Columbia University

Dr Turocy was kind, caring and informative throughout our treatment. She was always available to speak to us on video calls, and was very quick to respond to emails whenever we had questions. Dr Turocy's manner was always gentle and friendly, but we really appreciated that she was also very clear in all her communication, and laid things out in a very simple and factual way. She dealt with the ups and downs in our emotions throughout the process, including whenever we got stressed or anxious. We also live abroad, and despite the time difference and the added complications of our health system here, she went above and beyond to stay in touch with us and communicate with my doctors here. Although our first transfer didn't end up resulting in a health pregnancy, we still could not be happier that we chose Dr Turocy for this process, and have every faith in continuing to have her as our doctor.

Don't be afraid to reach out directly to Dr Turocy, as she will always get back to you over email and is always happy to answer questions. On the flip side, her team is fantastic, so if you're concerned about anything, you can always get in touch with Lauren and Sakari as well.

Dr Turocy worked with us around all our very specific requirements, including the need for us to freeze my husband's sperm, and our desire for genetic testing, as well as the complications around booking flights into New York. Nothing was too much trouble, and she was able to find solutions to every problem we had. She also didn't make us feel as though even trivial issues were a nuisance to her. At our previous clinic my first retrieval only resulted in 10 eggs and 1 healthy embryo, whereas my retrieval at Columbia resulted in 28 eggs and 8 healthy embryos. How closely I was monitored by Dr Turocy in terms of how long she kept me on the medication before retrieval clearly made a big difference to the results.

We were self-pay patients, and appreciated that Columbia offer a discounted bundle rate for self pay. This made a huge difference compared to our previous clinic, who charged for each monitoring appointment and blood test. Having all tests and appointments included in the bundle rate meant we didn't have to worry whenever extra tests were ordered.

In our first appointment with Dr. Forman, he provided a thorough overview of Columbia's fertility clinic and the typical diagnostic tests a new couple undergoes before starting treatments. He also went through what the typical path would be to go down (although everyone will be different). Dr. Forman provided plenty of detail on the various procedures and types of medication and answered questions we had about outcome probability and risks of treatment. He asked lots of questions about both my and my husband's medical history, and also made an effort to know more about us on a personal level. After bloodwork and other diagnostic tests, it was decided the best course of action would be to start with IUIs. After the first one was successful, we decided to try another IUI given I had responded well to the medication. We were unsuccessful again on attempts 2 and 3 and decided to move onto IVF. We started IVF with about two weeks of medication and while my follicles were a little slow to start growing, there were plenty to proceed with the egg retrieval procedure. We were excited to have fertilized eggs a day after the procedure, unfortunately, none of the fertilized eggs made it viable embryos and our first cycle was over. This was upsetting and disappointing but Dr. Forman spent an hour on the phone with me after sharing the results walking through what could have caused that outcome and providing reassurance that he was confident that we could have success with another round. We agreed to take a month off and then try again. Dr. Forman tweaked our protocol slightly for round two and it seemed like my response to the medication was better this time around. After the egg retrieval, we had 8 fertilized eggs, 5 which made it to the Day 5 blastocyst stage and 4 which came back as good after being sent for genetic testing. Dr. Forman shared the news with us on Valentine's Day evening (which on top of being Valentine's Day was a also Sunday - he really does care about his patients!!) and we couldn't have been more grateful for such good news that day. We did a medicated transfer cycle a month later with our highest-quality embryo. While we did get pregnant based on the early bloodwork after the transfer, our levels were low and Dr. Forman was realistic about the chances of the pregnancy being viable. Ultimately we experienced a biochemical pregnancy which was devastating to us. Dr. Forman was understanding and compassionate while also giving us hope that we still have good embryos left and that there was a good chance the next try would work. For our next transfer, Dr. Forman suggested we try a natural cycle which involves no medication and closely monitoring my own cycle to time the transfer with ovulation. We used a trigger shot to ensure the timing of ovulation. This second cycle worked; early bloodwork looked promising and continued on the right trajectory and an ultrasound two weeks later confirmed the pregnancy and we saw the heartbeat. At 9 weeks we "graduated" from Dr. Forman's care and he helped us find an OBGYN to allow us to continue our care with Columbia.

Know you are in good hands and ask any and all questions you have - Dr. Forman will find time to get you the answers you need

IUIs: Clomid + Trigger Shot Retrieval Round 1: Started on birth control; Follistim + Low Dose HCG; Ganirelix; Lupron + HCG trigger Retrieval Round 2: Clomid; Follistim + Menopur; Ganirelix; Lupron + HGC trigger Medicated Transfer: Started on birth control; Estrogen + Progesterone injections Natural Transfer: Progesterone suppositories + trigger shot

Dr. Forman is supportive of elective single embryo transfer

After 2 failed embryo transfer of chromosomally normal embryos and a panic attack we met with Dr K. During our 1st consult she was very patient, professional and proactive- she took notes of my medical history, went through all my scan and reports, asked us abt our fertility goal ( which I had completely given up on), and also gave us an egg retrieval protocol. She knew exactly what I needed for good results. she was very positive abt my case and had a plan- we decided to do 2 egg retrievals as I have DOR and want 2 kids and she strongly suggested me to take Lupron for 2 cycles- due to endometriosis and adenomyosis- clearly it was long journey but she was totally on our side and knew how to get us the results. very next cycle we started ER protocol and despite low follicular count and DOR got 3 embryos. we took a break of 2 cycles, while we were figuring out a possible Infectious disease issue. Then we did 2nd ER and again got 3 embryos. the very same cycle I took first lupron shot. by then my endo pain was getting worse so we decided to diagnostic laparoscopy. Again Dr K helped us find the right surgeon and worked very closely with our surgeon to maximize our chances of successful transfer. Dr K was always more positive abt our case then us. She is very efficient and knows what she is doing. Every second I was in her care I was her number one priority. She decided to do a Mock transfer due to the position of my uterus and made a decision to do my transfer under anesthesia, by this point we trusted Dr K blindly and did what she said- we knew she would never take any shorts or do conventional practice, her plan was tailor only for me. I was vey nervous for the transfer but when I saw Dr K I could relax and calm down my nerves went in the transfer room the whole experience was very positive and I we got pregnant the same cycle. I know only Dr K could have got me pregnant because she understood how my case was different and was willing to think out of box.

plz trust her. she knows what she is doing. plz let her know your expectations and tell her how you feel abt your struggles. She will go out of her way to make your journey easy. Her positive vibes will make you believe in your dream to become a mother.

Dr K suggested Estrogen priming for my case she was right that cycle I did not get a lead follicle. For stimulation we used menopur and follistim. I think I took ovidrel for trigger shot. Although we got only 9 eggs( due to DOR) we got 3 embryos on day5. protocol was the same for both cycles and resulted in total 6 embryos. when I took lupron she strongly suggested me to take add back with it and that was blessing, without add back my lupron days were not livable. Infact with lupron + add back I was very energetic and productive. for transfer I took estrogen vaginally and progesteron in oil.

our first ER was covered by insurance 100%. 2nd ER was completely out of pocket- abt 10 k and transfer was covered by insurance.

she preferred single embryo transfer.

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. Bishop was immensely kind, knowledgeable, and responsive throughout the process. She took care to address our concerns - going out of her way to schedule appointments with us to talk things over when we she sensed we were struggling with whether to continue with IUI versus proceed to IVF - and even remembered small details of our lives that we had shared with her. We felt every step of the way that we were in great hands and that we had a really thoughtful plan in place to help us build a family.

Our plan was to do three rounds of IUI - with Letrozole instead of Clomid, as I had received a PCOS diagnosis from a past doctor. When my lining wasn't growing enough - and it seemed that our second round of IUI wouldn't work out - Dr. Bishop suggested increasing the dose of Letrozole slightly to help with both follicle growth and endometrial growth. We never had to carry out that plan, as the second round of IUI was successful despite my thin lining (and a low sperm count for that retrieval)! Dr. Bishop told us to be optimistic despite the long odds, and we were grateful for that advice.

I have a high-deductible insurance plan, so it ultimately cost me about $1,000-$2,000 for two IUI cycles and all the associated testing and appointments. But I believe those with better insurance ultimately didn't have to pay much at all, and CUFC will assign you a financial counselor who can help map out costs etc.

I came to Dr. Turocy after a grueling fertility journey - I had been to two other clinics, had undergone multiple frozen transfers, IUIs, had two miscarriages, and had multiple hysteroscopies. I came to Dr. Turocy feeling pretty helpless about my journey. She was incredibly empathetic, and she was extremely thorough and clear in explaining her ideas for next steps. Dr. Turocy suggested ideas that had not been previously brought up from the many doctors/consults I had, and she was also always willing to hear my perspective on the course of treatment. I was used to not seeing my doctors so frequently at my scans, but Dr. Turocy was unique in that if she was able to be at a scan, she made sure to be there (and when she wasn't, they were not major scans). After two and a half years of infertility, I found a doctor who exceeded my expectations - in terms of her intellect, thinking outside the box, her clarity on treatment, and most importantly, her empathy and bedside manner.

Don't be afraid to ask questions about your treatment if you don't understand something - she welcomes questions and is always happy to explain something that may be unclear.

Dr. Turocy started my treatment by conducting a diagnostic hysteroscopy - I had previous hysteroscopies previously (a uterine septum removed, after a D&C), so Dr. Turocy started with that so she could get a comprehensive look at my uterus. After doing multiple medicated frozen transfers, Dr. Turocy decided to do a natural frozen transfer (meaning, my body would ovulate on its own instead of simulating ovulation). Since I have PCOS and irregular periods, I started with letrozole to grow follicles, then moved onto injectables when the letrozole was not so effective. In addition, she placed me on metormin and lovenox (and progesterone suppositories). Lastly, a couple of days before the transfer, she did a new minor procedure (like a pap smear) called a PRP where she injected my hemoglobin (taken from a blood draw) and injected it into my uterus to stimulate additional blood flow to the area.

Thankfully, my insurance covered IVF, so I payed a $50 co-pay for each appointment, and there were some copays with medications, and with the hysteroscopy that I had done.

Given my age and the quality of my embryos, Dr. Turocy encouraged a single embryo transfer.

Dr Bishop is a patient person. She is graceful and kind. She is not going to be all over you during the treatment, but you will feel like she is walking with you through out the journey. In my case she educated me on many things I did not know and a lot of misconceptions I had about the process. I liked that she was direct with what her assessment of the problems are and we worked together to come up with a plan of action. She was there for the major procedures but always informed us if she a different doctor would see us instead of her. At this point, we are hopeful that we shall soon have a baby in our hands and we are thankful to her and her team.

Don't be afraid to tell her exactly how you feel, or what you would like. If it is possible, she will work with you for the best outcome.

She used the short protocol ivf . I had a Frozen embryo transfer. I had a modified natural cycle to prepare for the frozen embryo transfer

I had to pay out of pocket for the embryo biopsy and pre-genetic testing, since my insurance does not pay for that

She preferred to do a single embryo transfer. She educated me on the trade offs

Dr. Insogna is the most humane physician I have EVER worked with. She clearly works just as hard to treat me with kindness and compassion as she does to meet my physical, medical needs, yet she does that excellently as well. She is incredibly patient with me, communicates sensitively and promptly yet honestly, considers my whole personhood, answers my questions rapidly, competently, simply and completely, consistently checks in on how I'm doing with the IVF process (physically and emotionally) and beyond it, and even accommodates my husband's needs, fears, questions, etc. with so much grace. She is a dream. I love absolutely EVERYTHING about this doctor and it has been an honor to work with her and has literally set a new standard for my medical care going forward. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone I care about.

Share your whole heart with her. Be a whole human, express yourself honestly as such and she will meet you where you are and you will never regret it.

Timed intercourse because I have PCOS and need help with ovulation so we started with minimal intervention and I only took oral drugs to help me ovulate. When that did not work twice, I asked to move to the next stage of intervention so we attempted an IUI and I never ovulated using Letrozole. Dr. Insogna recommended we move to IVF because she knows I want to get pregnant asap and because more potent ovulation meds might result in multiples given that I have a robust number of eggs. I then did an egg retrieval that resulted in 11 perfect embryos, 5 imperfect but viable and 2 that are not recommended for use and I will undergo my first transfer in 3 weeks.

8k

Dr. Insogna prefers one egg at at time for me given my embryo number, age, health, etc. in the hopes of my having the safest pregnancy possible and I agree.

Dr. Bishop and everyone on her team were amazing. We were so glad that we found them and decided to go through IUI with them. Dr. Bishop is very thorough and detail-oriented, and everyone on the team were super professional and responsive. I was very stressed when I first learned about my diagnosis, and Dr. Bishop listened to me and suggested ways that I could gather reliable information so I don't freak out googling my symptoms online. My husband and I felt very much supported during the whole process.

Dr. Bishop is a wonderful fertility doctor and you won't regret it to choose her!

I was diagnosed with PCOS and anovulation. Dr. Bishop suggested to either IUI and IVF, which both are recommended in our case and it was up to us why one we want to go with. After choosing IUI, I started to monitoring my cycle and was prescribed with 2.5mg Letrozole and 250mcg Ovidrel. I took Letrozole the second day after my period. Then it turned out that I ovulated a week late and when it was time, I did the injection (Ovidrel) at home and went in for insemination the next day. Dr. Bishop suggested to try 5mg Letrozole since it seemed I didn't respond to that for next cycle. However, we got pregnant the first round! We were thrilled.

We were lucky enough to have our insurance cover all the costs for the IUI. However, we were informed about the costs if we were to pay it ourselves. There were two week period when we didn't have insurance, we were informed about the costs before going in for any tests. So it was very transparent and we know what to expect. The financial coordinator was really helpful when it comes to insurance coverage and costs.

Dr. Brady is an incredible doctor and we will continue to see her for any future needs to continue to grow our family. Many other reviewers sing her praises so I would like to point out two things in particular. Dr. Brady is an excellent communicator. We always heard back from her directly with any questions or requests we had, usually within 24 hours, even on weekends. Another thing we really appreciated about Dr. Brady was that you always knew if something was a big deal / concern or it wasn't, which is a huge comfort in an ever stressful situation. Dr. Brady was always clear with her point of view and her recommendation if things were not perfect and because of that, we trusted her implicitly. She made a typically overwhelming process manageable.

Go to Dr. Brady! Feel free to ask questions, she gets it. You are in great hands.

We did one egg retrieval which was successful. We used icsi to fertilize the eggs and did genetic testing on the embryos. We were very happy with the number of healthy embryos we were able to freeze. It took a long time for my body to recover from the retrieval (my ovaries were enlarged) and Dr. Brady worked with us on a plan to recover and try a transfer in the future. Unfortunately our first transfer did not work but our second one did and we are half way to meeting our first child!

We are very fortunate to have great fertility coverage from my company via Progyny. They covered most costs.

Dr. Brady recommends single embryo transfer but is open to multiple should the situation call for it. For our second transfer, Dr. Brady recommended we transfer 2 embryos as one of them did not look as strong as she would've preferred and she wanted to get our potential success rate back up. This plan worked and we are pregnant with one baby!

Both my husband and I were extremely nervous about starting this process. But Dr. Turocy really made us at ease. She was amazing! Lucky I/we got pregnant extremely early in the process 😀. Dr. Turocy hardly needed to do anything with me except be there for me while my baby grew. I got the chance to have very early ultrasounds and we were able to hear the heartbeat at 6 weeks! An unbelievable experience! I almost didn’t want to change doctors. I wish she could be my OB as well. She asked for me to stay in contact and I have! I am so grateful to her and when my husband and I are ready to have another baby we will be back!

Ask her questions! I promise she’ll take the time to answer you even the ones you feel are dumb. Don’t be afraid to email her she’ll answer you!

For us Dr. Turocy wanted us to try naturally. We learned that I have PCOS which was the only cause of us/me not getting pregnant. So after both me and my husband were checked out. We were all set to start me on medication when she discovered I was pregnant! Unbelievable after months/a year of trying. I miscarriage my 1st pregnancy so she watched me very carefully during the 1st 10 weeks. Regular check-ups and ultrasounds. I felt very well taken care of.

Co-pays

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Dr. Forman is a great communicator, which is so needed in an IVF process, which is multilayered and sometimes confusing. He was very responsive to my email queries outside of appointment time as well as in the appointments when I met with him in person. He is personable and empathic but is also very straight and direct about the facts of one's individual case. This forthrightness builds trust.

I would highly recommend a client book a consult with Dr. Forman if considering IVF and deciding on a doctor and clinic in NYC.

I was 50 when I met with Dr. Forman for the first time. I wanted to have a child, but my partner had passed away unexpectedly. We had been trying for a child together at this late stage in life but had been unsuccessful. Dr. Forman advised that I would have the best chance of IVF success and a healthy baby with a donor egg, given my age. His team helped me navigate the donor selection process. Once that was completed, embryos were created and tested for viability, and an embryo transfer was scheduled. The embryo transfer was successful on the first try!

One of the reasons I chose Dr. Forman was his research and subsequent recommendation for single embryo transfers over multiples. I did not want to take the risk of potentially having twins/multiples through IVF.

Dr. Insogna is the sweetest, smartest doctor ever. Her warmth and support throughout this emotional process carried us through. Her motivation and genuine care is unprecedented in the field. She is beyond personable, relatable, and truly committed to her patients and their partners. She was extremely accessible and would answer emails at off-hours. I feel so very lucky to have had her as my fertility doctor. The journey would not have been the same without her! Dr. Insogna was invested in our success. She explained everything thoroughly and with compassion. She held my hand (both figuratively and literally) during milestone events. My husband and I established a personal relationship with her that felt natural and comforting, unlike anything we have experienced in the medical field. Fertility can be lonely but Dr. Insogna and her team made us feel seen and important. Her treatment plan worked and I am successfully pregnant and graduating from Columbia Fertility in the upcoming days. I will continue to check in with Dr. Insogna (as she told us to send updates) and will absolutely return to her for future pregnancies. After all, she made it happen! I cannot recommend her enough!!! She is a true gem!

He has a sense of calmness to him which i think for folks like me (high anxious) works in his favor. I did not feel like he was pushing me unnecessarily towards any procedure. He performed the necessary tests and clearly explained the results, options available etc. I also had the benefit of comparison because before him i had had my consultation with a doctor at another practice who really felt like a salesman (i.e. just scared me without explaining anything when i asked multiple times). I appreciated that Dr Forman has been upfront and explains things. 2nd - His willingness to provide a clear path of what to expect and who will be involved in your care during each stage. During my process, he was going to be on vacation but he mentioned this to me before we started and gave me the choice.

Be open with him, he communicates so likewise just make sure you communicate as well. You're in good hands. He also was Dr to a friend of mine.

For the ovarian stimulation, I was on Menopur 2vials, Follistim 300. My dosage didn't change throughout. I was on same dosage of those for about 11 days before the trigger shot.

The system works. The only piece with me about this process is i wish they provided more context as they were doing the observation. When i asked they responded though so not bad.

We were paying everything out of pocket except (insurance didnt cover) for diagnostic testing. For the embryo preservation the cost was about $18k and then medications $6k. On the medications the tip from the nurse was i could order as we go to avoid ordering too much that you dont end up using. The nurse would advise me. This was helpful esp since everything was out of pocket.

At first we weren’t sure about Dr. Bishop, but over time the more we met with her the more we liked her. She isn’t necessarily the warmest doctor, but always gives very full and honest explanations of treatment plans, risks, and success rates.

Trust your gut. Dr. Bishop won’t push any options on you, so you’ll have to really think about what is the best option for you and your family.

We had 3 clomid IUIs. I responded well to a low dose the first round and my husband had a good sample, but it failed. The second round I only produced one follicle and my husband’s sample wasn’t as strong, so that failed as well. For the third IUI we did a higher dose and I had a great response - unfortunately my husband had COVID right before the IUI and his sample was very weak so that one failed too.

$20 copay per visit and $150 for each IUI procedure. IVF will be covered with an additional $5400 out of pocket for embryo testing, freezing, thawing and storage.

As mentioned before, Dr. Brady is compassionate, understanding and trustworthy. Having done all of my egg retrievals with her (both pre- and post-breast cancer treatment), I trust her implicitly. She has learned from each of my cycles and modified the protocol accordingly in order to maximize results.

Ask questions and try to understand your situation fully. You are empowered to make decisions and guide your own care.

Retrieval 1: menopur + gonal-f, trigger was ovidrel, 6 eggs retrieved, 3 eggs were mature Retrieval 2: menopur + gonal-f, trigger was ovidrel, 9 eggs retrieved, 6 eggs frozen Retrieval 3: 300 gonal-f, 150 menopur for 10 days, trigger was ovidrel + lupron (added because of low AMH), 5 eggs retrieved, 4 were mature Retrieval 4: 225 gonal-f, 225 menopur for 6 days - currently in this cycle as we speak

Anesthesia: $600 Egg thaw: $400 PGTA biopsy for genetic testing: $2500 IVF cycle (includes morning monitoring, retrieval, CSI, cryopreservation): $9,100

From the start, Dr Forman was incredible. He can come off as unemotional but he truly cared about us and our outcome. He truly cares about his patients. When we had a failed transfer, he specifically reached out when he was on vacation to check in on me. I never felt like a number, rather a person. He listened to our story and tailored the treatment to just that. He always explained procedures and what the course of treatment would be and was available for any questions that came up during my cycles.

Be your own advocate. Sometimes you can get lost in the mix, but stand up for yourself and ask questions.

For timed intercourse and IUI's, we alternated between Clomid & Letrozole, although most of the cycles I was on Letrozole. I also used the trigger shot (ovidrel) most times. For my first IVF cycle I took 10 nights of 2 vials of menopur, and 250 units of gonalF, and 5 nights of cetrotide. For my second IVF cycle, I had the same protocol, although I was on the meds for 12 days. Both times, I used Ovidrel and Lupron as triggers. For my first transfer, we primed with birth control and i took estradiol and 1.5 mL of progesterone in Oil. For the second transfer, we decided not to prime with birth control and i was on estradiol and 1 mL of progesterone in oil.

most of our procedures were covered under insurance.

Dr Forman is in favor of eSET

I found Dr. Ruddick to be very personable. She was able to take a lot of information, some of which is quite dense scientifically, and put it into simple terms that we could understand. She thoroughly explained our options, some of the moving pieces, and also gave us a clear map of next steps we would be taking.

I think it's useful to go in to her office with a sense of your priorities. She will help tailor a pragmatic plan for you to help you take steps in that direction.

Dr. Ruddick helped to identify the next steps, and the timeline for us. My partner who had already done testing and found out her egg count was low, would first go for a round of egg retrieval. During which time, I got blood work, and sema 4 testing done. Simultaneously our desired sperm donor would stop smoking weed for 3 months. He would then get tested, and make a donation. Then it would be my turn to go for a round of egg retrieval. In anticipation of that Dr. Ruddick will make a plan with my physician for going off of testosterone for those two weeks. Assuming our desired sperm donors tests come back without issue, we would then be making and freezing embryos. This plan gives us both the opportunity to have offspring with our egg. My partner will be the person who will carry the child.

Dr. Ruddick was thoughtful and familiar with my needs as a trans person. She came recommended by other queer couples.

My understanding is that the process of egg retrieval and embryo creation will cost approximately 12-15K.

We did not discuss this.

I started with a general consultation with Dr. Rudick, and now am in the process of going through IUI. She has been extremely helpful and understanding of my needs and my partner's needs as well; we look forward to speaking with her. She ordered thorough testing to make sure we are ready, and also talked through potential issues with insurance. So far we are having good luck getting things covered, and this is helping us feel more confident about the whole process.

Ask lots of questions and have a clear idea of what you want support with.

Fertility workup including HSG test (a little intense but not as bad as I thought it could be!) IUI-- starting as naturally as possible (still in the process), and then moving on to using more medications as needed to adjust for any PCOS-related problems that arise

Regular copays for visits, and IUI is covered under insurance. Additional fees associated with sperm receiving and storage.

n/a

Dr. Karipcin immediately prescribed a treatment plan for an IVF with ICSI. She strongly recommended to do PGS testing on the first retrieval, which I chose to forfeit and go with a fresh single embryo transfer, although initially we spoke of a double embryo transfer. I have been unsuccessful with three egg retrieval cycles, I wish the doctor explained clearly the success rate per cycle. Towards the end of my treatment I had to become more of an advocate for myself, and ask a lot of questions. Although the doctor is very caring and compassionate, she does not take the time to fully discuss IVF as a whole, what the treatment entails and the success rates. She also did not pivot when I had an unsuccessful transfer, but did the same protocol that resulted in another failure.

Do your research, join a fertility support group and become and advocate for yourself. Ask a lot of questions!

IVF with ICSI and PGS testing on embryos due to my age at start of IVF treatment.

My costs were accrued due to certain parts of the treatment plan that are not covered by health insurance, this includes biopsy, cryopreservation, PGS testing and ERA panel.

At beginning of treatment we discussed transferring two fresh embryos, but at time of transfer only one was chosen. I was not explained clearly the difference between the two transfer options for my age range.

Dr. Rudick is professional and a great doctor. She was a great fit for me who is more on the anxious side. She is positive yet realistic and held my hand throughout the process. She answered emails promptly and never made me feel any question was silly. She didn’t perform every procedure (like the IUIs for example), but she did perform the egg retrieval, transfer and made an effort to do one of my early scans. I truly have nothing bad to say about this doctor.

We went though the various steps, starting with lesser interventions like medicated timed intercourse cycles with trigger shots. We moved to IUIs following about 2 failed timed intercourses cycles. We tried 4 IUI with some adjusting of meds. After 3 IUIs Dr. Rudick gave the green light for IVF but with our schedule/timing we tried for one more IUI which she was totally okay with. Unfortunately IUIs we’re unsuccessful. We moved on to IVF. Luckily we only needed to do one retrieval and frozen transfer.

Luckily my insurance covered the various cycles for me. We did have to pay out of pocket for genetic testing of the embryos, storing the frozen embryos and a few other things- we probably paid around 7000 out of pocket.

Dr. Rudick recommended a single embryo transfer due to risks that come with multiple embryo transfer

Dr. Insogna is not only a bright, realistic, no-nonsense person, but also genuinely kind. An embryo transfer is a beautiful but physically and logistically awkward procedure; Dr. Insogna made it less uncomfortable and more intimate. I like that she always asked for my approval before initiating either an ultrasound or a speculum insertion.

Trust her. Doing a google search might be important for some, but I felt so much more relaxed when I just gave up and decided to rely on people who are experts.

A different doctor set up the medication protocol before she transferred to another fertility clinic and referred me and my husband to Dr. Insogna. Dr. Insogna suggested a natural cycle for our single frozen embryo transfer.

The majority of the expenses were out of pocket. That includes IVF cycle and medication, anesthesia during egg retrieval and embryo transfer, genetic testing. My insurance paid for blood work and procedures involving infertility diagnoses (ultrasounds and hysterectomy).

When I asked about multiple embryo transfer, Dr. Insogna described the inherent risks to both mother and children in carrying such a pregnancy to term. Although our embryo was genetically tested, which gave us some solace when it came to our concerns about a successful implantation, we would never opt for multiple embryo transfer.