Institute for Reproductive Medicine & Science at Saint Barnabas

IRMS East Windsor responds very quickly to any questions - whether via email or phone. Also, the staff if very willing to help with the documentation (Jenn M) and finances (Susan). I don't ever feel rushed out of there even though the office is very busy. Margo at the front desk has a wonderful demeanor sets the mood in the waiting room. The clinic is very sensitive to the patient needs and emotions.

Dr. Keegan is a god send. She is extremely knowledgeable, professional and understands what an emotional and financial burden infertility is. She speaks to you as a regular person, not some lab experiment. Although we have not been successful yet, I am so grateful to be in Dr. Keegas's care and remain hopeful. The staff at East Windsor is also amazing. They take care of you and try provide any help you may need along the way.

Jenn Maliconico is compassionate and a great communicator. She has helped me understand all my test results, the cycle calendar (each time), has been an ear for all my concerns and doubts and each time offered condolences each time the cycle hasn't worked. Jenn has found donated medicine for me as paying OOP is a MAJOR concern. I am so grateful that she is my nurse coordinator. Kelly, the clinical assistant, always greets me with a smile and puts me in a good mood. Sara, the ultrasound tech, is always pleasure as well. Gentle, quick and down to earth. Great group of people to see when going through the IVF rollercoaster.

Dr. Keegan is fantastic. Knowledgeable, up-to-date with current research, flexible, does not give up and has excellent bedside manner. I could not imagine not going through this "journey" without her. I trust her fully and knows she has our best interests at heart. With her by our side, we have not lost hope in having a family and believe it will happen soon for us.

Just because IRMS is not RMA, CCRM, Cornell, etc. does not mean Dr. Keegan isn't one of the best in her field. Go to her, she listens and wants to truly help. IRMS East Windsor isn't a mill, you will be taken seriously and treated well.

1. Antagonist: only 4 eggs, 1 embryo and it tested PGS abnormal. Determined I was a poor responder. 2. Microdose lupron flare protocol: 10 eggs, 3 embryos for PGS testing: 2 abnormal 1 mosaic. Better response. 3. Microdose lupron flare protocol: 8 eggs, 2 embryos for PGS testing, both abnormal. Suspect egg quality as I am 37. 4. About to start an estrogen priming protocol followed with microdose lupron flare with HGH. Estrogen and HGH to help with egg quality.

Bloodwork and Ultrasounds are done between 6-8am, first come first serve. Very quick and everyone is pleasant in the morning.

Monitoring was billed to insurance, drugs from Schrafts are OOP between 3500-7000 each cycle, cycle costs range from 4500-12000 OOP, egg retrieval 1000 each time to the Surgical Center, CooperGenomics ~$350 per embryo tested, embryo transfer 1000.

Dr. Keegan is all about single embryo transfer. If we ever get that far, I will ask for multiple transfer as I am concerned about keeping embryos on ice for years and having issues later with implantation should I be 40+.

Clean and professional. Very welcoming. Every single person you come in contact with is a woman and they all are professional and compassionate.Everyone from the person who drew blood, to the person scheduling you, to the doctors and nurses, make you feel like you are in a safe place. When I left my referring OB/GYN I was in tears, and I have left every appointment with this practice with a smile on my face.

From the moment I met her she felt more like a peer then a doctor. She took the time to really get to know me. And to make me feel comfortable. She asked insightful questions and really listened to my answers. She made me feel comfortable through every single step.

Everyone in the practice is incredibly professional, kind, and compassionate. It’s such a touchy situation but everyone makes you feel so good. Jennifer, the nurse who worked with me most was very helpful and made me feel comfortable that each step in the process. Alicia in the office is so organized and help you schedule each and every somewhat complicated step.

She takes the time to listen to you. She doesn’t let any questions go on answered. Every question has an answer, she doesn’t make you feel like any question is to silly or too small. Even when she’s talking about very technical things, she’s professional about it but make sure you understand what she’s saying.

You’re going to want Serena Chen to be your best friend! If you are searching for a fertility doctor that is going to make you feel good and not make you stress more about the process, she is the one!

I came to her with unexplained infertility. I only just turned 35 and I’m not 100% ready to get pregnant just yet. She did a very very thorough work up. Everything from ultrasounds to bloodwork to an HSG. Where we go from here will depend on my most recent results.

I have extremely good insurance. So at this point, I have only paid my own co-pays.

I haven’t gotten to the stage just yet.

The clinic appeared to be very clean and organized. The exam room was very clean and the temperature was just right. The bathrooms are clean as well. The front desk was efficient. Not overly nice, but they were pleasant enough.

Dr. Thompson really took her time getting to know myself and my husband. She answered all of our questions and we did not feel rushed.

Kim was very organized. She knew her stuff, and was great at explaining the steps that we had to take. I feel that she could be more compassionate.

Dr. Thompson has excellent bedside manner. She thoroughly explained what she was doing/testing every step of the way. I am still in the diagnosis stage of my treatment, but I feel ask though Dr. Thompson has the right plan for me. I told her that I may have PCOS but she wanted me to get tested for it just to be sure since I wasn't positive. She did not push the most expensive treatment on me. I appreciate her honesty and the time that she spent with myself and my husband during our consultation.

She seems like a very compassionate Dr. Just make sure that you come prepared with your entire health history and background so that she can make the right course of treatment for you.

I have not been prescribed any drugs yet, but Dr. Thompson suggested that she will most likely prescribe Letrozole with a ovulation trigger shot. I have one child that I had naturally, so I am assuming that is why she didn't jump into suggesting IUI or IVF right away. I appreciate that!

So far I only had to pay for my first consultation and pelvic ultrasound. It was just over $300. My bloodwork was covered 100% by my insurance.

This is N/A to me.

Technicians and nurses who draw blood see you more than your own nurse and doctor. The financial aspect of the clinic and most nurses can be rude. Be patient and if you don’t feel comfortable, find a new clinic.

I felt like a human because they took the time to consult with me, call me by my name, not a number and treat me like i was a priority. However, i will not put 100% because sometimes they were insensitive to me as a infertility patient.

The staff was polite at time but not always sensitive to the patients needs. They had an attitude at times and as you read in my whole journey, they screwed a few times with the medications and times to take the medications and not one apologized for their mistake. Only the doctor called to apologize but i wrote an email to my nurse and she never acknowledged it. As an infertility patient, who went through a nightmare of a journey, they should be more understanding. Some where nice.

She was not always the doctor that saw me, or did procedures. I only consulted with her if something went wrong. She was a sweet doctor but sometimes i felt there was a lot of miscommunications and at times i felt like maybe she didn’t know what she was doing knowing my issues. She would give me wrong dosages, at wrong times and would have to cancel cycles. It was a lot of frustrations.

Be patient and always ask for her to get back to you, to check you or monitor you, not a technician or a nurse. Communicate well with her and ask her to explain things instead of just rambling on.

I will display my full journey. I was diagnosed with PCOS, an ovulatory dysfunction and a blocked dysfunctional tube. met with dr. Garrisi on 10/18/2017 after being referred to her by my gyno. had an ultrasound done. Prescribed Provera and started taking it on 10/19 for the next 7 days. ** Nurse said once I start bleeding on the first day to call them to schedule an appt. for an HSG test. Started first pill of Provera, same day. Few days later, 6th day of pill, a few clots of blood, Spotting. On November 6th had a Saline Sono done. Days later i followed up wit Dr Garrisi, discuss the surgery for removing the polyps. Blood work and ultrasound. Discussed My husband’s blood work and mine. He is a carrier of genetic disorder and I’m negative. (Nothing to worry about) On the 16th- started taking birth control as prescribed to stop my cycle, waiting for surgery schedule date. Surgery scheduled for 12/11 at 10am. Went well. Surgery done on 12/11 - went well. follow up after surgery. found out my polyps were benign but have a chronic endometriosis infection on my uterus lining. Prescribed antibiotics for 14 days to cure the infection. RWas told on the 2nd week to make an appt for the 3rd or 4th week to have follow up biopsy done again. Cervix is back to normal. 12/23 - started taking the antibiotics. Metronidazole 3x a day Doxycycline 2x a day 14 days. *2018* 1/5 - ended the two week antibiotics. Follow up appt done for the 4th week, on 1/17 3 pm No bleeding since. 1/17- follow up appt with dr. Garrisi, has a biopsy done to check if the infection is gone. 1/25 - results in... infection gone. Dr wants to do a saline sono once my period comes to double check if everything is okay to proceed. Need to get on the pill for my period to come. 1/29 - blood work and ultra sound to put me on medroxyprogesterone. 1/30 - started taking the pill for 7 days (call dr. office at cycle day ) 2/13 - Cycle day 1. Called to make the Saline sono for Wednesday 2/21. (Cycle day 9) 2/21 - Saline sono - everything is good and prescribed meds to start the ivf cycle Started birth control at 8:51 pm to stop my cycle For the next 5 days. Cycle day 9. IVF cycle treatment starts March 3rd 2018. 3/3 - started IVF cycle. appt in Livingston, blood work and ultrasound. First injection of gonal F pen 225 units and menapur 75 units. 7:30 pm Saturday, Sunday and Monday only. Tuesday 3/6 appt at 7 am Hoboken. 3/4 - cycle 3 - bleeding less not as heavy. Injections day 2. 3/6 - blood work and an ultrasound in Hoboken. 7 am. Continue injections. Menapur, gonal F and cetotide 3/8 - cycle day 24 - blood work and ultrasound 7 am Hoboken - tech said i had a lot of follicles and that’s good! Take three injections as usual. 6th day of stimming. 3/9 - cycle day 25. Blood work and ultrasound 7 am Hoboken. 3rd time this week. One shot of HCG at 11:30 pm, no other shots. Found out the retrieval is Sunday!!!! 3/10 - cycle day 26. Cramping a lot, a lot of pain. No shots. 3/11 - cycle day 27. Retrieval surgery done at 11:30 am by dr. Thompson Took out 15 follicles/eggs. Went well but In a lot of pain. Starting new medication. Shot of progesterone and two sets of pills. So much pain! 3/12- pain!!!!! Cycle day 28. Found out only 4 eggs fertilized. 3/13 - pain decreased but still there. Cycle day 29. 3/14 - not the greatest of news! Estrogen Levels are really highly 5860 and i have OHSS. Couldn’t do the transfer on day 3. Pain still there. 3/16 - we decided to cancel the day 5 transfer. Ovaries are still enlarged even though my levels went down to 3000 but doctor said it was wise to cancel and wait till next month to do the transfer. I’m okay with this decision, my health comes first. I could’ve gotten very sick. Less pain but still feel it. Super bloated from the fluids in my uterus and back. 3/18- learned the 3rd embryo didn’t make it and i could’ve miscarried. Did not get frozen and i only have two day 3 embies. 3/21 - blood work and ultrasound- estrogen levels are back to normal, ovaries still a little large but everything is healing good. Have a few ovarian cysts due to the retrieval, which according to dr garassi, will go away. 3/27 - appt for blood work and ultrasound. I’m okay. Starting birth control pills to control the cycle, evening. 3/28 - period gone. Cycle day 4 - 2nd day on bc pill. 3/29 - cycle day 5, follow up with dr. Garrisi, everything went well. Will start the meds next week and transfer will be scheduled for 4/24 or 4/25 or 4/26 4/2 - last day of birth control pill. Cycle day 9. 4/3 - follow up for monitoring. Asked to stop the bc pill and will hopefully start Saturday the hormone pills. 4/5 - cycle day 12. Everything normal so far. 4/7 - appt in Livingston- found a lot of cysts in the ovaries and must continue birth control till Thursday. Was not able to start hormones. 4/12 - last day of birth control pill. Monitoring check up Tuesday. 4/17 - no bleeding, doctors appt. I’m okay to start the estrace tonight. 2 pills 2x a day. 4 mg (HERE WE GO! Starting the cycle again!) 4/21 - monitoring, hormone levels went up from 48 on Tuesday 4/17 to 208 and was Told to start taking 2 pills 3x a time. 6 mg. 4/23 - blood work; everything came out okay to continue pills. Levels 296. 4/30 - Doctor appt for monitoring, everything came out okay. Received the email that I’m ready to start preparing for the embryo transfer and it’s scheduled for 5/7. MONDAY IS THE BIG DAY!! start all the rest of the meds and injections on Wednesday. 5/7- was not the big day!!! A huge mistake with the medications happened and the injections were given to me two days too soon and the transfer should’ve been on 5/5 not 5/7. My heart broke! Second time this process has been cancelled. Have to start all over again due to the staffs mistake. Have to wait for my period to come. Stopped meds. 5/14 - first day of period, spoke to nurse Kim, refilled my hormone medications and hopefully after monitoring tomorrow, i can start Tuesday May 15th. 5/15 - appt for usual. Everything came out okay to start hormones today. Second time starting meds for the thaw cycle., third time starting hormones for the IVF cycle. Started estradiol two tablets twice a day, to Friday. Saturday, appt in Livingston 5/23 - day 9 on hormones. doctors appt for monitoring. One week completed. 6/4 - transfer day!!! Two baby embies went in! Finally. 6/15 - positive result. I’m pregnant! My HCG BETA levels are low (22) but have to go in Monday to test again and see if they rising up. Staying positive!! nurse says it’s too soon. 6/18 - results stated i lost the embryos and had an early miscarriage. In July went for a follow up and found out my insurance will no longer cover another treatment and must pay out of pocket. I was not told this during my first and only cycle that it would be my only shot. It was a nightmare of journey which ended up in a big disappointment.

I would have liked for my doctor to monitor me but it was always a technician who never said a word to me but good morning and have a good day. Never worried about hurting me.

My insurance had a limit of $10000 for infertility treatments once in a lifetime

IRMS is a wonderful practice to receive care. All of the doctors in the practice are women. I've had encounters with all the doctors on staff and each one has an impeccable bedside manner. The nursing staff is friendly and I've formed great relationships with many of them. Weekend monitoring is crowded and takes some time so be prepared to wait a little.

Dr. Thompson gave a personal touch to her treatment plan.

Kim is thorough and always great with communicating next steps.

Dr. Thompson is compassionate and has a great bedside manner. She was a wonderful advocate in dealing with my insurance company to cover treatments. All of the pros and cons of our procedures were given to us in a way we could easily digest. We have not conceived as of yet but will certainly stick with Dr. Thompson and the IRMS staff.

Ask any and all questions that come to mind. I would encourage you to make a list. I would also add, be patient with the process.

First IVF cycle: Dr. Thompson used 300uI Gonal-F/150uI Menopur (Trigger 5000 HCG). The rationale used for this dosage was due to me only having one ovary. 19 eggs were retrieved of which only one was mature. The mature egg was fertilized using ICSI. Dr. Thompson decided against a fresh transfer because I was at high risk of OHSS due to the number of follicles retrieved. We ultimately had a frozen transfer cycle with the one embryo which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. Second IVF cycle: 225 Gonal-F/75 Menopur (Trigger 10000 HCG). Stimmed additional 2 days to increase the number of mature eggs retrieved. 11 eggs retrieved, 2 mature fertilized with ICSI. NGS testing on Day 5 embryos resulted in one genetically sound embryo for transfer. Frozen transfer cycle resulted in negative pregnancy test.

Monitoring appointments are early from 630am-8am. Weekday monitoring is swift. Weekends take a bit longer because there is only one clinic used for all of the patients.

Most of my care was covered by insurance with the exception of ICSI and genetic testing. Those items were out of pocket. The costs associated with each are listed on their website.

i only had one embryo available each cycle so I do not have experience with her approach on multiple embryo transfer.

Their strength is working with you financially and being responsive. Advice would be if you are having trouble to talk to someone and find the right person to help you. The receptionist in Hoboken and also Vic Marie went above and beyond to help me many times.

Dr. Thompson was always kind and recognized me when I was there for appointments. It would not even occur to me to say I was treated like a number.

Most of the nurses and even the lab technicians were great, but the Hoboken main nurse was often cold and often seemed annoyed. However, they are doing what the doctor tells them to do and although she was not pleasant, I care much more about my doctor, so the nurses personality was really not much of a concern for me.

Dr. Thompson was great and I would recommend her to anyone. Although the I did not get pregnant, I believe she did everything in her power to help me. She was realistic with me and even though I knew egg donor was a possibility and we discussed it, I never felt she pushed it on me (as I have heard from friends about their doctors). She was always willing to listen to my concerns and was very compassionate. She was sensitive to the fininacial stress of infertility as well as all the emotional stress. I think a lot of people write bad reviews of doctors when they do not get pregnant, but it’s not her job to perform miracles, it’s her job to work to the best of her ability to help us achieve a pregnancy. Unfortunately, she is not magic and she is working with the human body. She can not control my advanced age or medical problems. She did everything she could to help me and was sincerely disappointed with me when it did not work. She is supportive, knowledgeable, kind and available and that is really everything I wanted in a doctor.

If you need more from her, just be kind and ask and if it is a realistic expectation she will probably be willing help you!

I went through 4-6 (can’t remember exactly) egg retrievals and we honestly used almost every protocol available.

Sometimes on the weekends (in Livingston) I waited a little, but in Hoboken and Jersey City I felt there was very little wait.

I worked with Lisa in finance and I really don’t remember the total of everything over 4 years.

I do not have any complaints with IRMS. They have flexible hours, a friendly staff and they are close to where I live. Given that I am in a situation with trying to conceive that I certainly didn't want to find myself in, the treatment and response from this clinic has been overall positive and has made me feel better.

Dr. Garrisi has always made our concerns and questions feel valid. She is patient, thorough and direct. We really appreciate her approach and her positive, yet honest communication style.

All of the nurses and staff have been patient, kind and quick to respond to my questions/emails/messages. It's been a very positive experience and for that I am very grateful.

We have not yet started our cycle so we've only had a few appointments with the doctor. However, she has been candid and compassionate along the way and this has made my husband and I feel more comfortable with the process. She has explained everything in a way that is easy to digest, even if it's not been the information we were hoping for at the time.

Take notes! She is thorough and she provides answers to all of your questions but be certain to take notes so you can reflect on it all after you've left the appointment.

Again, since we haven't started our cycle (but are hoping to later this spring), this is difficult to answer. I have my list of medications planned but this will all be finalized as we get closer to the start date.

The minimum cost for one cycle will be $12,000. If we opt to do two cycles then we will be faced with a cost of approximately $21,000.

The clinic is well organized during monitoring hours, and you'll be in and out of the office quickly. The phlebotomist team is exceptional, and they were my favorite part of visiting the office. The online portal is nice and convenient. The clinic has multiple doctors, nurses, and staff on rotation, and you see whoever is working that day. I did not feel like I got any individual attention, and was not updated with the status of things at all. Also, it was annoying to have to drive to Livingston on weekends and holidays. You also have to go to the Livingston office for any procedures.

I was assigned a primary nurse, but I only interacted with her once or twice during my cycle. Whichever nurse is on call at the moment will reach out to you with instructions. Aside from Natalia in the Livingston Office, the nurses aren't very friendly, but will get you instructions in a timely fashion. One of the night-time on call nurses was outwardly annoyed that I called her about pain and a swollen hand vein after IV administration.

Dr. Thompson is sweet and I'm sure she is a capable doctor. That said, I had almost no interaction with her or any doctors throughout my cycle. It didn't seem like anyone was reading my charts, and even after my cycle had failed, she wasn't familiar with my condition or retrieval results. It seems that IRMS has too many patients for individual attention.

Email her directly with questions or update every step of the way.

I was suspected of having endometriosis (endometrioma on one ovary), and was given an antagonist protocol (225 Follistim, 75 Menopur). After my cycle failed, I was told I was a low responder despite having normal AMH levels.

Monitoring hours are well-organized. If you go to a branch office like Hoboken, there is an ultrasound technician. If you go to Livingston on the weekends or holidays, a doctor will give you your ultrasound.

$3775 for monitoring (ultrasounds, office visits, and various blood tests); $10725 for procedure/embryology fees, ICSI would be an additional $2120 if needed; Embryo cryopreservation is $1350; PGD biopsy is $2500; PGD testing is through an outside company and would be an additional ~$6000; Surgery center fees were ~$1500; anesthesia fee was around $600. We had insurance, so we had insurance adjustments. I was told that if you pay everything out of pocket, the IVF procedure/embryology fees would be around $9000, which does not include monitoring.

A different doctor did my embryo transfer. We transferred our only two embryos on day 3 because they were low quality.

They have multiple locations and making an appointment is easy. You don’t have to wait Long to see a doctor. However on the weekends only 1 or 2 sites are open and it’s really packed for morning monitoring. Everyone is always friendly and helpful.

She was always compassionate and available throughout the process

Very organized and compassionate. We were always in contact

Dr Thompson gave us realistic expectations. Even when using my own eggs and the chances were extremely low, she still gave us a chance at embryo transfer. When we had a chemical pregnancy, she encouraged us to consider donor eggs. Her goal was to get us pregnant and live out our dream of being parents. Her mission was accomplished when I got pregnant on the first embryo transfer. However we lost the baby at 5 months. In using a donor. We were disappointed to only get 10 eggs retrieved wondering if she was a good candidate. We are about to do another embryo transfer and we only have 2 good embryos left.

If you’ve never experienced IVF, ask a lot of questions you might have. It’s a lengthy process.

After having a cycle canceled with another clinic, dr Thompson took us on and changed the protocol after we were told by the other clinic there was no other protocol to use. She gave us our best chance as using our own eggs. When I didn’t produce enough eggs, she still gave me the opportunity of egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Unfortunately it ended in a chemical pregnancy, which we knew the chances were high. Next time around she highly encouraged donor eggs to give us the best chance at pregnancy

We used insurance for our ivf cycle but capped out after the cycle. When we did donor cycle we paid out 27,000 which included cryo and icsi.

She only does single embryo transfer

Pros: My clinic is close by and it's very easy to get in and out quickly when I have to go for bloodwork/ultrasounds. My doctor is also very quick to return calls. Weaknesses: Nothing really so far. I wish the weekend clinic was closer to my home... And the wait on the weekends can be pretty long, unfortunately.

Dr. Garrisi has always been completely honest and given us answers when we have requested them. She has shown some sympathy, but made sure to be honest and upfront, which we respect. We want answers and solutions over bedside manner.

We really respect Dr. Garrisi for her experience and knowledge. In addition, her husband, who also comes highly recommended, works in the lab. I spoke to 5 of her patients on the phone (I found them on Facebook) and spoke to each one of them for an hour asking about their experience and if they would recommend her. Out of those 5, 4 said they would highly recommend her. She has caught very difficult to catch conditions and is extremely knowledgeable.

I would recommend that they also reach out to other patients/former patients of Dr. Garrisi's. It's important to feel good/confident about choosing the right fertility doctor. You are spending a ridiculous amount of money and you want to make sure you feel you have made the right choice. The doctor must not only have a great deal of fertility knowledge to understand your condition, but they also must be able to help you focus on solutions to get you your wanted end result, a baby!

Drugs for Egg Retrieval: Follistim (900 iu), Menapur (25 vials), Ganirelix (250 mg), ACG (One 10 unit Vile) Progesterone Olive Oil (Two 10mg vials), Methylprednisolone (Four 16 mg tablets) and Doxycline (Eight 100 mg capsules). Drugs for Transfer: I was on BC for about 10 days (I believe that's how many days), Estrace and Progesterone. I think I also took Doxycline. Throughout this whole process, I was also taking Metformin (not prescribed by Dr. Garrisi, but used to regulate my period) and Vitafol Prenatal.

The Hoboken clinic was run like a well-oiled machine. I get very stressed at ultrasounds because the technician cannot discuss your scans and it causes a tremendous amount of anxiety. I wish this part was done by a doctor.

IRMS is located in Hoboken (City) and located right next to NYC... It's a very expensive town, so the bills have coincided with the location, fairly expensive.

I have heard that single embryo transfer has much healthier results. I'm 39 years old and don't want to risk multiple pregnancies, risking the health of the babies.

All female- truly understand my experience and offer a safe and nurturing environment. Convenient- part of Saint Barnabas Hospital making it easy to connect with all my doctors. Unique approach- each patient is viewed and treated individually. There is no one size fits all.

I began my journey with Dr. Cykleniak in February and are about to begin our first IVF cycle in a few weeks. She is AMAZING. I had a horrible experience at a different clinic and was skeptical about trying a new doctor but we hit it off from the first moment. She is warm, sensitive, humble and interested in getting to know me. She listened and understood my concerns and spoke to me person to person. I have never been so positive or excited about my fertility issues as I am now...and it is all because she sees me as a person, not a statistic, not a file, me.

They are all warm and wonderful extensions of my team! They make every call, every appointment easy and as stress free as possible.

She is honest and didn't judge me or decide on a treatment based on what categories (age, weight, etc.) I fit into. She doesn't see infertility as a box that we must fit in, rather as an individual who needs individual attention. She calls personally when there is an update good or bad and returns every phone call herself (and quickly!) she is truly vested in my success, health and happiness.

Be in honest about every experience you had before, every fear, concern, worry, etc. Let her see the real you and she will treat you for you. Leave any baggage from previous experiences at the door!

I am 39 and after years of not conceiving and PCOS/Insulin resistance, she recommended IVF. She ran every diagnostic test beforehand to make sure her data was up to date which in turn discovered a new male fertility issue in my husband. She sent him to a Urologist and assured us that with ICSI we will still be able to move forward, just perhaps a month late.

Everything is covered by my insurance except embryo genetic testing! AMAZING!

We haven't gotten that far yet but during our initial conversation it was brought up with regards to quality of embryos and our desire to have twins vs. wait based on my age.

Waiting time is BAD - expected bloodwork at Livingston (weekends) and ultrasound b/w 6:30 and 7:30 but we rarely left before 8 am. Hoboken is very bad as well, Hoboken reception has trouble having their PC be switched at the time of the start of the shift, so you wait extra time to make a copayment as well. Hoboken reception is extremely slow. Hoboken manager on the floor is responcive on complaints, I've complained about the technicial and next time I had same technician but accompanies by some nurse, taking notes.

Dr. Chen was very attentive during the sit down visits and took time to answer the questions. In between the communication was a bit lacking, the doctor only called to deliver negative pregnancy results and it was difficult to get a hold of her on the phone with questions.

Please see my comments on the doctor

The doctor is very nice and very detailed, though it's expected that you learn the process through on-line videos and some questions you know to ask only after the treatment is finished. E.g. we did 1 cycle of IVF and during the visit it was expected that the meds would change due to poor response first time. During next cycle I received prelim chart with the same dosages and no comment from the nurse/doc. It took me some time to force a nurse to give me chart of IVF with expected timing, procedures and dosages since she didn't want to make me feel that everything will go as expected. The billing is messy unless you control it, there are no paper bills coming in mail, if billing person is on vacation there is no communication between the person on vacation and replacement person. So at the start of one of my first IVF they forgot to get my authorization from insurance. With meds: sometimes the authorization for the medicine is not sent to the pharmacy and the other time the prescription should be changed due to wrong med name. As usual some nurses and docs doing ultrasound are nice, but there are a lot of them who are very rush and abrupt, 50% of time i got bruises after routine bloodwork . People on the phone are most of the time talk to you like they've never were trained to talk to the clients on the phone, never mind patients. The only professionally sounded people are on the general Livingston number and nurses on call. Technicians doing ultrasound usually are not very warm (especially there is one in Hoboken and one other patient in the room said that her experience was not warm as well) and they don't talk to you/your partner what they are doing at all. Even doctors who do the ultrasound are not commenting on what they see. Dr.Chen only does ultrasounds during the initial visits and never the ones during the cycles. More times than needed I felt as a number and as a part of the huge standard fertility factory that making standard protocols and not addressing my particular situation. Dr. Chen is nice, but overall experience with the facility is not making me feel welcomed.

Be prepared to control everything in the cycle, insist on getting the schedules, read a lot on-line, read other reviews. Be prepare to have it rough.

IUIs were on chlomid, all looked very good, no problems with number of folluculs, but all 3 - negative. First IVF was on follistin 300 and menopur 150. Due to the planned facility shutdown, we had to time the next period and I was taking contraceptive meds. After that there was 1 follicul leftover and there were not enough of other so the cycle was cancelled. The doctor recommended the prep cycle, but i refused since i didn't know how my body will respond to extra meds and the studies show mixed results. The second cycle there is another leftover, and the meds added the ganorelix 150. the doctor recommends growth hormone (mixed studies), accupuncture and CoQ10 and Vit D (all - no proven medical results). Questions to doctor 1) what to do with leftover follicules - doctor recommend to do nothing, 2) the doctor never texted if I have an ovulation by my own - it's assumed that the meds provoke it.

it was round $2000 for IUIs and now with IVF - growth hormone alone is $2000, visits - $150

There is recommendation for only 1 embrio - since multiple pregnancy could be more risky for both mother and potential babies.

The overal atmosphere is very inviting. Everyone from the front desk employees up to the doctors are the most pleasant people to work with. Communication would be a strength for this clinic. Everyone is always kept up to date with any changes or appointments.

Dr. Chen is an amazing doctor. Thorough out the process Dr. Chen made time to speak with us personally to keep us up to date on our process as well as making sure we were knowledgeable about each step of the process.

Our nurse coordinator has been attentive throughout the process. We never had any issues with communication. The nurse made herself available to us when we needed her. In addition, she was very well organized and kept the team up to date with any information that needed to be shared.

Our experience with Dr. Chen has been invaluable. Her knowledge and willingness to educate others has been essential to our process. Dr. Chen consistently made herself available to answer any question we had during the process. In addition, Dr. Chen always made the effort to supply us with resources that extended beyond her clinic.

Be prepared to take it all in! Dr. Chen is extremely thorough from the onset of treatment throughout the entire process. She is extremely knowledgeable in the field and loves to share the latest information.

At this point I wish I had more details to provide regarding fees. We are still in the process of completing the IVF process. We also were very lucky that insurance covered most of the IVF.

You should come in prepared with questions and don't feel afraid to ask them. Be your own advocate as this struggle is never as important for anyone else as it will be for you. This clinic has a lot of patients and perhaps if they had less patients the ones who visit would feel a bit more at ease.

I went in there a bit naive. I figured because the first visit was so welcoming that my experience across the board would be as such. I was unaware of how many other women were experiencing the same challenges, as I was. There seemed to be a bit of a disconnect with the nurses ( who at times seemed burnt out and just over it) and the Doctors. The Doctors also mispronounced my name each and ever time I spoke with one of them.

My first Nurse was a lot more mechanical than my second nurse ( who I asked for specifically because of the first nurse's disposition) I also had an issue with one of there Phlebotomists, who constantly would leave me with bruises. The women at the front desk were really wonderful about making sure that I didn't have to see her after the first couple of times I was bruised.

I should have trusted my gut, after the first time my name was mispronounced. But, I looked at it as not as important if her aid was going to ultimately lead me to the success that I was looking for. I emailed the nurse pretty much every day and would repeatedly ask for the Dr. I would say the only time that I really heard from was after the retrievals and when I had to come in after the transfer and after the last cycle ended. They didn't test my thyroid the first cycle, but she discovered for the 2nd that "oh, we should have tested this the first time around". There was also the way I felt they were pushing donor eggs on me; knowing my hesitance with that choice, right out the gate. I believe she is probably a great doctor for other patients; I just don't believe she was a good fit for me.

Just take the time to listen to your patients; and maybe make yourself a bit more available.

I honestly don't remember the overall protocol for either cycle. I know for the first cycle (where we were able to transfer) it was a more aggressive protocol. For the second cycle, there was not as many meds. Estrogen Patch Clomid Follistim Ganirellex Letrozole not in that order, were the main meds that I took

I had issues with one phlebotomist in particular, but they changed her out & sometimes the nurses that would do the Ultrasound didn't seem very versed on how to administer them.

in total over 22k.

IRMS is a machine. The waiting room at the Livingston office can be intimidating as you may feel like a number until you have one on ones with your nurse/doctor. During my second retrieval, they’d updated their website to allow you to track your progress during the cycles and notated all of the information on the site regarding your progesterone, estrogen, and beta levels. It was good to have that information readily available at your fingertips.

While the IRMS clinic seemed to be a machine with respect to the patients, the doctor listened to my concerns, provided recommendations that get “better” results during the second retrieval, and she remained highly positive (while I struggled to believe) that we would have a baby under her care.

The nursing staff was great! As a type A person, I needed to know the status of things at all times and they were very accommodating to my requests and needs. No question or concern was ever too small or silly.

Dr Chen was quite busy most days, sometimes arriving a little late or cutting our visits a little short. But I believe that was due to her being the director at the facility. But she has a good knowledge base and always remained positive during the 3 years I was under her care.

If you can’t have a face to face meeting with Dr. Chen, know that she’s also available via phone or email to answer questions or concerns. There were many of times that I called her clarity and she was very helpful. But you should also know, while she’s your main doctor, you likely will not get her for your retrieval or transfer, as that’s based on the rotating schedule they have between the doctors at IRMS. So if you want to be seen by her exclusively, that will be tough.

My first egg retrieval yielded 9 eggs and for my age at the time that seemed low. During the next cycle, the doctor and nursers provided recommendations to possibly boost egg quality to get better results. While my injectables remained the same, I also took dhea and cq10 for a few months before my second cycle to potentially yeild better egg quality. It was also recommended that I utilize acupuncture, which I did.

Through the 3 IUIs, 2 egg retrieval’s, and 3 transfers, he cost was approximately $25,000 (inclusive of meds)

I can't think of one positive thing to say about IRMS. The 'care' at IRMS Hoboken is financially driven, there was not one ounce of support or kindness by Stephanie or the staff. I was treated like a number and not a person. My results were rarely shared with me unless I specifically asked, and there wasn't any follow-up on my well being after the procedures I did did.

The office staff and nurse were generally unfriendly, and Stephanie was no where to be found. She would not return calls/emails when questions were asked.

There was only one nurse I spoke with at the Hoboken site, and when I asked her questions about my treatment protocol she was short, and rude. She came across like someone who didn't want to deal with a patient asking questions.

Stephanie didn't even look at my labs when I went in for a consult. As it turned out I had low vitamin D and low thyroid function that both went untreated until I sought out research for myself. She did little to explain the procedures involved in IUI and only recommended IVF without any other suggestions/options. It literally felt like I was a wallet to her. She also told me my ovaries looked "polyp-y" and that's why I was diagnosed with PCOS even though I literally didn't have any other symptoms of it. She told me I had "typical NYC PCOS" meaning I was thin.

Don't go to her, she's not worth the money.

I had 2 IUI cycles. She started me on 75units of follistrum which resulted in an over production of eggs, and IUI cancellation. My second IUI was with 25units and failed cycle. While being monitored at the weekend location the doctor there told me she saw two polyps in my uterus. I subsequently had those removed at Shady Grove by Dr Martin. I was told by him those can significantly impede implantation...Stephanie was inept in her diagnoses for me.

It was first come first serve.

total cost was 4 to 6K.

n/a

I like the place. There are multiple locations, although I wish monitoring could take place on the weekends at the satellites, versus the main facility.

Dr. Thompson explained everything to us and was realistic about our chances at our ages. I felt that she took the time to listen to concerns and when 1 protocol didn't work, she explained why another would be better.

She's very helpful and gets back to me via email (my preferred method of communication because it's difficult for me to speak on the phone at work) within a couple of hours.

I think she's been extraordinarily helpful during a very trying process. We're currently going to work with her on a third procedure, fully aware that we have a chance, just not a high one. That's on us though.

I'd definitely say to do some research with ANY reproductive endocrinologist before seeing them. I wasn't calm when we saw her, obviously upset about not conceiving. If I had taken a moment to breathe, I could have looked up IUI and IVF beforehand and decided multiple courses of action before being presented with a whole bunch of information.

Antagonist for IVF 1 - at 40, I have an AMH of 4.86. 9 eggs retrieved, 5 immature, 4 mature, 3 fertilized, only 1 made it to day 5 and tested abnormal. Microdose lupron for IVF 2 (rationale: to get more eggs) - 12 eggs retrieved, 10 mature, 8 fertilized, 1 arrested by Day 3, 3 arrested at Day 6, 3 arrested at Day 7, 1 made it to blast and tested abnormal. Estrogen priming and microdose lurpon for IVF 3 to start in February 2017. Rationale - egg quality and larger number of eggs.

About 10 K OOP for the first, $22 K for the 2nd and a bit under that for the 3rd due to a combined discount, although meds will be more expensive

Clean, friendly atmosphere with free coffee and water while you wait.

When talking to Dr. Keegan, she focuses on you 100%. Constant eye contact, watches out for signs that you're not comprehending or getting overwhelmed, and makes you feel certain that her diagnosis and suggested treatment plan are unique to you and your partner. She's both smart about her field, and a genuinely warm-hearted person who is invested in her patient's success and well-being.

The entire staff of nurses and even administrative assistant are all fantastic. They're kind, polite, timely, and supportive.

When I first came to Dr. Keegan I was very nervous, as well as emotional, and she put me at ease instantly. She made me laugh when I was ready to cry, and when she couldn't make me smile she let me cry on her shoulder. I broke down more than once in her office, and she never made me feel silly or out of line. She's wonderful.

If you're looking for a smart, savvy doctor who is kind but tells it like it is and doesn't make you wonder if she's telling you the whole truth, Dr. Keegan is right for you.

For my first child we did several failed rounds of just clomid, then ultimately two clomid+IUI cycles with the second being successful. By the end I was up to the maximum dosage of clomid allowed. With my second we did 1 clomid+IUI round, and 2 clomid-only rounds (again, all 3 at the highest dosage of clomid allowed, since we knew that's what it took for my first child).

I have a lifetime $10,000 fertility treatment budget under my Cigna Open Access Plus insurance (with an HRA), and so I never paid anything out of pocket for my treatment.

The clinic has a good reputation and is part of St Barnabas, which is a highly recommended hospital in the area. All doctors are extremely knowledgeable, however I felt as though they took on too many clients and as such, are unable to provide the level of support and one-on-one attention needed during such a stressful time in a women's life.

IRMS in Livingston takes on many patients, when visiting them each morning for monitoring you will be seated with 20-30 women at any one time, who are also called through for U/S and BW. Each time you go you will see a different doctor depending on who is on roster for that day. In the beginning of the treatment you are provided a dedicated RE, nurse, coordinator and financial officer. However, I only saw my doctor at the beginning of the cycle and at the very end (when things did not turn out as expected). Many times I called my nurse and she was out of the office and other nurses would call back. During my second cycle I specifically asked for my support, more information on what was going on and how the results were looking. I was told to call/email any time, however these calls/emails were always transferred on to another doctor to manage. I did not speak with my doctor through the cycles and this made it very frustrating trying to attempt to understand all that was occurring.

Nurse Anne was my designated nurse and was very knowledgeable, however was out of the office quite often which meant that I had to rely on other nurses, in which I did not have a relationship and sometimes the information was conflicting.

Dr Ceklieniak is lovely and very knowledgeable, however the clinic takes on too many patients, to the point that you feel as though you are just a number (or co-pay). I did not receive the level of support that I needed during these cycles and was often confused about the next steps and what the results were stating. I spoke with a different doctor each time and sometimes the information conflicted each other. I needed someone to help me to understand exactly what was occurring each step of the way and this was unfortunately missing. Some women may not require the same level as support as I did, but

Determine how much support and information you need from your doctor and make sure that you are receiving that every step of the way.

I completed two cycles of IVF before I was told that I was DOR, which I actually asked rather than being provided with the information. I was on the max dosage of ivf injectables and did not generate many eggs, the first cycle resulted in 4 eggs and the second 7. Neither cycle resulted in strong development of the embryo and I was unable to complete a transfer either time.

The clinic was a nightmare! They would open the doors at 6 am, but the Dr.'s wouldn't show up until 7. So if you were in the first 5 people through the door, you waited a minimum of 1 hour and 15 minutes. If you were after the first 5 people, you were there 1 hour and 30 minutes or longer. You were treated like cattle. The feeling was always one of "how many people can we squeeze through the door in one day".

Dr. Chen was scattered and flighty. No matter how many times I saw her or spoke with her, she never seemed to know who I was.

Nurse was nice and provided reasonable explanations for treatment plans, medications, etc.

Seeing Dr. Chen was a terrible experience. We started IUI and failed several times. Meanwhile, every single time I went in for monitoring, one of the Dr.'s commented on the giant cyst on one of my ovaries, but no one ever mentioned doing anything about it. After feeling confused by conversations with Dr. Chen, my husband and I decided to get a second opinion. When we went to the other fertility clinic (RMA - which I highly recommend!), the Dr. refused to start any type of fertility treatments until the cyst was surgically removed. He said it was dangerous and could potentially pop, harming the baby if I were to get pregnant. I went back to Dr. Chen with this information and she responded with "That seems like a reasonable plan of action". YET she never mentioned it herself and was actively trying to get me pregnant!

Run! Go to a different Dr.

I did not receive any positive results with Dr. Chen

Everything was covered by health insurance, which is what made it so attractive.

The financial staff (Nadine) and registration staff (Pam) were also always helpful. There are just 2 things that I wish would improve but Ive heard this a lot about many fertility clinics. Firstly, at my first consult with Dr Cekleniak, I was overwhelmed because I had no idea what to expect and they were already talking abtou IVF. I didn’t even have blood work done yet. I was expecting her to prescribe clomid, not talk about IUI and if it doesn’t work, move to IVF. I would suggest reading up on infertility etc prior to the consult so patients aren’t overwhelmed and scared. Secondly, I had no idea what to expect and wasn’t really given much information along the way. No one sat me down and said this is the plan. Id go in for monitoring the first time, and they said “ok take this injection and come back in 2 days”. I had no idea what they were monitoring, how, how long this would go on for, or what would happen next. There was no education or information about the process. I didn’t find the nurses to be available or helpful either. I wish someone sat me down and told me about the process of IUI. They make you watch a tutorial about the injections but it doesn’t help with the “what to expect” process which would’ve helped ease anxiety. I definitely would recommend IRMS to others but wish the nurses were more helpful and provided information/education in the beginning phase.

Dr Cekleniak is kind, patient, and sympathetic. She has all the time in the world for questions and concerns and responds to emails almost immediately. She also does her best to make the cycle work- for instance, I wasn’t going to be available the day that I was supposed to do IUI. Dr Cekleniak worked with me to come up with a plan that would enable me to do an IUI the day before and the day after, to cover my bases. Also, I was constantly frustrated by my diagnosis of unexplained infertility so I sought a second opinion who suggested a laparoscopy given that I previously had a D&C. I brought this suggestion to Dr Cekleniak who didn’t think it was necessary but at my insistent, did it anyway (she was right-it found nothing but gave me peace of mind). As I was going under, she held my hand and was sweet and caring the entire time. She was always positive and optimistic, and honest. She always understood my fears/hesitance to IVF and didn’t pressure me. She was always available via email, although getting an appointment face to face could sometimes be tricky when you’re working full time. I absolutely love Dr Cekleniak, and all of the doctors at IRMS. I saw many of them for monitoring and IUI and each one was helpful and caring.

Dr Greenseid was extremely knowledgable and took the time to explain everything, never rushed. As we lost out first pregnancy she was truly devastated along with us. She was compassionate when I was afraid of anesthesia, which I had to do several times with her. She called me when I had my second positive pregnancy test even though it was the nurses job- she called and shrieked with excitement that it was positive and told me to pretend I didn't already know when the nurse called. It was like she was rooting for us all along. She also recommended IVF right away, the first time we met with her and she said " I want to get you pregnant just as bad as you want to get pregnant".

Kim was not my favorite person at IRMS. She assumed that patients knew everything and you had to constantly ask her to explain things. She was short and not so compassionate.

We were under the care of her practice for almost 2 years so I saw all the doctors and they were all good but she had a special bed side manner that was really nice.

Trust that she has the experience. We as patients look at others experiences and google everything but she is the one that has truly seen it all and knows how to get you pregnant.

In Hoboken it was such a small office it was pretty easy although they share an office with an OBGYN so you are in a waiting room with pregnant women which I thought was very tacky. The larger office at St Barbabus in Livingston was hard to find the first time and they didn't answer the phones on the weekends which was ridiculous ( if you had never been there and showed up for monitoring you couldn't call anyone to see where to go). The office was huge and it was always busy but they were very quick.

They know what they are doing. They are good at what they do. At times, you feel like a number, instead of a human who should be receiving very personalized care. In the end, they gave us our greatest gift.

I felt as though it took several cycles to get the personalized care my body needed. Once Dr. Garrisi figured out what that was she was very attentive and created the best path to get me pregnant.

Kim was responsive and answered all questions I had. I did not feel as though she went above and beyond to check in on me or make sure that I felt comfortable with each step of treatment.

Dr. Garissi is straight and to the point. She talks in scientific terms but she does know what she’s doing. She is not warm and fuzzy, but I do trust her and eventually she got us to our desired outcome, which she was determined to do.

Advocate for yourself. You know your body best- even better than a doctor does.

Chloymid natural cycle, chloymid iui, two glonal f IUIs. Medicated egg retrieval with frozen transfer. First transfer was cancelled due to an infection. Second transfer over 1 year after beginning treatment was a success.

Lines could be very long as could the waits. The earlier you got there before monitoring the better. With the amount of women there on any given day, I do think they managed time well.

Insurance covered most of our costs other than copays and yearly rate to freeze our embryos ($15 each visit, and $1300 for the year).

I appreciated Dr. Garissi not transferring an embryo until she was sure the environment was 100 percent right, although the cancelled cycles made for a difficult road at the time.