICSI.

For women with DOR or AMA, they are probably the only clinic that would perform fresh transfer with two or more embryos. Most clinics would do PGS and only transfer blastocysts. So if your argument is that the mother's womb is the best place to grow an embryo as opposed to a lab, then this is one of the few clinics for you. The other being IRMS. Their rate for Assisted Hatching is overpriced. It's typically at $600+ and they charge $2K.

Dr. Barad gave me hope, he was kind throughout the whole process, always answered all of my questions and never made me feel rushed or pressured. I trust him with my life. He is not only the best doctor I’ve ever had, but a great person who I feel genuinely cares for my wellbeing. He is not judge mental and only wants the best. I felt as if he was almost a fatherly figure in his approach.

See him in person, take things day by day.

I first started advocating as I always had for children with my own eggs. I did the clinical trial with prp at chr in which follicles developed, but they were very small so I was put on injections of menopur. I also tried chlomid with the menopur and the follicles never grew to appropriate sizes. I can currently on estrace 2 mg with taking progesterone on day 19 to finish the 28 day cycles in my future. I am now exploring donor egg ivf with my husband and Dr Barad on my side.

Free clinical trial. $1000 lab fee/ about $500 anesthesia for prp... free monitoring, a first consultation fee but I had already met my out of pocket and deductible from prior clinics... close to $200 every round of DHEA and coq10 pills and menopur was never covered... $2,000 about weekly while in preparation for iui cycles that failed. I understand donor egg ivf to be about $25,000 inclusive.

Dr Barad said single embryo transfers would be safest for me if I pursue donor egg ivf. I trust him. I am small with poi, my fsh is very high and my estrogen is negative 0.0000. I need the hrt to regulate my health and I trust that Dr Barad knows best with what will be safest for me in a pregnancy.

After two failed IVF cycles elsewhere, we joined the second opinion program with Dr. Gleicher. He reviewed our records and sent us his opinion within a week. When we spoke with him, he was very warm and encouraging. He explained to us that he thought we were receiving "cookie cutter" treatment instead of treatment specific to my condition. Also, based on my lab work, he had a suspicion that I have autoimmune activity. He also diagnosed me with Hypoandrogenic PCOS, a diagnosis never given to me before. He ordered a THOROUGH workup and his suspicions of autoimmunity were confirmed. He also gave us advice on supplements based on my lab work. For example, my previous clinic told me my testosterone levels were normal. Dr. Gleicher, however, looked at my SHBG levels and DHEA-S levels to identify that my levels of testosterone were too low FOR MY BODY, and it was due to adrenal insufficiency (as evidenced by low DHEA-S). The one thing that I am nervous about is that he put me on daily baby aspirin for the rest of my life without re-testing for the presence of the antibodies that would require daily baby aspirin. When re-tested with another doctor, the antibodies were no longer present and, thus, I am not sure if I need daily baby aspirin after all. I will talk to Dr. Gleicher about this when I meet with him again. Overall, though, I believe Dr. Gleicher to be highly knowledgeable and an expert on diminished ovarian reserve. Based on the written second opinion, three Skype consultations, and thorough workup done with Dr. Gleicher, we are planning on pursuing IVF with him. We currently believe him to be our best shot at having a baby.

We haven't had a treatment cycle with him yet. However, when discussing future IVF with him, he told us that he would increase my dose of Follistim to 450 and my dose of Menopur to 150. He would not use an antagonist. He said an antagonist would suppress my ovaries and would interfere with the effects of DHEA. He also would not put me on birth control. Because of my low grade autoimmunity, he would add an extra layer of treatment that would likely include Prednisone and Lovenox.

We spent about $1000 between the second opinion program and three Skype consultations with Dr. Glecher. We received pricing information for IVF. A single cycle of IVF costs about $16,000 not including medication. They have a program for four IVF cycles that's about $41,000, but it costs extra for things like anesthesia, ICSI, and medications.

We haven't gotten to this part of treatment with him yet. However, he told us that he would transfer 1-2 embryos if we don't want twins or 2-3 embryos if we are OK with twins.

I went to Dr. Gleicher and CHR after failed treatments and treatment refusals at 3 other centers. We didn't know why we couldn't get pregnant, other than the fact that I was in my 40s and my egg quality was suspect. He put us through a battery of tests before putting together a plan of attack. As it turned out, I had some immune problems on top of my DOR. He did emphasize the much better chance of success with donor eggs, but had a whole range of treatments the other doctors didn't mention at all, like DHEA (which I was on already after watching his videos), early egg retrieval and immune protocols, to increase the number of eggs I produce (and the quality), so we felt confident in giving them a try. I'm so glad I didn't give up--I was so close to giving up on my own eggs before finding Dr. Gleicher.

On busy days, I had to wait a while for monitoring, but mostly it was done efficiently.

Around $15K for a cycle of IVF, plus $4-5K in medications. Initial testing round was around $5K.

Dr. Gleicher and CHR don't push eSET. I ended up with single embryo transfers, but that was because I only had one embryo each time, but Dr. Gleicher said he would not hesitate to transfer 2-3, based on my age.

Dr. Gleicher is blunt but he definitely knows what he is doing. He doesn't stop at the superficial assessment and autopilot treatment protocol and really tries to get to the bottom of our problems so we can address them proactively and individually. For example, he found out something that our previous two doctors didn't even test for (I apparently have a low-level inflammatory/immunological issue that might be affecting my ovaries), and added a couple of medications to address it. We don't know if it'll make the difference we want just yet, but we are hopeful.

Don't be put off by his bluntness. Be prepared to wait a bit for your appointment sometimes.

First cycle: DHEA, CoQ10, stimulation with FSH and hMG, RAFS. I had the hCG shot at 18 mm lead follicle. Two eggs retrieved but we didn't have any embryos to transfer. Second cycle: Same medications, hCG was at 16 mm. We had 3 eggs, 1 embryo to transfer. Dr. Gleicher said the earlier retrieval was because my eggs were overly mature in the first cycle when they were retrieved. We were thrilled to have more eggs and an embryo transfer, but I didn't get pregnant. Third cycle: Same medications but with more FSH, hCG was at 16 mm. 5 eggs, 2 embryos to transfer. I'm currently pregnant!

The experience was good, no complaints. I just felt at some point that research may have been super or even more important than individual cases but this could be just a hunch from someone struggling with diminished ovarian reserve...

You'll get a lot of data, information on the latest research and a logical explanation to every treatment step.

I underwent four IUIs and one IVF with Dr. Kushnir. The IUIs were with injectable medication and the IVF a conventional, also with injectables. Nothing out of the ordinary. Dr. Kushnir did say that I may need to undergo multiple IVFs to increase my chances of achieving a positive result, and this was financially very difficult. The clinic's costs also increased over the years.

Monitoring was only available in the early morning hours. Sometimes it was crowded, sometimes it wasn't. The clinic is not huge neither is the waiting room, but it rarely happened that there was an extended wait. I would usually be in and out within 1hr. It was not great for my schedule but totally doable.

The IUI injectables were covered by my insurance initially but nobody had explained that this would be deducted from a lifetime limited amount. By the time I graduated to IVF, there was no insurance coverage for the medications and I had to pay out of pocket. That was a completely unexpected expense. The IVF itself was covered, also from a limited lifetime amount, but after the first IVF I decided to leave the clinic because of the funding issues and also because I felt my concerns about possible endometriosis were not being taken seriously.

We never got a transfer but the suggestion was a fresh 3-day multiple embryo transfer.

Dr. Gleicher was professionally appropriate for the Skype session however not open about any additional fees or charges after that appointment. He had appropriate questions for us at the time and obviously was well-spoken about fertility in older women.

Ask a lot of questions

After my Skype consultation and blood work and testing in 9/2018, I still have yet to receive any recommendations or treatment strategies to date (1/2019).

Only a initial consultation: $450 as listed on the website

Dr. Kushnir is very knowledge and very willing to share that knowledge. He is always available to answer questions and is very responsive. He is very patient and you can tell he hopes the best for his patients. He may not be the most warm and compassionate doctor I’ve ever known but I exchanged that happily for someone I trusted and someone I knew was doing his all.

Ask all your questions. He’s a wealth of information.

I was 46 when I went to see Dr. Kushnir. There was truly almost no chance of me getting pregnant so the specifics of my treatment are not that important. We did max dose with early retrievals as it is believed at this clinic that eggs mature better in the lab than in the body of an older woman.

It was very efficient and given it was a small clinic, it was only ever a handful of people. Monitoring hours, however, would depend on which doctor was on call which could make things difficult in terms of getting to work on time because one particular doctor would start a little on the late side.

An IUI was $1650. the IVF was roughly $15000. There were different prices for different salary levels which I really appreciated. What I DID NOT APPRECIATE was that I learned CHR charges something called “medical management” which is not a real thing. You can’t submit that to your insurance so you pay it out of pocket. Each IUI had $900 worth of “medical management”!! Although I didnt want to leave, I switched to NYU who charged only $500 per IUI without any suspect “medical management” costs. The “medical management” cost for donor egg is almost $5,000!!

We always transferred multiple because of my age.

Dr Barad is a highly knowledgeable and compassionate doctor. He may at times focus to little on research that contradicts his own, however he is open to trying new things. I would highly recommend Dr Barad to anyone who has DOR or is of advanced maternal age.

Trust him and expect to be there a long time during consults because he talks slow and explains everything. He also may give you a hug or rub your hand of something to comfort you. Some people may be taken aback by this at first but it is purely out of human comfort.

Dr. Barad believes in high dose stims and to retrieve eggs early, depending on when estrogen plateaus even if the follicle are small. The eggs are matured in the lab. I have 100% fertilization rate with this clinic. He does not believe in using antagonists (Ganerlix or Cetrotide) as he believes it causes damage to egg quality. He does an immune protocol for transfer. Firmly believes in fresh 3 day transfers and is opposed to PGS testing

Usually limited wait time. If you go early then you will wait because doctor does not come in until 8:30

Very expensive OOP. About 18K per cycle. They take 2 insurances (aetna and oxford)

He will do what makes sense and take into account what the patient wants. If you are older or have a history of failed transfers he will transfer 3+

I do not necessarily agree with Dr. Gleicher's IVF protocol for egg retrieval and transfers (i.e. day three fresh transfers, no PGS etc.), which is why I stuck with NYU and I also prefer their lab. But I do find that Dr. Gleicher treats the WHOLE patient, he looks not only at your AMH and hormone levels but does a a deep dive into your partner's full health picture as well. He is extremely knowledgable in the autoimmune infertility areas and is one of the few doctors in NYC who supports IVIG when necessary. In addition to his willingness to work with NYU and oversee my case from an auto-immune standpoint, I found him extremely knowledgeable and supportive all around.

Ask all your questions! Don't be shy, don't be scared to call a million times-- he is super patient and will explain everything.

Because I have auto-immune indicators he prescribed an immune protocol for my transfer cycles: IVIG Prednisone Plaquenil Lots of Supplements (DHEA and Conflam forte most importantly) Lovenox

Covered by insurance.

I had a girl via IVF in 2015 with Dr. Gleicher and CHR's help, and went back to him again in 2018 for baby #2, which ended up being another girl. Our 2014 treatments started with a consultation with Dr. Gleicher. Though I didn't see Dr. Gleicher a lot during my actual cycles at CHR (I saw Dr. Barad and Dr. Kushnir much more often for monitoring and procedures), I had the distinct sense that Dr. Gleicher was the one orchestrating the treatment, modifying the approach as we got more informed about how my body responds to medications. Most of my consultations were with Dr. Gleicher, and I liked his fact-driven approach. It meshed well with my own penchant for getting all the information and making our own decisions, rather than having someone else tell us what to do. It took us a few cycles to get pregnant with our #1, and I truly believe that his (and CHR's) philosophy of treating each cycle as a learning experience is what got us there. In 2018, I was obviously much older, so we used a more aggressive protocol with heavier dose of medications. I was also monitored more frequently--every day toward the end--and had my eggs retrieved earlier than I had before. To be honest, I wasn't enthused about having to go through IVF again for #2, but going back to CHR after 4 years was like a reunion of sorts. Most of the nurses and physicians who treated us were still there, and they seemed genuinely delighted to see me again and see how our first child has been thriving. That human side made it much more bearable.

If you are unfamiliar with IVF or infertility, you might initially feel overwhelmed. You might not be able to clarify everything in your first visit, but don't give up. I did my homework for my follow-up visit and wrote down everything I wanted to clarify, and that helped us understand where we were and what our options were.

Dr. Barad was confident that, despite my pretty extreme Diminished Ovarian Reserve (worst FSH was 25.5 and worst AMH was 0.5) that I could get pregnant because of my relatively young age (30 at the time of egg retrieval). And even though only two mature eggs were collected, both fertilized and I had a day 3 transfer of both embryos and had a healthy singleton pregnancy. Basically, CHR is best in class when it comes to treating patients with DOR. It's their bread and butter. They have their way of doing things (DHEA and CoQ10 supplementation, early retrieval, day 2/3 transfers, no PGS testing, high stims, etc.) but it's because it works well. They are obsessed with achieving pregnancy in difficult populations (DOR, advanced material age). I appreciated their obsessiveness. It meant they were doing every evidence-based thing they could do get me pregnant. And they did, and it worked. This was after our first clinic cancelled our first round of IVF for poor response and told me to use donor eggs. Young women with DOR--please don't believe doctors when they say this. Age is still the #1 predictor of pregnancy changes. Many clinics just don't have the expertise to treat DOR patients. Find a clinic like CHR that does.

Write down all of your questions in advance of your consultation(s). Don't be afraid to ask anything at all. There are no stupid questions. Ask questions, but trust the process. He knows what he's doing.

I was on 8 weeks of DHEA & CoQ10 supplementation. Then estrogen patches for about a week, then baseline ultrasound and the start of a microdose lupron flare protocol with high stims. Lupron 2x per day to suppress ovulation, then Menopor (150) and Gonal F (300 I think) each day. I stimmed for 12 days then egg retrieval and day 3 transfer. After retrieval I started antibiotics for a few days, Lovenox, and prednisone. Also baby aspirin. I'm about to start trying for baby #2, and they've changed their protocols a bit. They are now moving to earlier egg retrieval, so you don't need to do the antagonist (Lupron in my case).

I don't remember exactly, but I think with the cost of drugs (~$5,000) our cycle ran us $20,000. We did ICSI but not assisted hatching. We also had to travel to NYC and stay in a hotel so that was an extra cost.

They want you to get pregnant but they don't want you to have triplets. In my case, at age 30, I transferred 2 day 3 embryos, which was reasonable. I had a singleton pregnancy. They wouldn't have let me transfer more than 2 (if I had more than that) and I wouldn't have wanted to. If you are older or have multiple failed transfers, they will let you transfer more.

He seems to have ideas that are different than most other IVF doctors. He is able to justify his rationale for doing things the way he does. He is a good communicator. He is very thorough in his explanations and approaches. He gave us hope with a different approach.

He seems compassionate. He is very knowledgeable. He has a scientist type of demeanor and actually doesn’t do retrievals or transfers. He never saw me for a monitoring appointment. But I felt like My treatment was based on his recommendations at all times.

I was given DHEA prior to treatment. During my stimulation cycle, I was treated with 150 menopur and 450 of gonal f. I was given doxycycline, prednisone, baby aspirin and lovenox. I triggered with HCG. After transfer I was given intravaginal estrogen and progesterone as well as progesterone in oil.

There was very little wait time. Labs were performed efficiently. On rare occasion it seemed understaffed and so there could be a wait slightly longer than usual.

It was about 15K for monitoring, retrieval and fresh transfer.

My husband and I decided on the day of the transfer along with the doctor (not Dr. Gleicher) to transfer all our 3 day fresh embryos. 3 out of the 6 were high grade.

Dr. Barad is wonderful. He is a little old fashioned, in that he only does fresh transfers, which is the only reason why we went to another clinic. He treats you like a person, not just a number. He always took the time with both me and my husband to answer any questions. The only bad thing is that he tells you to email him and then doesn't return those emails. Other than that, he's great.

Protocol used for all cycles was the same: 75mg DHEA 1000 mg CoQ10 Synthroid Plaquinal 450 IU Gonal F 150 IU Menopur Estrogen Patches I think they do basically the same protocol for everyone.

You went up the waiting room, and there never seemed to be more than 4 people waiting. There was only once that there was more, and I had to awkwardly stand in the hall. It's a small, narrow building.

Every cycle was roughly $15,000 including medication.

They do multiple embryo transfers.

I was grateful to Dr Gleicher and CHR for taking my case, as another clinic had rejected me after my DOR diagnostic. I gave me hope that someone was willing to take on a difficult case (so that is very positive and I am very thankful for that). It is important to note that Dr Gleicher does not perform any procedures. So while you have appointments with him to discuss protocol prior to starting a cycle and you meet with him in case of negative outcome, only Dr Barad and Kushnir do the ultrasounds/retrievals/transfers etc. So this already adds a challenge, as I sometimes had the impression that the communication between doctors was not up to par, and therefore I ended up falling through the cracks. Also, the communication after the first appointment is exclusively done through the coordinating nurse. So whatever question you may have about ANY thing goes through the nurse, except if you keep your list of questions for when you do the monitoring and then you get to ask Dr K or Dr B in person (but even that is not necessary great as I just feel more reassured knowing that there is ONE doctor who has the complete overview of my case). My first cycle went well (all the way to transfer but had a BFN) as I felt that, as a new patient, the Doctors were paying attention to each step of the cycle and were closely monitoring me. That feeling started to fade at the second cycle, where the decision to trigger was taken by the Dr on call for the weekend (and I think without consultation with Dr Gleicher) and ended up being too soon and with absolutely no egg retrieved. I was pretty distressed at that point but still felt new to this whole IVF thing and did not learn to advocate for myself yet. For the third cycle, Dr Gleicher proposed to put me under a new protocol. This gave me renewed hope. However, when I started the new cycle, I ended up ovulating spontaneously very quickly despite being on Lupron. The feedback I got was that maybe I had not taken the meds properly (I knew I had respected the protocol but was very willing to blame myself for this failure...). During the follow up appointment I was even more lost as it was clear that Dr Gleicher had not read my file and was just discovering some of my hormone levels as we were talking... He suggested doing another cycle back to back with the exact same protocol, which I did, paying even more religious attention to the time of my injections! We started the fourth cycle, and after about a week, I got the news that I had ovulated - again!! This time I was absolutely sure I had taken the meds perfectly. I was so distressed that I asked if there was any chance we could retrieve anything. The nurse told me that if I wanted I could convert this to an IUI (if I want it??). Which I did (only to discover during a second opinion appointment with another Dr that my hormone levels clearly showed that I had ovulated at least a couple of days before and therefore the IUI was just pointless). Overall, I have the impression that the level of attention paid to my case decreased tremendously after the first cycle, and I just became a number.

Of you are keen on trying CHR, I would recommend going with Dr Kushnir instead of Dr Gleicher. He is the one doing the monitoring during the week (and on rotation every other weekend) so at least there would more consistency and less risk of info falling through the cracks. They have weekly staff meetings so the 3 Dr talk and if there is a need to consult Dr Gleicher Dr K would surely do it. If you already are with Dr Gleicher, I would just recommend that you warn the nurse that you will have loads of questions when you meet Dr Gleicher at the beginning/end of your cycle so that he will be more prepared. For the follow up of my 4th cycle, I had told her that I was expecting a full review of my 4 cycles during that discussion and that led to a more substantive discussion...

- priming with estradial patches or pills - lurpon - follistim 450/day - two vials of menopur/day - estrace 3x/day orally and vaginally to support lining growth (I was on vaginal viagra for one cycle but the combo of that and loads of estrace led to my lining crashing before the retrieval) - prednisone and baby aspirin (he said that some of my test indicated a hint of auto-immune problem) - lovenox and PIO after transfer

It was a relatively well oiled machine that was convenient for my schedule.

First cycle was out of pocket and cost about 13K (without meds) and another 10K of med from their recommended pharmacy (as I was on very high doses of stimulation for about two weeks and I did not know I would shop around...). After that I changed insurance and the cycle and some of the meds were covered.

in my case I only had two embryos and he indicated that for my age bracket it was better to transfer both to increase my chances.

I went to Dr. Kushnir after another doctor recommended egg donation and wouldn't let me try with my own eggs. Dr. Kushnir explained that the odds of getting pregnant with my own eggs were low given my low AMH, but told us that he was willing to help us if we wanted to go that route. We had 2 IVF cycles, back to back, and I got pregnant in the second cycle. He said during the follow-up conversation we had after the first one didn't result in a pregnancy that our case was reviewed by everyone at the center, and he adjusted the protocol and timing based on the discussion. We had an early retrieval in the first cycle, but he went even earlier in the second, when the lead follicle was 16 mm. With this adjustment, we got more eggs and better-quality embryos than in the first cycle, one of which resulted in a pregnancy. Throughout all this, Dr. Kushnir explained everything in detail, and we appreciated that he shared the reasoning behind the approaches he was recommending, instead of just telling us what to do.

I already wrote about this in response to an earlier question, but here's what we had: DHEA and CoQ10 for about 2 months (to prepare my ovaries). During that time, they were monitoring a number of hormone levels that I can't fully recall, in order to ensure that the effects of these supplements were in place before we started our cycles. We also didn't take a break after the first cycle failed, at his recommendation. We used high doses of FSH and HMG, and hCG for trigger after 7 days for the 2nd cycle (the successful one) when the lead follicle was 16mm. Dr. Kushnir said the reasoning behind this early retrieval was to keep my eggs from getting "overripe" because my ovaries were maturing eggs in an accelerated pace, which he said is typical for women with low reserve.

It would have been great if the monitoring hours were a bit earlier.

Around $18,000 per IVF cycle plus $2,500 for medications.

They don't believe in universal eSET, and let us decide what to do. We went with multiple embryos, as we were fine with twins and wanted to maximize our chances.

I am an older patient in terms of fertility treatment, which is difficult in and of itself. Dr. Barad and CHR do present themselves as specializing in older women, which of course helped me feel somewhat better and, as a long-distance patient, this was the primary reason I chose CHR. Dr. Barad was noticeably kinder and more reassuring in his manner (despite the abysmal statistics we have faced and still face in this process). He was communicative and receptive to questions or concerns. However, CHR as a whole, including all 3 of its physicians to varying degrees, could do a far better job with patient communication. For example, for our first IVF cycle, we were not told that we would be automatically required to do ICSI and assisted zona hatching. We arrived on the day of scheduled egg retrieval and at this point were asked by front desk staff to pay an additional ~$3500, which seemed very unprofessional. Also, my partner and I currently live outside the U.S., and particularly prior to our first IVF cycle, at times it was very difficult to get clear, prompt and complete answers to our questions from nurses ("Clinical Coordinators") and staff. This greatly hindered our efforts to complete the requested immunological testing for CHR prior to the first IVF cycle. It took an inordinate amount of phone calls, clarifications and excess time to clear up what could have been resolved in a couple hours with clearer and timelier answers and better communication.

Ask all the questions you have; be very clear about what information you need and have questions prepared ahead of time. You get very little designated face-to-face time with physicians at CHR during a cycle. If you're struggling emotionally and if you're able to, let him know that this process is hard for you.

Initial ultrasound around cycle day 2, then Follistim (or Bravelle or Gonal-F) 450 IU QAM for about 9 days, along with Menopur 150 IU QPM for about 9 days. Daily ultrasounds starting about day 5 of hormonal stimulation process. HCG trigger shot timed so that follicles were not too mature. Egg retrieval 36 hrs. later, about cycle day 13. Important - NOTE: Embryo transfer for me was always on DAY TWO. So all embryos were only 2-day embryos. This is something CHR does often with older women. Also, we were explicitly advised AGAINST pre-implantion genetic diagnosis. Dr. Gleicher (as "lead" CHR physician) felt that PGD offered more risk than benefit for my embryos as an older patient. (This was of course in direct contrast to what other clinics had told us, but I was ok with it.) I had some evidence of an unidentified immune issue, so in addition to hormonal medications, here were the medications prescribed: DHEA 75mg daily before and throughout all cycles (I took less), CoQ10 1000mg daily (I took ubiquinol instead as I believe it's better absorbed), low-dose aspirin, prednisone ranging from 10mg and 60mg at different times during IVF cycle, doxycycline around time of egg retrieval, Lovenox (enoxaparin) 40 mg following egg retrieval, and daily progesterone in oil injections until pregnancy test (or 12 weeks gestation). Prior to IVF treatment, with my second (natural) miscarriage, I learned my thyroid was underactive, so I now take natural dessicated thyroid (a medication called "WP Thyroid"). Dr. Gleicher told me, as I understood it, that he sees any unexplained hypothyroid issue as an autoimmune issue. My initial immunological testing also found that I had an extremely high interleukin-6 level, which is indicative of inflammation, but not useful information in terms of any specific clinical cause or source. I also was prescribed an IV infusion of Immunoglobulin-G (very expensive) before egg retrieval due to likely autoimmune issue, as well as because Dr. Gleicher believed my partner and I had some HLA type I and II matching. (Apparently, Dr. Braverman of Braverman Reproductive Immunology, who we consulted with briefly, disagreed with this assessment.) Before my second IVF attempt I was directed to start Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) 400 mg daily to (hopefully) prevent miscarriage prevention. CHR prescribed Plaquenil as an attempt to address my high IL-6 level/suspected autoimmune issue as well as recurrent miscarriage. (I have since chosen on my own to discontinue Plaquenil.)

It was not too bad - we did not have a problem with the scheduling. It was however difficult at that time to ask any questions of the doctor, who always seemed quite rushed.

Because I was not working, and because of the current exchange rate, we qualified for the reduced IVF rate of $8500 per cycle. To this was added the following: $4200 per cycle for anesthesia, ICSI, and assisted zona hatching; $4000 per cycle for IVIg; $3500 on average per cycle for hormonal and other medications; $4500 per cycle for travel (from outside the U.S.) and lodging costs; $3700 (one-time) for all initial immunological testing needed before first cycle.

Dr. Barad was compassionate to me. I was of advanced maternal age when I first started exploring IVF (age 46), and I was 47 when I started, and turned 48 in the last cycle when I got pregnant (and miscarried). Other doctors in other clinics/offices mocked me or said insensitive things throughout the process. Dr. Barad also showed deep respect and connection to my Jewish path and how spiritual the IVF journey felt to me. He also told us bad news with care, even giving us metaphors for how not to become invested in the early few weeks of the pregnancy. Although it was hard information to hear, it was helpful to have the clarity.

Ask a lot of questions, and in particular ask the practice (Dr. Gleicher and Dr. Barad) to do everything possible even if experimental in the first cycle. I wish I had fully understood about HGH and taken HGH earlier (I only did it in the 4th cycle, which happens to be when I got pregnant). Also - do everything else emotionally to prepare and ground during the IVF cycles as well as acupuncture right after transfer.

I was advanced age (47) - I took Gonal F (I think 450cc) and Menopur (I think 150cc), micronized DHEA 75mg (beginning 3 months prior to starting cycles, using CHR's brand), CoQ10, early egg retrieval (CHR's specialty research is amazing), 3-weeks of HGH leading up to my 4th/last cycle, and 3 day fresh transfers. First cycle I got 2 eggs (1 embryo); 2nd cycle 3 eggs (2 embryos); 3rd cycle only on follicle looked big so we switched to IUI (I think I was too exhausted and not taking the meds properly so that is why that cycle failed); 4th cycle I got 3 eggs (3 embryos) - resulted in positive pregnancy test, but miscarried at 8 weeks.

Monitoring was also professional. Everything was explained well, I got printouts of the images, there was a screen up above that I could see as well as the one the doctor was looking at. I did not know how often I would need to be monitored as an out of state person, so that was a little challenging at first and at times to figure out. I never had to wait long and it felt luxurious to wait in the waiting room which had an espresso/coffee and hot chocolate machine and often croissants. The office is in the Upper East Side of NYC and I lived 3 hours away. I would come in for appointments sometimes for the day or else stay over at a friend's. Parking was hard, until I discovered a parking garage by NYU a few blocks away.

Unfortunately we paid fully out of pocket for treatment and medications due to my age (my insurance only covered up to age 43 I think) and so it cost us a huge amount (over $60,000 total). I was able to purchase the fertility meds needed for one cycle while in Costa Rica on a short vacation for half the cost there at a pharmacy, and for the last cycle an IVF friend donated her unused meds to me.

CHR/Dr. Gleicher had great explanations for transferring all my fresh embryos since I only produced a few each time and since I was advanced age and didn't want to risk losing any of them through testing or freezing.

Dr. Gleicher has one way of treating patients. He throws the kitchen sink at them for immune problems and scoffs at day 5 transfers or pgs testing. I understood where he was coming from and agreed initially until it didn't work several times and he admitted he didn't know why. Because I am a physician, I karyotyped myself and my husband and found he had a balanced translocation which greatly reduced our odds of pregnancy. I was upset, because I feel he was just continuing to take our money without being honest about what was going on. He blustered that he wouldn't do anything differently, but the standard for our problem is ivf with pgs which he refused to do with us. I felt he owed us some money back for not being thorough and leading us down a path without all the info we needed to make informed decisions about what we would need to do. They kept saying we were doing do well and very much expected us to get pregnant. Meanwhile, I spent $45,000 with nothing.

Don't go there. Go to Cornell. They are much better, more professional and more thorough with better results.

I had recurrent pregnancy loss which he attributed to immune issues although all my tests were normal. He used the micro dose lupron protocol both times with good results at retrieval. Their lab got good fertilization results and embryos looked good. He put me on aspirin, prednisone, lovenox and ivig for immune issues without result. I eventually discovered my husband had a chromosomal issue which needed genetic testing to find normals. We lost a lot of embryos with the freeze thaw process as I don't think they do that much. I think we lost all our normals.

10,000 for ivf without monitoring (I did that at home). $3800 for ICSI and assisted hatching. $1200 for freezing embryos and $250 every 3 months to store frozen embryos.

Dr. Barad is very nice, compassionate and experienced. No doubt. But I also think since he is older he is stuck with his opinions. I also think that they try to push everything that's only proven by their clinic's research. In my opinion one clinic and 3 women is not of statistical significance. For older women with DOR they try whatever they can to retrieve even if it is one follicle. So they don't cancel cycles. I think it's great for those women. But they tried to use the same protocol for me even though I am 44 and retrieved 8 eggs. it didn't work for me and they want to do the same even the next time.

If you have no hope and only getting 1-2 follicles they will treat you.

1st IVF - 300gonal - 150 Menopur. 2 eggs retrieved, 1 fertilized with ICSI and transferred. BFN. 2nd IVF - I asked to increase Meds. 450 Gonal, 150 Menopur. Trigger at 14mm lead. First time triggered at 17 lead and the other two at 11 and 12. He thought we waited too long and lost the lead so this time at 14. 8 retrieved, 4 fertilized, 3 transferred. Pregnancy - D&C in 9th week. Trisomy 15. He doesn't cancel cycles. He doesn't want to freeze or do PGD. Does day 2 transfer. Said the same protocol for the next one. So I switched RE.

It's always in the morning. I didn't see Dr. Barad even once during me second IVF monitoring. Dr. Kushner who did monitoring is so grim and doesn't give you any answers or indications. Extremely Uninformative.

My insurance covered it.

Dr. Kushnir gave us alternate plans and helped guide us on which one was best for us based on our medical conditions. He was straightforward, but kind and flexible. He was always available via email and easy to approach.

Ask questions! He will always answer them.

I don't know what the protocol was called but I was placed on Gonal-F and Menopur once a day, each and 2mg of Estradiol daily. They wanted to give me a high stim protocol to see how I'd respond given my low ovarian reserve. We're still actively engaged in the protocol, so I'm not sure about the results.

so far Dr Vitaly has attempted to either get our insurance to cover our costs or lower his out of pocket prices