Columbia University

We have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. K. Not only is she an attentive and compassionate person but she is also extremely competent as a doctor. We never felt rushed during our appointments and she was responsive and thorough when we had questions. She knew our case inside and out. We ran into a variety of obstacles due to my diminished ovarian reserve and egg quality issues and she adjusted our protocol accordingly - at each stage we had better outcomes than the last. Throughout our travails, she was consistently positive/optimistic yet also realistic about the possible outcomes. If we decide to have more children in the future, we absolutely plan to continue on with Dr. K and in the interim we will highly recommend her to friends and family who encounter their own struggles with infertility.

Our advice is not anything specific about Dr. K - we would advise new patients that this process is very likely to take longer than you anticipate and to adjust your expectations accordingly.

We tried for 6 months before seeking out a reproductive endocrinologist (by that point I was age 36). During that period, I had two miscarriages. I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve and Dr. K also suspected that I had some endometriosis. My husband had low sperm morphology (2%). Our sequence of treatments was in part based on our insurance coverage which required at least three rounds of IUI before moving on to IVF. As such, we did three IUI cycles – the first one natural (no additional drugs) and the second two medicated – one with clomid and one with letrazole. We had a chemical pregnancy with the first and the second two were unsuccessful. From there we moved on to IVF. Thankfully, our insurance covers three retrievals/transfers (what luck/privilege as we could not go forward otherwise). Because of my diminished ovarian reserve, we planned to do all three retrievals back to back for batching before moving on to a transfer. 1) First Cycle: Meds: 225 gonal; 225 menopur; cetrotide starting day 9 of treatment. Unfortunately, I was unresponsive. I only produced 2 follicles and Dr. K switched us to IUI instead of a retrieval. The IUI was unsuccessful. 2) Second Cycle: Meds: 150 gonal days 1-8 --> 225 gonal starting day 9; 150 menopur; clomid days 1-5; cetrotide starting day 7 of treatment. This cycle I produced more eggs and went forward with the retrieval. 8 were retrieved, 7 mature. Unfortunately, most of the eggs had empty zona pellucida (which is the outside shell). As such, only 1-2 were able to be fertilized with ICSI. None made it past day 3. 3) Third Cycle: Meds: 150 gonal days 1-5 --> 225 gonal days 6-8 --> 300 gonal days 9-11; 150 menopur; letrazole days 1-5; cetrotide starting day 9. This cycle 10 were retrieved, 7 were mature, and 5 were fertilized with ICSI. Of those, 2 became day 5 blastocysts and 3 became day 7 blastocysts. We sent them out for genetic testing and the first two tested normal. We planned to take a month off before our final retrieval and somehow, by some miracle, I got pregnant naturally and am just starting my second trimester (fingers crossed). We have one more retrieval covered by our insurance and tentatively plan to go forward in the future (with Dr. K). In the meantime, our two “good” blastocysts are on ice for the future.

We had incredible insurance coverage (IUIs and IVF meds were fully covered, IVF was covered at 75%). We are waiting on bills for our second IVF retrieval but I believe that we ended up paying $1,300 out of pocket for our first retrieval as well as a handful of $20 copays here and there. I believe we will be paying approximately $100/month for frozen embryo storage.

We have yet to get to the transfer phase with Dr. K.

Dr. K always welcomed me with a warm smile. She has a very strong bedside manner. In fact, I noticed that she greets everyone in the clinic by name when she comes in each morning. I felt like I was in excellent hands because she would tell me all of the statistics and even mentioned how some of the statistics were slightly different for African-American women (I'm African-American). At each appointment, Dr. Karipcin would explain next steps, remind me to stay optimistic. She didn't shy away from explaining potential complications that might arise due to my endometriosis and fibroids, but she would always remind me to focus on the positive and that we would deal with any complications as they might arise.

Be sure to share all of your concerns. Dr. Karipcin will address each and every one of them. At one of our first appointments, I came in with a list of questions and concerns. She didn't let me leave until I'd written down notes/answers to each one of them. At one particular appointment, I cried while waiting to get my blood drawn. Dr. Karipcin and Nurse Varda set with me to alleviate my fears while in between patients.

We did two round of IVF. Our regime consisted of was Gonal F, Menopur and then Centrotide. The trigger injection was Ovidrel and Lupron. Our first retrieval yielded about 8 eggs. The second retrieval yielded 15 eggs. Our IVF rounds were relatively close together (Oct/Nov 2019 & Dec 2019), the insurance company approved it and we wanted to complete them before Christmas. We did the recommended genetic testings for the embryos. So, now we have a total of 6 chromosomally strong embryos that can be transferred. Our original transfer date was postponed due to Covid. So, we did a transfer in May 2020. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant.

The morning monitoring hours worked well with my teaching schedule. It was very organized as well.

The majority of our treatment was covered by insurance. In fact, we didn't proceed until we knew it would be covered as "in-network." I usually only had to pay the co-payment. The cost of the IVF medications were not fully covered by insurance but they are now covered in New York State.

Columbia University Fertility does not do multiple embryo transfers. This is very clearly explained in the paperwork that you have to sign prior to embarking on the IVF journey. They are also clear to reiterate this around the retrieval dates. I agreed with Dr. K's approach. Due to my age at the time (36), fibroids and endometriosis, multiple embryo transfers were not recommended. Neither my OB/GYN, Fibroid surgeon, nor Dr. Karipcin recommended multiple embryo transfers.

Dr. Rudick is very professional and knowledgeable. She never pushed me to do something I was not ready to do, and let me set the pace of my treatments. When I decided to take a short break between cycles, she was very understanding. She is also very straight forward and matter-of fact with results and reasons for those results, and she doesn't sugar-coat, which I appreciated and which added to my trust of her. When I received bad news after a few cycles back to back, Dr. Rudick sent me a very nice email and I felt that we were in this together, working toward a common goal. Although Dr. Rudick was not always available at every visit, all of the doctors and nurses at Columbia were pleasant to work with. Before and during each procedure, Dr. Rudick would explain each step in detail, which helped ease my anxiety. I felt very cared for by her and the team at Columbia.

I would tell her that she is in good hands, to trust the process, and to ask a lot of questions to ease anxiety and understand all of the details and risks. At points, it can seem like there are no answers and it is all trial-and-error, but with each cycle, more information is gathered that will lead you toward the right treatment for you.

After several tests, we were diagnosed with unexplained infertility, which can be very frustrating. We decided to try IUI first. The first cycle of IUI was with Clomid, which was not successful. The Dr. switched me to Letrozole for the next three IUI cycles. I felt a lot better on Letrozole (much less bloated). Unfortunately, these cycles all resulted in biochemical pregnancies. We met with Dr. Rudick to discuss next steps, and she recommended IVF with genetic testing as she suspected a chromosomal issue in the embryo was the cause of the biochemicals. We proceeded with this recommendation, which produced two normal embryos. We transferred one of the embryos and this resulted in a positive pregnancy.

Fortunately, I had fertility coverage under my health insurance. I did have to pay some costs out of pocket up to the deductible. I also had to pay for the embryo freezing and the Genetic Testing separately, these were not covered by insurance. All in, I feel that I paid close to $8,000 out of pocket in total.

Dr. Rudick recommended transferring one embryo at a time, to avoid a multiple pregnancy. We agreed on this course of action.

Dr. Forman listened to my concerns and is very good with first time IVF patients. Nothing was too small for his attention and he’s always doing his best for you. He consistently went above and beyond for me the entire time I was in his care. A perfect example of this was when I had expressed how much I wanted him to perform the actual IVF procedure rather than another doctor from the clinic. The day of the procedure, it wasn’t guaranteed that he could make it but he rushed to the clinic and made it happen. I actually teared up when I saw him. These things mean the world to women who have no control over their bad fortune.

I do not have a uterus but still have my ovaries. IVF, creating and freezing embryos and using a gestational carrier was the only strategy. It was all pretty straight forward for everyone. I declined using birth control because I had LH test strips to tell me approximately when my first day of cycle would be. He then monitored my blood work until we knew when to start everything. My injectables were Menopur, Gonal F & Cetrotide.

Dr. Karipcin is clear and thoughtful when explaining her course of treatment. For example, we had a setback in our 1st round of IVF and she was ready to talk about the adjustments she would make in the course of treatment for the 2nd round. This made us feel confident in our next steps and resulted in a successful 2nd round of IVF.

I would advise a prospective patient to never hesitate to ask Dr. Karipcin any questions that you have throughout treatment- even if you just need clarification or reassurance about where you are in your treatment process. As a patient you need to advocate for yourself and make sure that your voice is heard. Always communicate your questions and concerns.

For my 1st IVF cycle I used gonal-f, menopur and cetrotide injections leading up to an egg retrieval which produced 14 eggs and 2 embryos. Neither embryo passed pgs testing (which was recommended due to my age). For my 2nd IVF cycle I used gonal-f, menopur and cetrotide again, however the doses were tweaked by Dr. Karipcin which resulted in 25 eggs and 1 embryo that passed pgs testing. After this I had a frozen embryo transfer using estrace pills and progesterone injections which resulted in a current pregnancy.

My insurance paid for a portion of each IVF cycle as well as the frozen embryo transfer. The out of pocket expenses for both IVF cycles, inlcuding pgs testing of a total of 3 embryos was about $10,000.

The approach that was used during my treatment was to use a single embryo that passed pgs testing (euploid embryo).

Dr. Rackow was very responsive throughout my treatments, she did not just stick with the status quo if something wasn't working for me (4 egg retrievals, 2 embryo transfers using my own eggs). She changed protocol when the first egg retrieval didn't yield many eggs (we added clomid which helped me immensely), and she changed the embryo transfer protocol to natural with a trigger shot when the first transfer didn't work. The natural cycle with trigger worked perfectly for me and I did not have to take those dreadful intramuscular progesterone shots, a win. She did my early pregnancy ultrasounds with this successful transfer and I was pleased that she could do them personally.

Dr. Rackow is part of an excellent, efficient team. Remember, you are entrusting your fertility care to a large, busy fertility clinic where the doctors have certain days they are in the office and are in charge of procedures. Other days they are assigned elsewhere. This means you may/may not get your main doctor for every procedure or check. If you want a 1 doctor experience, consider a small clinic.

For all egg retrievals I did high dose injectables, and for 3 out of 4 I also used clomid, which helped me release (?) significantly more eggs. In all, I ended up with 4 PGS-tested embryos, one did not make it with the first transfer, the second successfully implanted. I have 2 frozen embryos remaining for possible future use. For the first embryo transfer, we did a traditional medicated cycle that did not result in a positive test. For the second embryo transfer, we did a natural cycle with a trigger shot. This worked great for me.

All but the last egg retrieval and embryo transfer were covered by my insurance.

We both agreed on a single embryo transfer.

Dr Rudick is a wonderful physician with excellent bedside manner. She always explained everything to me in the perfect amount of detail and was very receptive whenever I had questions. It is very evident that fertility is her passion and she cares deeply about her patients’ treatment outcomes

Trust her she wants what is best for her patients

I have unexplained infertility so I did 5 IUI cycles paired with either clomid or letrozole. None of these cycles resulted in pregnancy so I moved on to IVF. I was stimulated with gonal F 150 units and Menopur 75 units (also received cetrotide) and then was triggered with ovidrel and Lupron. I had 12 eggs retrieved but only 7 were mature. I ended up with 3 genetically normal embryos. We transferred the first one but it resulted in an early miscarriage. We transferred the second one and this resulted in a positive pregnancy and I am 8 weeks along thus far

Monitoring appts are extremely efficient and with minimal wait times

My IUIs were covered under my insurance, but we had to pay for sperm freezing for my husband due to his difficult work schedule, so about 4-5k for that. IVF was covered under my insurance for certain parts but not all (genetic testing, ICSI, sperm and embryo freezing/thawing were not covered). So probably spent about 6k out of pocket for that. After all the copay the whole treatment was probably 11-12k

Dr Rudick advised to only perform single embryo transfers

Working with Dr. Forman has been the most positive experience I've ever had with a doctor. My husband and I did our research, and chose Dr. Forman after reading many positive reviews about his communicative style, compassion, and good results. We began seeing him in August of 2019, after a year of trying to conceive naturally and some disappointing diagnostic results (low AMH, high FSH) at another clinic. He took all possible factors into consideration (my age, diagnostic results, insurance coverage, etc.) into consideration when recommending we jump straight into IVF. Our first cycle yielded only 1 egg, but thankfully, PGS results were normal. We stuck with a similar protocol for the second round of IVF, with the goal of aiming for quality eggs again. That cycle was unsuccessful and we did not end up with any PGS normal embryos. Dr. Forman then suggested we adjust our protocol to something more aggressive (a microdose Lupron flare with a higher dose of Gonal (375 per night), 1 vial of Menopur, and HCG trigger). This protocol resulted in my most successful cycle, with 9 eggs and, ultimately, 2 PGS normal embryos. Due to the pandemic, a transfer was not an option during early spring, so after a thorough consultation with Dr. Forman, we opted for one more round of IVF in an attempt to bank another normal embryo. This final round was unsuccessful, with 2 abnormal embryos. Throughout the process, Dr. Forman was highly communicative and always available via email. He was sensitive yet forthcoming about my prospects when my FSH numbers continued to rise throughout the year. I appreciated the delicate balance he managed of being honest but caring. He also genuinely shared in our successes, which made it feel like we were a real team. I was grateful that he adjusted my protocol and always seemed to be thinking of new things to try. We did an eSET in August, which Dr. Forman made a point of doing himself, and are currently 11 weeks pregnant!

Take advantage of his expertise and responsiveness, and ask him any and all questions you may have.

See above.

Our cycles were covered by our fertility insurance, Progyny.

Dr. Forman opted for an eSET to reduce the risk of multiples and miscarriage. My understanding is that this is the current preferred approach based on research, so I was glad he chose it.

Dr. Forman is incredibly professional, smart and caring. He takes the time to review every detail about your history and tailors his treatment so that it works for you. Even right before many of my procedures, he would email with another tip/suggestion to increase my chances. I also was very nervous for many of my procedures and of course made him aware of that so he'd make sure to reassure me and provide a step by step of what to expect so that I didn't worry.

Make an appointment with him ASAP. He is the reason I am pregnant right now after being with the wrong doctor for almost a year.

We did two egg retrievals and one frozen transfer.

Our insurance covered two egg retrievals. About $1200 for frozen embryo.

We did a frozen embryo transfer with a 5 day blastocyst. We did not do genetic testing because of our age and preference.

Doctor Rudick was very clear, honest, and detailed in explaining everything about the IUI and IVF process. I never felt as if any of my questions went unanswered. She is very knowledgeable and skilled in offering the best treatment options for your individual needs. She did video meetings with me during Covid and helped ease any worry about my cycle. I feel she is very approachable, professional and a straight shooter. I would recommend her to anyone in need of fertility treatment.

Be sure to start your fertility treatments as soon as you think you might need help. The process can take longer than one might think. It has nothing to do with Dr. Rudick's skill, but more to do with the cycles and your body. You should not expect that you can just walk right in and get pregnant within a month...it takes time. Please be patient and listen to everything Dr. Rudick says, follow her instructions perfectly and you should get the results you desire.

I 1st did IUI ONLY because IVF wasn't covered by my insurance. For that I was put on BC, Clomid and did a trigger shot. This was after having an HSG and unblocking a tube. -Then I did IVF when my insurance covered it, I was on Menupur injections, cetrotide, and gonal injections, did the egg retrieval, did genetic testing of embryos, did transfer....positive pregnancy, still taking estradiol pill and progesterone oil injections until week 10.

Copay

Dr. Rudick only allowed for 1 single embryo to be transferred. I did ask for 2, but she informed me of the health risks and I am glad I listened.

As a patient, Dr. Rudick was always accessible even when I did not see her for routine morning monitoring appointments. I knew that she reviewed my results and I trusted her prescribed courses of action. As we graduated from monthly IUIs to more complicated procedures such as egg retrievals, polyp removal, and embryo transfers, there was a big shift in our relationship: I saw Dr. Rudick more frequently and she went out of her way to schedule my procedures so she would be the doctor performing them. On the occasion that she could not be there to perform a procedure, she emailed me ahead of time to let me know she was thinking of me and my partner. For a patient who had never been through this process, that was everything. In recovery, Dr. Rudick popped in to say hello, to see how I was feeling and to answer any questions. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, all procedures had to stop at Columbia Fertility. During this period, I was concerned that we would lose too much time and that it would seriously impact our chances of having a baby. Once again, Dr. Rudick was not shy about being in touch with her patients and being honest about next steps. It was incredible. .

My advice would be to always have an agreed upon course of action and to make it specific. This is advice I would give for any patient working with a doctor.

We started with monthly IUIs before insurance would pay for IVF coverage. Dr. Rudick explained that this was standard, but I wish we could have skipped over some of these cycles. At one point, Dr. Rudick suggested that I undergo a back-to-back IUI (two days in a row) because she thought the internal environment was ideal. It was not successful, but this accelerated our timeline by one month. After six unsuccessful IUI attempts, we moved onto IVF. We had one egg retrieval round that did not yield viable eggs. For the second egg retrieval, Dr. Rudick increased the dosages of the medication I was taking daily. I experienced significant physical changes from the increased dosages, which I took as a good sign. And it was! The second retrieval yielded a higher number of eggs and several that were viable. For the transfer, Dr. Rudick explained a the pros and cons of a medicated versus natural cycle and the possible steps that would follow in the case of a positive or negative outcome. We chose a natural cycle, knowing that if it was unsuccessful, we would have the option of taking a medicated course of action.

IUI procedure ($550 per cycle) x 6 cycles = $3,300 IVF meds = $200 Retrievals: $1,000 Hysteroscopy: $550 Donor Sperm: $4,000 Transport fees: $200 Total: $9,250 (roughly)

No words can express how grateful I am to have Dr. Forman and his amazing team care for me during my IVF journey. Everyone was so caring and detail oriented every step of the way. Dr. Forman collaborates with the patient and the nursing/lab team to provide efficient, timely results. I would highly recommend this center for any friends and family wishing to start a family. Dr Forman takes care of his patients in a way that I have never seen it before. He will email/call even when he was away just to check on us!

Listen to him and don’t doubt him... he definitely knows what he is doing. But even if you have any questions, he will always answer you!

Dr Forman was my first IVF doctor in NJ but the. He moved to NY. We figured we could stay in the NJ clinic because it would be the same ... we were wrong! We finally decided to start treatment again in NY with Dr Forman and the first test he did was ERA to check why I had to FET that failed in the past .... results: I needed one a day of medication! He took the time to go over everything and realized that was the piece of the puzzle missing from the other clinic!

I could not have been happier with my treatment under Dr. Rudick's care. From my very first appointment with her she listened and recommended the right course of action based on my past situation ( past silent Endometriosis ). She is so knowledgable and thorough, and for once I felt like I could relax because I was so confident in the doctor. Over the year that I was with her, I emailed her 1 million times and she always responded. She answered every question, and reassured me that we were doing everything we could to get me pregnant. Even when I had a different thought on a treatment plan ( based on nothing but my own googling ) she explained every detail to me and why the approach that she was recommending was indeed right....and she was right!! I would recommend her to anyone in this situation!

If you won't understand something just email or call her. She will always take the time to explain things to you.

Around $13k for the IVF cycle Medication covered by insurance around $2500 for Transfer PGT testing - can't remember cost ERA tests x 2 - around $700 each time Depot Lupron - $1000 x 2 shots ( i think )

She's arrogant and disrespectful. Obviously did not care. The result showed! We were planing to finish up the IVF cycle with covered insurance, but we ended up doing egg freezing with paying out of pocket. My husband was super sick right before my egg retrieval. She didn't explain that it could effect his sperms and would result a failed fertilization procedure. As an experienced doctor she could have him freeze his sperms for a back up before I started my injections. At the point it was too late. We ended up freezing my eggs with no fertilization. We also had to pay out of pocket even though we had the insurance cover for the whole IVF procedure. [Husband's perspective] Rudicks complete inability to communicate effectively is off putting but not the end of the world. If she was a good Dr, and did her job. Starting an IVF cycle while on vacation without having a frozen sample as a back up? During Flu and Covid seasons? That is just incompetence! This turned an insurance covered IVF procedure into an out of pocket egg retrieval procedure. This cost us thousands of dollars, but more importantly many precious months.

Listen to your patient and you're not smarter than anybody.

We started with Follistim 225 units and Menopur 1 vial daily for 3 days, then added Genirelix 250 mg on the forth day. I injected those for 6 days and injected the Pregnyl 10,000 unit vial trigger shot and took Doxycycline 100mg tablets on day 7. My egg retrieval was on day 8. I was hoping to retrieve 13-15 eggs as I was diagnosed with great numbers of follicles and the hormones level. The first couple of days after the injections my eggs were growing in great numbers and sizes, but times went by some of my eggs grew bigger faster than others. Dr.Rudick told our nurse while she was on her vacation to had me continue the same dose medications. Because some of my eggs were mature and they didn't want them to over mature while other eggs were still tiny, so we had to finish the medication and I had my egg retrieval on day 8 with 10 eggs retrieved and 9 of them were mature for freezing.

We were covered by our insurance for IVF cycle except the genetic testing and embryo storage. We had to cancelled our IVF cycle at the day my egg retrieval. We ended up doing egg freezing with us paying out of pocket.

We agreed to do a single embryo transfer, but we hadn't gone that far. We ended up the cycle with egg freezing.

Dr. Forman is truly the best of the best. I say this both as a patient and as a physician who has literally worked with 100s of other doctors. He is a thoughtful clinician who will look at your care and case inside and out, which is exactly what you need in your REI. And he does it with warmth, kindness, and genuine optimism while still being direct and clear. He is an outstanding communicator and is incredibly responsive - he returns emails with quick, clear, thorough explanations and immediately relieves my concerns. As a physician, I had more detailed questions about my plan/care (though I tried not to go overboard) and he authentically listened to my opinions; I was heard in a nonjudgemental way, and I truly felt like we're on the same team. He is evidence-based and even in casual conversation would cite certain papers (that I would then look up and read on PubMed) which really put my mind at ease. I had been in a stressful, toxic clinic previously (Cornell) and upon coming to Columbia with Dr. Forman, my stress evaporated overnight, literally. And we finally had success - thanks to Dr. Forman and his team. He will fight for you and has your best interests at heart. I wish I had found him as my first REI, not second. When I move back to the West Coast, I will continue to travel to him so we can continue to grow our family with him - I literally trust him with my life. My husband and I are eternally grateful to Dr. Forman!

Trust him. You'll see that he deserves your trust.

Hysteroscopy and repeat endometrial biopsy to confirm endometritis was gone (at my request). 2 IUIs (medicated) while waiting for embryos to be transferred from old clinic, unsuccessful but not surprising since it's IUI. Then progesterone suppositories for thin endometrial lining - lining wasn't as responsive as it was at stim for egg retrievals with injectables, so transfer was canceled. Then tried injectibles (Gonal-F and menopur) for lining, which worked, and we transferred with success! Used progesterone IM injections because I was concerned the lining was less responsive to suppositories due to chronic endometritis history and lack of response to suppositories; the shots were worth the peace of mind.

Only copays, luckily. Freezing sperm was not covered by insurance so that was ~$600 I think. The financial team was awesome and coordinated everything with our insurance and pharmacy.

He wrote the studies on eSET so he obviously recommended eSET, which I agreed with given my age and maternal/fetal health risks with multiples.

Dr. Forman is knowledgeable, kind, calm, compassionate, honest and always available to answer any questions or concerns not matter the day or the time of day within minutes of my email sent to him. I felt he was always on call 24/7. He even answered a request weeks after I was discharged from his care. Similar to his team, he took the time to know me and my husband and he was always knowledgeable of both my medical and personal life. Fertility journey had many ups and downs and the one time we got bad news he made sure to make the phone call and calming and compassionately explaining the bad news and our options. I have never felt more taken care of than the time i was under Dr. Forman's care.

Let Dr. Forman get to know you both medical records and individual. He will only be able to give you the best care and attention if he truly knows you. Follow his advice, I found that he was never once wrong!

I went to Dr. Forman after three failed IUIs at a different practice. Where despite of being the only patient at the time of the appointment, my husband and I felt that after six months, they know us or care to hear out concerts. We initially met with Dr. Forman for a second opinion and with 10-15 minutes talking with him, we knew that he is the right doctor for us. After reviewing my records and learning about my husband and I, Dr. Forman recommended the IVF with the genetic testing of each individual normal embryo. In October 2019, we started the first IVF treatment, we got nine eggs of which only two of them fertilized. Both embryos were genetically tested and we learned that both were not normal. While the news was devastating, Dr. Forman called us and explained to us that this is just a set back but he doesn't think this is the end road for us. He gave us the option to try again but also not to rush and take our time making the decision. We decided to do it again and on December 31, 2019 we started our second cycle. Once again we had nine eggs but this time around four of them fertilized. And after the genetic testing, Dr. Forman called us with the good news. We had one perfect embryo! Once again Dr. Forman gave us some options and we decided to go for the transfer in March. Nine days later, we found out we are pregnant and I'm now 16 weeks and so far every pregnancy test (NP, NIPT etc.) has come back perfect.

I don't remember the exact cost but I do recall being similar to the other practice I initial went to. I'm very fortunate that my company has paid in full for my treatments.

I believe the elective single embryo transfer is the best choice as healthy pregnancy result from from quality and not quantity. I could be more happy that Dr. Forman practices the single embryo transfer.

There aren't enough words to describe how amazing Dr. Eric Forman is. He is kind, very compassionate, extremely knowledgable, great communication, and he handles all procedures with great attention and care. Dr. Forman goes above and beyond to provide quality care for his patients. He always addresses my question and concerns since our very first meeting. He explains all procedures in detail and makes sure you understand the pros and cons before it is done. He never forces any procedures on you, he suggests it, gives you all the information, and lets you decide if you want to take that approach. Because of the quality work and great advice from Dr. Forman, I now have a healthy baby boy.

Ask all the questions.

Insurance covered the cost

I trusted Dr. Forman's suggestion on transferring a single embryo for my first IVF cycle and it was successful.

The level of contact and patience he had for me as a patient goes above and beyond any other doctor I’ve ever seen. From the moment we met, I felt totally comfortable and respected any decisions Dr. Forman suggested as my course of treatment.

Ask questions and always be your own advocate no matter who your doctor is.

For all 3 IUIs we did letrozole to stimulate follicles. Then I was the one who volunteered to proceed to IVF. For the first egg retrieval, we used menopur and Gonal F. Then we added centrotide and triggered with HCG. For those frozen transfers, we did estradiol to thicken my lining and then progesterone in oil. After 1 miscarriage and 2 failed transfers, we decided to do a second egg retrieval. This was the same protocol. During that retrieval, Dr. Forman did a scratch test to see if there was any inflammation in my uterine lining. There was a few plasma cells found, so I took an antibiotic for that. We also went back and figured out which protocol provided my thickest lining and we decided menopur and Gonal f would gain the best lining for me. This was a natural cycle that I triggered a follicle and used progesterone suppositories instead of the oil. That’s what did the trick!

I have amazing insurance as a teacher so everything was covered except for genetic testing of embryos and cryopreservation. The biopsy was $2500 per retrieval and $100 per month for storage.

I always wanted to have one child at a time and Dr. Forman is a big advocate for it, so it was perfect for us.

He's so smart and intuitive. After two unexplained miscarriages (via viable embryos from IVF) we saw several other doctors, and he was the other one who looked beyond the files/charts and followed his hunch that I had a uterine septum (even though an HSG exam 18 months prior with another doctor showed no issues). He was right. I always feel like he's on my side and has my back. He really takes his time talking with us - he genuinely cares about us and I never feel rushed. Absolutely no weaknesses or cons.

Worth the wait!

- Hysteroscopy to remove septum (another Columbia surgeon actually performed the procedure, after Dr Williams diagnosed it) - timed intercourse with regular monitoring (bloodwork/ultrasounds to monitor hormone levels and follicle development). When he confirmed I had the septum, not only did he believe it was 99% responsible for my two prior miscarriages (those pregnancies were via IVF), he also suspected it could've been why I wasn't able to get pregnant on my own. So after the septum removal, Dr Williams thought we should try naturally instead of going back to IVF. - I successfully got pregnant the first monitored cycle I did under his care, but unfortunately lost the baby due to chromosomal abnormalities. He performed the D&C - When my hormone levels returned to normal he did an endosee to examine my uterine cavity and a biopsy of my uterine lining to test for endomitritis. - we did another monitored cycle, during which I got pregnant again. Then at 6 weeks I had another miscarriage, due to a different type of chromosomal abnormality. Dr Williams did the D&C again - Then he did another endosee / uterine biopsy before beginning the next monitored cycle - Then Covid-19 happened and I can't go in for monitoring

Our first consultation with Dr. Forman was very detailed. He explained my diagnosis and the process moving forward. We decided to go straight to IVF due to my condition. The doctor is not the type that is overly warm, but he is knowledgeable and always on top of the latest research. He is more of the traditional and convention IVF view.

He is not overly warm but will be blunt and honest about the treatment ahead. I would suggest to do your own research about the latest tests available and bring it up to see if he is okay to it. Be an advocate for yourself.

Gonal F, Menuopur, Novidel trigger for egg retrieval. Lupron, estrace, and progesterone in oil for transfer.

Very quick and easy. The earlier you go the better. In an out in 15 minutes. If you want to have your doctor perform your ultrasound you need to request it and the doctor may not always be available.

Not sure yet...

He strongly suggests single embryo transfer.

As a physician myself, I was impressed with both Dr. Brady's clinical knowledge and competence as well as her empathetic bedside manner. If there was a setback, she would break the news in a sensitive and empathetic way, but at the same time come up with solutions to address the set-back. I did not have Dr. Brady do the egg retrieval because of a conflict in my work schedule, but she did do the egg transfer. I was extremely nervous about the transfer because I ended up with only 1 genetically normal embryo after PGS screening, but I was impressed with how carefully and smoothly she preformed the transfer. The embryo ended up implanting, and I am now in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy!

I would advise patients in general to ask their IVF doctor about their chances for success with each cycle given their individual circumstances. We did not discuss this in too much detail, and I did not think to push for more information on my chances of success because I was so focused on just starting treatment. I was 38yo when I did the egg retrieval. 12 eggs were retrieved, 7 fertilized, 3 embryos made it to day 5 and only 1 embryo was genetically normal after screening. I was surprised and disappointed that this was considered a good result for my age. I was expecting and hoping to have at least 2-3 good embryos. Every doctor wants to paint the most optimistic picture possible so I think it's important to ask about the worst outcomes too so you can prepare yourself and not be overly disappointed.

Gonadal F (225 IU), Menopur (225 IU) and Ovidrel were used for egg retrieval. To prepare for the transfer I took estradiol 2mg BID and progesterone IM injections nightly. I continued the estradiol and progesterone injections until the 10th week of pregnancy.

Monitoring appointments were scheduled for a specific time, but they were flexible at the same time. So if I needed an earlier appointment, they would easily accommodate that. I would typically get there at 7am, and my wait would be no more than 10-20min.

PGS $2,500, Cyropreservation (annual) $1,200, Anesthesia $500, Igenomix PGS fee $750. The rest was covered under insurance and required $50 copay for each clinic visit.

We only had one good embryo, so we did not have any other choices. But Dr. Brady said that she would still prefer eSET in my case any way.

Dr Williams treats each patient like he was treating his wife or daughter. He is kind, patients and truly cares. He is easy to talk and one can tell that his mind is brilliant. He takes the time to call you with results even if it’s 10pm to help alleviate any happy/sad news.

Whether it’s Dr. Williams or any other doctor, it’s really important to advocate for yourself and don’t be afraid to ask questions and share your needs.

Because my husband and I got pregnant naturally two times and it ended in molar pregnancies we decided to seek dr. Williams as he is a master in early pregnancy loss. He diagnosed me with endometriosis and pcos. As a result he began by monitoring my cycles and started a medications routine.

30K+

She was always honest with us about the chances for success while also explaining things in such a way that we knew she was setting us up for a positive outcome in every way possible. Dr. Karipcin exuded a genuine concern for us and our comfort level and made us feel cared for and human- not just "another patient." We went in expecting it to be a stressful process but having her in our court made it all so much easier than expected (because we trusted her and knew she had our best interests at heart at every turn).

Don't hesitate to ask your questions- she really wants you to feel comfortable, even if it means explaining something in multiple ways on multiple occasions.

I know that we did a natural FET cycle so as to avoid using additional hormone treatment when there was no empirical evidence that it would be beneficial given our circumstances. And for us: it worked.

We had good insurance coverage so this didn't stand out. They were great about handling the billing with the insurer.