New Hope Fertility Center

New Hope has very experienced, smart doctors and their mini-IVF protocol, which I believe they pioneered there, is a great fit for our needs. It can sometimes feel like a bit of an infertility factory (ie impersonal, crowded waiting room, conveyor belt feeling when you go in for monitoring). That said, they are a well oiled machine and pretty much everyone there has been friendly with us, and occasionally gone above and beyond to bring the human touch to our experience. We are generally pleased so far with our experience there.

Dr. Lipkin is personable and takes the time to answer all my questions clearly and thoroughly each time I meet with her.

The nurses have been great about walking me through the IVF process and helping answer everything from the “is this normal?” vein of questions to helping me schedule travel around upcoming IVF steps. While it can be difficult to get hold of nurses on the phone at times, they are great with email response and also in person. We have had several nurses really go above and beyond to help explain things and take time with us during this process

Dr. Lipkin is no nonsense. She’s not the most “touchy feely” but is compassionate nonetheless. I feel like I’m in very competent hands with her. She is patient and answers all my questions. She has also been good about not pushing us to do a retrieval during cycles that didn’t have many follicles. She doesn’t seem stuck on the clinic’s numbers but instead is focused on helping us get the outcome we want.

You need to advocate for yourself at New Hope in general. If you have questions or want to meet with Dr. Lipkin, ask. It was not offered as often as I would prefer but whenever I requested to meet, I was able to do so fairly quickly.

My first cycle and my current cycle have both been with a mini-IVF (low dose) protocol. This cycle, in response to issues from the last, Dr. Lipkin made several changes including lowering the dose of the injection and (planning to) leave a full 36 hours between trigger and retrieval instead of the 34 hours that was done last time.

Generally, monitoring is smooth and runs like a well oiled machine. Occasionally, it will take a bit longer on busy mornings. I have noticed a range of thoroughness among the ultrasound technicians. Several times the people didn’t seem to look very carefully or thoroughly for follicles, but others are more methodical.

We are currently under insurance (2 cycles) so it has just been co-pays plus about $500 for mini IVF medications.

I have not made it to transfer yet, but New Hope in general and Dr. Lipkin specifically are highly supportive of a single embryo transfer as the default as far as I can tell.

The strengths are definitely the gentle treatment option and the efficiency of the practice operations. The only weakness I would say is that any of the doctors can provide input on your protocol and the treatment could be inconsistent. You can request to have consistency and limit your response to a couple doctors which has made a huge difference for us.

Dr. Zhang has regular personal check ins and provides adjusted treatment practices to make sure we are being treated personally and in a sensitive way.

The nurses are available to discuss treatment and review directions or protocols.

Dr. Zhang and Dr. Lipkin have been amazing during this process and have made every attempt to customize treatment to our needs. The monitoring experience reequires regular blood work and sonograms which have been difficult however we have been able to adjust the schedule to meet our needs and sync up to the staff that we prefer. The office staff and billing department are very transparent and accessible

The mini IVF process is a more gentile process than standard ivf and can take more cycles however it is less intense. I would suggest patients visit New Hope Fertility Center first before they go for a full IVF round at another clinic.

DR. Zhang's mini IVF strategy uses less medication, more regular monitoring and a less invasive procedure. This procedures were done to adjust to our egg reserve and quality which have resulted in positive retrievals however no quality fertilization.

The office is open 7 days a week including holidays and the monitor lists your name after you check in to see where you should go. We have a condition which requires the phlebotomist be very sensitive and they definitely comply with that. The sonograms techs are always up front with results and will sometimes bring in a team leader if more information is needed.

Monitoring was about $600, retrievals and testing would be about $7k

We have not experienced this as of yet

The lobby is nice, and they seem to be well organized on the surface. But they are flashy with no substance. The nursing staff is disorganized, with too many cooks in the kitchen. You have to just know what to do. You wait for your name to flash on the screen to get bloodwork done (it says your chair number). Then you go back to the waiting room to wait for your name & the ultrasound room. To go to the ultrasound room, you walk through the bloodwork area and through a bunch of nurses, who say nothing to you. They do your ultrasound and just leave. Very impersonal, you're just a number.

Talking to Dr. Merhi for our inital consultation, he was fantastic. Warm, personable and seemed to be very confident. After that, I was basically handed off to nurses and not allowed to speak to the Doctor anymore. Plus, the waiting room is like an upscale DMV.

Disorganized and awful. The nurses (there are more than I can keep track of) all send you different emails. You ask them a question and the all give you different answers because there's no communication.

They push you into not having anesthesia during the egg retrievals at New Hope. I pushed back initially, explaining that my ovaries had a tendency to hide, and that was uncomfortable with just getting an ultrasound. But I trusted them, and did the procedure with only a uterine local. It was traumatizing. They had to bring in a nurse from the other room to push on my stomach to get to my ovary. The constant filling my uterus with liquids made me think of an abortion, which is not what you want to be thinking of when the doctor is retrieving your eggs. They told me it would take 5 minutes, it was closer to 30. Dr. Merhi took a break, as I was in so much pain. He said there were two eggs that he could get to, and I said to just keep going (now I realize that they should have stopped. I was crying and very upset). They kept going, and Dr. Merhi kept apologizing. The egg quality was bad, so neither eggs got past the operating room.

Dr. Merhi seems like a very nice person, but DO NOT GO TO THIS CLINIC. What they do and what they say are two very different things.

He wanted to do mini-IVF, as I have low ovarian reserve. First cycle, birth control pills, then half a clomid for 7 days. Second (cancelled) cycle, birth control pills and 1/4 clomid for 7 days. He said that my previous clinic had been "overfeeding" my eggs, and he'd had much success with this method. No results produced whatsoever.

It felt like an upscale DMV. You checked in, and waited to see your name come up on a TV screen in the lobby that sent you to bloodwork or the ultrasound room.

It was covered by my insurance.

The reason why we went there - they bank embryos. I'd previously only done fresh cycles, and it wasn't working. They do multiple embryo transfer, but I think that was because of my age.

Strengths: Mini ivf for anyone looking for less invasive IVF Weaknesses: Majority of staff is Chinese here, so it is very tough to understand what they are saying including Dr Zhang. No communications about treatment plan/ changes in protocol. Billing is very slow as well. They would keep sending me bills instead of getting it from insurance and would never respond to my emails. Almost feels like a mill..too many people and no personalized approach

The staff and doctors at New Hope are just trying to process your blood work and sonogram. They don't take a look at your history and don't remember which medications you have been taking. Dr Liu was never available to answer my questions or guide me about the approach

There are a lot of nurses at New Hope and there is no 1 single nurse you will communicate with. I had a different nurse every time I went there or someone who sent me a protocol for medications. If you have any questions, the nurses are not very fast to respond to/ get in touch with

Strengths: None Weaknesses: Poor communicator. It is nearly impossible to understand what Dr Liu says because of his accent. During one of my Hysteroscopy procedures, he started talking to me in Chinese without thinking that I don't know the language. He doesn't remember your chart and has no clue what he is doing. After my 1st failed embryo implantation, he failed to convey what his plan was to improve chances for 2nd embryo transfer. My 2nd embryo did not implant and he only told me after that it was not a good embryo and had very little chances of implantation.

Do not waste your time to see him.

I was given Follistim for about 10 days before egg retrieval. Post embryo transfer, I was taking Progesterone in oil shots to help the embryo implant and increase progesterone in blood. My endometrium lining is also on the thinner side, so I was taking estrogen supplements every day

They have monitoring hours from only 7am-3pm. You cannot book an appointment and sometimes the wait time was almost an hour to get blood work and sonogram. They don't handle special requests such as if you have to leave early, etc. For instance, one day I needed to get out by a certain time to catch the train and they were like-"we can't do anything about it, you have to wait"

My insurance covered most of it but i paid around $2k for genetic testing, medications and copay

My doctor recommended single embryo transfer as he thought I had a smaller body frame and we should avoid any risks with twins

This clinic is open seven days a week for monitoring, which is great. Unfortunately they only do egg retrievals before about 11:30 so that means doing a natural retrieval is impossible and you have to use a trigger. I think this is common for most clinics. At least they are open seven days a week. Many clinics close on Saturdays and/or Sundays. As I mentioned, they allow you to do retrievals without sedation if you want, which also saves you $500 and in my opinion is healthier for your brain. They have an in house lab for the standard monitoring bloodwork. They get good prices on outside lab work. Monitoring is much cheaper there than at other clinics I have researched. I don't like the smell they pump in to the clinic. We call it the New Hope smell and our clothes/coats/hair reek of it after being there. We are both very smell sensitive so we wish they would not use any fragrances in the clinic. I have not done any cycles at other clinics so I do not know what the differences are in how much individual attention you get.

This is a very busy clinic, which allows them to keep their costs low. They are much cheaper than any other clinic I have contacted in America and I have called many. Because of their high volume, I don't think they really have time for a lot of very individualized attention but they do their best. Dr. Zhang is really very nice. All their doctors are very nice. The nurses are hit or miss.

The nursing staff seems very busy. Some of them are nice but a couple are uncaring and downright rude; these ones may not have much empathy for the amount of money the patients are spending or the mental stress of being infertile. In our case, we have spent all of our savings and then had to stop making attempts and then saved again for almost a year to try again because for us it will be a numbers game. The doctors said that my fertility is unusually good for my age but our chances of a baby are better if we can freeze several embryos. We will never regret using all our savings for this and all future savings. However, it is a big sacrifice and it is an all day round trip drive for us every time we go there. I also suffer from extreme motion sickness so when we arrive at the clinic, I am always feeling very ill. Everything about undergoing ivf on a budget is extremely difficult. The doctors seem to understand this but some of the nurses often seem to lack the maturity to understand what the patients are experiencing.

I think he is kind and has a good personality. He does not have the massive ego that a lot of doctors have. However, he is very busy so you won't see him much. Although you can request to see him sometimes and you can pay another fee to get follow up consultations. I really do not know how good he is because he does not explain why he is doing things in this way instead of that way so I can't evaluate the why of what he does or evaluate his thinking skills. I am a person who likes to understand the reasons that decisions are being made so this is not the best style for me. But I'm not sure that any ivf doctors really explain much about their decisions to the patients.

This is a busy clinic. It can be frustrating sometimes as a patient because you can feel like a widget on an assembly line. On the other hand, there are some ways that they automatically personalize the service in ways that other clinics do not. For example, you get to decide for yourself whether you want to use sedation for egg retrieval or not. I prefer not, which saves us $500 each time. I also do not like sedation so I am happy I can choose not to use it. Most ivf clinics will not allow you this choice. I have inquired at many clinics and 99% force you to use sedation even if you are only retrieving one to three eggs. I do not think that is a reasonable approach and I think it is disrespectful to the patient to take away their right to make medical decisions about things that are not truly a necessary part of a procedure. I think allowing the patient this choice is part of the general approach of respecting the patient so this is one of the things I love about New Hope.

I mostly did natural cycles with mini or ultra mini ivf a couple times. This is because I am at an age where I don't have many eggs to conventional just would not do anything beneficial for me and would have some negatives. We have two five day blasts frozen. We did not pgs test them so we do not know if they are aneuploidy. We were told that at my age, the likelihood is that they will not have normal chromosomes. The clinic let us decide whether to test them and did not pressure us either way. We are trying to collect and freeze several five day blastocysts while we can and implant later.

Monitoring is very efficient. You go when you can get there and the wait is usually not that long.

It depends on what you do. It is much cheaper than most clinics if you are paying for your own cycles. We have never had insurance which covers ivf so I have no idea how that would work.

It seems that the doctor and clinic overall prefer to implant one embryo because they feel this gives the overall highest chance for success. But I think they allow the patient to decide this within reason.

They see a lot of people. Unlike other clinics that have limited monitoring hours, New Hope offers monitoring from 7am - 2pm, which is great. I have definitely felt like a number there, but sometimes that's fine. Sometimes I just want to get in & out as fast as possible. The best days I was done in 20 min. The worst I wasn't properly input into the system and waited over an hour just to get the blood draw. Many of the doctors are not native English speakers and some have challenging accents. I appreciate that this clinic is independent and values new research.

Dr. Merhi always found time to speak with me whenever I asked. And he always responded to my emails quickly. I felt like my protocols were always specific to me and they never tried to fit me into a general protocol. Most of the nurses are great. Not every day was perfect but most were just fine and efficient.

Many are great. Some are more chatty & personable than others. New Hope does a lot of monitoring, so I definitely had favorites. I have found the post retrieval nurses to be my least favorite. They are inattentive & occasionally rude. This may be due in part to a language barrier and cultural differences.

Dr. Merhi explains everything very clearly and is always happy to speak with me or email with me whenever I have questions or concerns. He's a little bougie, but always friendly & kind. He does research once a week, which I like. He's paying attention to all the latest research.

Be clear about your priorities. Dr. Merhi will make best efforts to accommodate.

He used birth control pills to prep cycles. He, like the other doctors at New Hope, is comfortable with low or no dose protocols. I also used clomid at the beginning of cycle a few times. I've never made more than 6 eggs tops, but that's fine there. They aim for quality over quantity, which fits my body better than traditional treatments.

It's fairly well-oiled machine. Some days were better than others. Some times of day are better than others too.

The cost is significantly less than the other clinics we looked at. The procedures are less costly and they prescribed fewer medications at lower doses.

Dr. Merhi is very against multiple embryo transfer.

The clinic is the most comfortable atmosphere I've ever been in. As soon as you walk in you smell relaxing scented oils and hear beautiful meditation music playing in the background. It's very bright and spacious. Plenty of comfortable seats and a large beautifully lit fish tank that you can gaze upon. They have big tv screens where your first name and last initial pop up so that you know it's your turn to go in for either blood work or sonogram. The front desk staff is always helpful and pleasant . They offer wonderful refreshments such as coffee tea and cucumber lemon water as well as healthy snacks such as fruit and oatmeal cookies while you wait. It's such a relaxing place.

Dr. LIU is the most positive and motivated fertility doctor that I hve ever met. He passes along his enthusiasm and profound insight onto his patients. He is honest caring and very proactive always trying to tweak treatment to get the best possible results. As a woman in her 40's with DOR and tubal related infertility, I had gone to another fertility center where I was always left feeling discouraged and told on several occasions that I should consider donor eggs. I made a decision to leave this other reputable clinic and opted to give New Hope and Dr. LIU a chance. I'm glad I did. From the very beginning I was treated with the utmost respect and care and was told for the first time that I could have a baby using my own eggs. At first I was skeptical after all I had been told at the previous clinic but after 2 ivf cycles with Dr. LIU, I was able to create 3 embryos. Dr. LIU has encouraged me every step of the way and even when I said that maybe I would consider donor eggs, he said no ..I believe you can have a baby with your own. This brought tears to my eyes and hope to my heart. Dr. LIU is very passionate about helping his patients no matter what their medical issues are. I appreciate him and everyone at New Hope they truly gave me my hope back when I was in a very dark place. I am trying to gather financing for 1 more ivf cycle/transfer so that we can finally try for our baby. Dr. LIU is someone I would highly recommended to anyone. He is innovative and always encourages you to believe that anything is possible.

The nursing staff is very diligent in answering questions ordering medication and making sure that you have everything you need to undergo treatment.

Dr. Liu is very insightful caring and innovative. He doesn't give up in the face of challenges or set backs. He modified treatment plans for the best possible outcome. He communicates with you every step of the way and is always encouraging you along the way. I highly respected him for his honesty and would recommended him to everyone.

When visiting Dr. LIU it is best to be as informed as possible about your specific needs and concerns. Dr. LIU will answer all of your questions with detailed explanations. He almost gives you a mini lesson in such a sweet way if you truly want to understand something more in depth. Bring all your questions no matter how insignificant they may seem he will be happy to answer them.

Dr. LIU prescribes 1/2 dose of bcp's prior to starting a cycle for 10 day only as to not over supress my ovaries. I was also put on Clomid and Letrozole to stimulate multiple follicle development which I responded to nicely. I used a mini ivf protocol with minimal gondateopin injections ( gonal f) 75-150 for about 10-12 day. Cetrotide was used the last 3 days of stimulation in order to prevent ovulation. Lupron 20 mg was used as a trigger shot along with 1/2 dose of Ganirelex. This cycle resulted in 7 eggs retrieved 5 fertilized 2 made it to Blast.

Monitoring is set up in the most efficient and caring way. You check in and then look for your name to pop up on the screen signaling it's your turn. Nurses nd staff are always friendly and efficient and they get to know you personally. I loved how efficient and easy monitoring is.

A typical IVF cycle for egg retrieval and fertilization under a mini ivf can cost up to $4500-5500. Depending if you are doing a frozen 5 day or fresh 3 day transfer. There is a separate flat rate monitoring fee of $800 Medications is separate and I acquired it through my insurance with co payments.

Dr. LIU recommended multiple embryo transfer due to my age in order to increase pregnancy chances.

Strength: they don’t give up on you and don’t tell you to go for donor egg. They have an amazing lab. Weakness: they too won’t change protocol and they treat you like a number. AWFUL nursing staff. No contact with anyone when you have questions. No one is accessible.

Never got to speak w the Zhang. Nurses wouldn’t even call you. They send you an email with your instructions. If you have questions it’s impossible to get in touch with them

Terrible!!! Awful!!!! I would expect the doctors to be cold, and nurses to be warm but frankly it was the opposite here. They send you a generic email with instructions. It’s a template. If you have questions they won’t answer you. And if you call them the receptionist (liliana) will never connect you. While I was miscarrying in the ER, I’m hysterically crying, in my stretcher and I call them to let Dr Zhang know ... Liliana answered (the receptionist) and said “you are no longer a patient here”. (I was 7 weeks and never discharged to my OB). As I’m crying in the phone, begging her to connect me to my dr she continues to passive aggressively tell me “I graduated” and was no longer a patient there. Long story short —- after that traumatic experience, I made a formal complaint the following week. The supervisor told me liliana had put in her resignation the week prior so “that’s probably why she was behaving that way” .... fast forward two months, Liliana is back. I speak with supervisor as to how she can work there with how she treated me and refused to connect me, a patient, to my dr while I’m in the ER miscarrying. The supervisor said “we gave her extra training afterwards” Terrible. Need I say more

Though he got me pregnant with normal pgs girl, I miscarried. And each cycle after that he refused to listen to me or change protocol. I noticed a trend with my labs during monitoring, which I was right about, but he just didn’t care

Listen to their concerns

Dr Zhang originally said it would be mini ivf. But it wound up being ultra mini ivf with clomid only (one cycle he used letrozole).... each cycle I only produced one follicle. And I pay out of pocket. I asked if we could stimulate me more, given I’m Paying for a retrieval for one egg, but he kept saying no

affordable Retrieval $1250

N/a I only had one embryo

The clinic have these big boards to tell each patient, were they need to go, for US, or blood work, every one is so organized, and empathetic, and makes you feel home, and they ban any one to talk over the phone, which is great, as there is a dedicated area where you can use your cell phone, and a small as it may seem, they make sure, always, coffee and crackers, are available, and well taken care of, basically you never feel that you are not attended to

Dr.Merhi, was so passionate, and positive, and that was one of the main factors, that made me continue with him

The Nursing staff, were compassionate, positive, very responsive, and makes you always feel, that things will work

Dr.Zaher Merhi @ nhfc, was really empathetic, and knew exactly what I was going through, and I will not name the institutions, I've been to, but 2 big institutions in New York, and one in Michigan,and one of the doctors there told me, you can start thinking about "Menopause", and am only 32yrs old, and none of them had the time, or the ambition, even to continue, but here in New Hope, they used the minimal stimulation, and everyone in the clinic was extremely positive, encouraging, sympathetic, and they never let you down, and keep going on, needless to say, they make you pay only procedure by procedure, and whatever can be billed to your insurance they will do so, not like any other fertility center, to which we have been in 3 before, where they want you to pay in full in advance. Dr.Zaher Merhi, had the best attitude, with great knowledge, and with his attitude, everything was possible. I would recommend him to anyone, with no reservation whatsoever.

If you have a problem with fertility, please do not shop around, big names can fool you sometimes, go to Dr.Zaher Merhi

Dr.Merhi, used the minimal stimulation technique, and that was one of the very big pitfalls, other fertility doctor stick to, and even when the 1st cycle, did not work, Dr.Merhi, added the steroid and aspirin

They were very convenient and easy to know

They were quite reasonable, and definitely lower compared to peers

Dr.Merhi, showed us, detailed studies, that it's in the best interest of the mother and the baby to have single embryo transfer, and we agreed.

strengths - his protocol is more rogue than most. Non-traditional and the costs are less. The phlebotomists are good. weaknesses - You end up paying just as much, if not more, than you would at a traditional facility. The staff is not great, some of the nurses are inexperienced & do not know how to administer an ultrasound, et al.,

There was never a time that I could speak with the doctor and there were way too many patients at once. At times the nurses weren't helpful; which led to the feeling of not being satisfied.

Most were nice, and competent. There were a couple that were very responsive and got back to you quickly; while the others were more curt and I felt viewed me more as a box that they needed to check off by the end of their day.

I only saw Dr Zhang once for the initial visit and then for about 10 minutes 1/2 way through my full treatment. Upon my initial visit I spoke with him about how i did not want to experience feeling like a number or that I was in an assembly line, and of course that was exactly what I experienced.

Not to expect too much communication. That you will have to do a lot of your own research. Make sure that all of your tests are done and be your own advocate.

I do not remember the name of the protocol that he put me on. The first round was more aggressive than the other ones; but I used the following medications Birth Control pills - - which I told him that I was nervous about, due to the fact that they can make fibroids grow...he (or the nurses) would tell me they weren't anything to worry about Clomid Ganirellex Follistim

My monitoring was pretty simple. I did appreciate the large window of time that was allotted and I was able to usually be in/out within 45 mins.

A good portion was covered by my insurance. However, I spent roughly 10,000 OOP (between medications, costs of retrievals and the anesthesia)

I never got to the transfer stage with his facility, so I can't comment on that. Had I, I would have preferred to transfer more than one at a time.

NHF's strength is their efficiency, you are not waiting for blood work-ultrasound more than 30mins ever, results from that days monitoring is emailed, with all vital information and instructions within 2 hrs of leaving the clinic. The cost for mini-ivf is great if you have the time to go slow, (ie younger patients). The weakness is the lack of contact with any direct person, you are talking to various nurses, doctors, and admin-financial staff. At one point my payment was put on someone else's account, although I had just handed them my credit card with my name on it. I also had to fight to get balances removed for treatment that was not performed. I had by chance caught the mistake because I asked for a ledger with all treatment that I was charged for because the bill for the 2nd cycle was more than the 1st, even though I did the exact protocol.

After the first appointment with Dr. Zhang, I was basically put on auto-track for the 3 cycles I did with NHF. Never was there a change discussed after any cycle or summary/thoughts, unless I asked to do something different. The office is very streamlined, and efficient, so much so, there is a lack of personal interaction. Also, I had had a bad experience with the staff from my first clinic, without any thoughts to my feelings a doctor that treated me from that clinic should up at an egg retrieval at this clinic, since this procedure is timed, I felt I had no choice but to allow him to do the retrieval. I almost did not go back for the next cycle I was so distraught.

The nurses were all very pleasant and all had good beside manners. However, because you are not assigned to a particular nurse, there is no one to directly to talk to if an issue arises.

Dr. Zhang, was very upfront and blunt about what my expectations should be, in some ways, I as a patient appreciate that. He is very focused on his research side of his practice, that I think he is too busy to really be focused on the everyday goings on in his clinic.

Be prepared for a very academic discussion, and don't expect any type of handholding. There is very little direct communication with this doctor, the rest of the team will be your main contacts.

Because I had had several cysts with my first doctor, I sought NHF because of there mini-IVF protocols for patients with PCOS. I did 3 late luteal phase mini-ivf cycles using letrozole, clomid, and gonal-f, with lupron after the first retrieval to allow for a second retrieval in one cycle. The rationale was that we could stimulate the lagging follicles to get more eggs per cycle. I was able to get two embryos during the first 2 cycles, they were sent out for PGS testing and came back abnormal and per the labs protocols, they were discarded.

Monitoring was very efficient and the window of time to go in was very reasonable.

Mini-IVF costs were very reasonable at nearly less than half the cost compared to conventional stimulation protocols. Also, out of pocket expenses such as PGS and ICSI were less than at institutional clinics.

The clinic itself is pleasant enough except the waiting area has a very strong perfume/air freshener that was hard to tolerate. Strength: everything is on site. Weaknesses: One size fits all treatment model, lack of transparency, genetic screening is not thorough, there is no personal attention, treatment is dragged out over many many weeks unnecessarily.

I had hardly any face time with the doctor and was never given any explanation of my test results or prognosis.

One nurse, Gina, was quite attentive and compassionate. The rest were somewhat robotic.

Dr. Zhang seemed disinterested in patient relations and had a formulaic approach to treatment planning. It was my first time seeking treatment and I didn't know what questions to ask. I took for granted that I would be directed toward the best course of treatment and unfortunately trusted his judgment. When I did ask questions based on my own research, responses from Dr. Zhang and most staff were often vague or evaded altogether. For example, I did not have an AMH test, which would have helped me decide whether to proceed to IVF using my own eggs. I was also advised to do an egg retrieval (for $4,000) for just one egg. When I asked questions about both of these things I was given either no answer or confusing information that left me feeling like I was worrying for no reason because this was how fertility treatment worked. When I switched to a different clinic I was advised that an egg retrieval for less than 6 eggs is not worthwhile. I was also told that the genetic testing I did at New Hope (for $200) only tested for 5 markers instead of the recommended 281 markers so I had to repeat it. At the new clinic I had an AMH test and an HSG (New Hope did not inform me about either of these tests) and was quickly able to make an informed decision about my next step.

I would not recommend this doctor.

Two months on BC pills with weekly monitoring (waste of time and money). Clomid and Femara. Lupron injection.

Relatively fast and simple.

Genetic screening $199 (useless), monitoring flat monthly fee of $800, egg retrieval $4,000 (even one egg)

Strenth: everything is done in house so blood results and sonos are quick. They have really flexible hours for monitoring, between 7am-2pm, which is amazing compared to many other clinics. The retrievals/transfers are also done in the same facility so you dont have to pay an extra hospital fee of $1005 like over at Cornell and NYP. Hated the billing department! Took them 4 months to correct an insurance payment and apply the credit to my account.

The nurses and techs working in the clinic were always professional and courteous. I understood the dr was very busy as the clinic was always quite busy and crowded, but I would have liked more face time with the dr since most emails and correspondence on next steps were always from nurses.

Nurses were very friendly and helpful in clinic, but were a little slower in response via email. One time they emailed me regarding medication dosage and I replied back to them and needed another refill and did not hear back until the next day, which was a problem because I needed the medications the night before

I believe dr zhang is very knowledgable in his field. But he is not for someone that wants a gentle bedside manner. He is to the point and will show you charts/graphs demonstrating where you land on % of success based on your age range. The only times I met with him was for the first consult and then at the end of the cycle for follow-ups. The clinic did mention that if I wanted to speak with him, that I should arrive in the office between 7-9am, otherwise the rest of his day is booked with new patient consults. It was also other drs that performed my retrievals. I had wondered if Dr Zhang was the one that was monitoring my ccle progress and adjusting dosage instructions, or if it were other doctors reviewing my case.

Ask all your questions, be straightforward, dont expect hand-holding

Mild IVF - started with estrace priming, then clomid, letrozole pills, and follistim injections starting at 75iu. Continued with a mix of clomid and letrozole pills, and varying dosages of follistim(from 75-150iu) up until lupron trigger and then retrieval

The clinic had monitors on the walls that called your name up when it was your turn to get blood drawn or to go inside the the sonogram. I appreciated this aspect of their monitoring system, instead of relying on someone calling out my name. I was able to go to the appropriate station as I saw my name come up

I did not have insurance coverage so it was put of pocket. Mild ivf cost about$6,000 which included cost of medications. Luteal Phase retrieval cost $250. And PGS for one embryo clst $750

Strengths-their bread and butter is women over 40 and difficult cases. It has excellent flexible monitoring times 7 am-2 pm-perfect for the working woman! Large welcoming space. Weaknesses-they are getting quite big and heavy traffic. Maybe add more doctors..Maybe also facilitate a way for existing patients to have a forum to meet up and discuss (through their own volition) their issues to know they are not alone

I have been at NHFC for a few years..first egg freezing mini ivf then fertilizing my frozen eggs. Dr Zhang is more blunt and honest and well versed in the science.. but he could work in softening the delivery. I like that he doesnt sugar coat bc i trust him. Dr Liu is well just better at delivery, more empathic to what we are going through as older women. He makes me feel like a woman in his family and that makes me feel hopeful-while hes still remaining very honest. Hes a gentle soul.

great professional women. i like them-but they could be a bit better at talking a bit more with patients. But i guess since the place is always busy they dont have much chit chat time

hes kind and sweet..very empathic and makes you feel like a special patient. As I stated earlier, hes well versed, excellent fertility doctor, with the added empathic and kind delivery mode. As an older woman, he gives you the facts straight, but while still taking care of my emotional state.

listen carefully,,he has an accent so speaks slower..

mini ivf, luteal phase, as this is what my body reacts to better. I have had several rounds of mini IVF and egg freezing..20 eggs fertlized with donor sperm, made 7 embryos, of which 4 were mosaic, and 1 embryo which remains untested.

moderate...$2000 for extraction and $800 for monitoring (when not covered by insurance) $1000 freezing, $1000 fertilizing

New Hope is a clean, well run office. The Mini IVF approach works for those that want a low stimulation that mirrors most natural cycle. Communication is what this office lacks as there were a few disconnects in our journey. Most of the challenges were in the implant stage vs retrieval.

Dr. Zang was my original doctor I had received consultation and during the retrieval process. I was switched over to Dr. Liu last minute and he knew nothing about it me and it was apparent.

The office itself operates like a well oiled machine. There was no consistency with nurse staff. I was passed around and couldn't depend on any one person to answer my email etc.

I felt rushed, the service was very generic. There was uncertainty particularly with when I was ready for the implant. He was rushed and I never had the assurance I needed. He was passed over to me in a very dismissive way and his accent was so strong at times, I would have to ask him to email me as I could not fully understand.

Ask for Dr. Zang instead.

Mini IVF that included estradiol pills daily and follistim injections. Ovidrel was used to stimulate the final follicle(s) maturation and to initiate the trigger before Egg Retrieval.There was consistent blood work done at their facilities.

monitoring appointments themselves were easy but the communication disconnect came into play when determining my lining was Ok to move forward with implant.

Dont recall all the costs but the biggest thing to consider is that its $200 per lab appointment. You can pay $800 a month for unlimited. This was what we hadnt planned would be most expensive as they constantly had me come in to determine whether my levels and lining was ready for implant. Took too long and too much money.

Dr. Zhang whom presented himself as handling everything only to later pass me on to Dr. Lui explained that he felt confident that this Mini IVF would yield about 4 eggs. He suggested I run PGS genetic testing to ensure only the best embryos are selected. 4 were actually retrieved and 2 passed PGS. New Hope was opposed to having implant both at the same time but we went ahead with implanting both (5 day/PGS tested) embryos at once.

Pro- high tech, convenient location, smaller, more friendly than other clinics, sat hours for cyro and other appts Cons - Disorganized billing, no dedicated dr or nurse, you never see a dr, Waited 3 HOURS for a transfer once with little updates or sympathy

They do everything by email which is fine unless you have questions. often times questions go unanswered, i had meds not called in, and problems not addressed because you dont have a dedicated nurse. The volume is too high and they are not responsive via email and i have often called 3x to get someone on the phone to only be told they will call me back. I went into a procedure without having antibiotics or anxiety meds i requested more than 3x.

The Dr was nice and very straight-forward. I found the technology at the practice from the waiting room to the email system, nice, but the billing department was a disaster. They overcharged me constantly and even once, held a payment over my head the day before a retrival, saying i couldnt have the procedure done unless I paid the bill. It was only submitted to my insurance a week beforehand and had not been processed. They made assumptions about my plan and charged me for things my insurance covered. It was extremely frustrating. And the lack of seeing a dr was really irritating. I did mini-IVF and we were freezing eggs due to male infertility. They did not explain the importance to freezing embryos vs. eggs and i feel like I wasted a lot of time and money doing treatments and retrievals.

Push for information and check your bills very carefully.

Monitoring was easy. The hours were very expansive so you didnt have to rush to be in line like other clinics to be seen in a small window.

I have benefits via my employeer so I shouldnt have paid anything other than for meds. Every bill had to be scruntized with Blue Cross as this clinic made assumptions about my plan. They ended up cutting me a check for almost $1000.00 of which i was over charged. I'm pretty sure i still over-paid but was so annoyed with them, I moved on. Too stressful and they're so rude.

The mini-IVF was a waste of time for me. We only yielded 5-6 per round and had to cancel a few due to lack of stimulation. Was expensive and only one egg made it to blastocyst and was day 7. We were not told not to try and transfer it, but having spoken to other clinics now, i realize that was a waste of time and money.

They are conveniently located and take many forms of insurance. They may work effectively with younger women, but do not seem to have any particular strength working with women who need more customized protocols.

Once I had an initial consultation, it was almost impossible to have a conversation with a doctor about my treatment. I once waited three hours for an appt with a doctor after I repeatedly requested an appt and was finally given a time.

There are no assigned nurses, just a rotating group who will work with you when you arrive for monitoring, etc. They leave you emails with instructions and follow up, and if you try to ask a follow up question, you may not hear back from the same person.

The doctor was unable to communicate clearly with me regarding my diagnosis, and best options, when I was able to actually speak with him directly. There was little explanation ever given for treatment choices recommended to me or discussion of how I should make decisions about what to do next after a failed cycle.

Go somewhere else, if you are seeking treatment with doctors that can provide regular, and clear communication.

New Hope recommends a "natural" IVF approach that is low dosage and involves fewer injectables. They claim that this is equally/more successful than traditional approaches, but they do not take into account age or diagnosis in personalizing a protocol. I produced very few eggs, and none matured far enough for transfer.

It was very quick and efficient, but there was no interaction with doctors.

They creatively use insurance, to minimize uncovered costs. My out of pocket costs were probably about 5K.

Scheduling time with Dr Zhang is hit and miss. Sometimes you get to see him soon, other times it is a long wait of up to 2.5 hours. The clinic is new and clean. Utrasound and bloodwork is efficient and the wait time is short. The problem is on egg retrieval day. It was the most horrific experience of my life. The assistant checking me in told me not to be scared about what I see in the waiting room. When I entered the waiting room, I saw the same room doubled as recovery and waiting rooms. There were no beds. A patient was sleeping on a sofa, recovering from her retrieval. Another woman was left to walk out of the room on her own with no help. She did not have anesthesia. Another woman was in so much pain, she had to be wheeled out in a rolling bed. It was so busy that I had to wait in the recovery area as patients came out of their retrieval. I saw patients coming out like this one after another and I can see every one was not feeling well. There was no privacy. I could see and hear the nurse telling every one about their retrieval results. I had to wait two hours for my turn. I was very upset and scared, sitting there watching all of this happening. I was just told to take everything off from the waist down. In two other IVF clinics I attended, you took all your clothes off under the gown. Here, they just wanted you to drop your pants for a quick retrieval. It was a rushed factory. No anesthesiologist checked on me to ask about allergies or medical conditions. When it was my turn, they were running far behind schedule and they acted very rushed. It did not sound like they were going to be careful. Dr Zhang was not the attending physician. It was someone else. Dr Zhang never told me that it would be another doctor. I never saw Dr Zhang. This was a shock to me. I had never met this other doctor before, and he never introduced himself to me. He just asked me how many follicles I had and if I had IVF before. That was all. He never bothered to read my patient history. He started working on me before the anesthesia took effect. I had to tell them to wait. They never put any blood pressure cuff on me. The room was dark. The operating room in two other IVF clinics I attended were brightly lit. How can they see in the dark? There were no nurses in the operating room. In other IVF clinics I attended, there was a whole team of people helping with egg retrieval. This made me worried about my treatment. Everything felt careless and dangerous. When I woke up, the nurse told me they could only retrieve 4 eggs. She also told me 2 of those 4 eggs were broken. I was devastated to hear this. No doctor came to talk to me. No one else told me what happened. I was told that I can go. They never checked if there was someone to drive me home. They never gave me any water or food. That was a horrific experience. It was traumatic to hear that they broke my eggs and then they just asked me to leave. Afterwards, I could not find any information anywhere about how eggs can be broken. I emailed the nurse to ask. She told me that this can happen when they use high pressure to aspirate the eggs. I contacted other clinics to find out if this can happen and they told me that they have never heard of eggs breaking. I scheduled an appointment to see Dr. Zhang. He explained that it might be the fault of the doctor or maybe they retrieved my eggs at the wrong time. After the anesthesia, I felt nausea and dizziness. I never felt like this when I recovered from other procedures under anesthesia. I also had pain and inflammation for 1 week after the procedure. I never felt this bad with the other two retrievals I had in other clinics. It felt like they were not careful with the anesthesia and they were so rough during retrieval that there was probably scarring and that was how my eggs were broken. Since I don't have many eggs, every egg counts. I was devastated to hear that they broke 2 of my eggs. That IVF cycle was not a success. I will always wonder if those 2 eggs were not broken because of New Hope's carelessness, I would have had a successful procedure. I would not recommend anyone to go here. If this happened to you, you will always be left wondering if your broken eggs was a lost opportunity.

1) Waiting for an appoint with Dr Zhang always took a long time. 2) A different nurse contacted me after every ultrasound result to provide instructions. At other clinics, it was always the same person. New Hope felt impersonal. 3) The egg retrieval was impersonal. I was just told to take everything off from the waist down. In two other IVF clinics I attended, you took all your clothes off under the gown. 4) No anesthesiologist checked on me to ask about allergies or medical conditions. When it was my turn, they were running far behind schedule and they acted very rushed. It did not sound like they were going to be careful. 5) Dr Zhang was not the attending physician during egg retrieval. It was someone else. Dr Zhang never told me that it would be another doctor. I never saw Dr Zhang. This was a shock to me. I had never met this other doctor before, and he never introduced himself to me. He just asked me how many follicles I had and if I had IVF before. That was all. He never bothered to read my patient history. 6) No doctor came to talk to me after the retrieval. No one else told me what happened. I was told that I can go home. They never checked if there was someone to drive me home. They never gave me any water or food. That was a horrific experience.

The ultrasound and blood work were okay. The problem is that I was contacted by a different nurse every time when the communicated the ultrasound and egg retrieval results. One nurse did not write English well. It was hard to understand. During the egg retrieval day, there were no nurses to take care of patients. She just put on my patient bracelet and left me to wait for my procedure. They did not take my vital signs. No one took my blood pressure. Afterwards they did not give me any water or food. They just told me to leave. They did not ask if I came alone or if there was anyone to drive me home. There was minimal communication and it was all impersonal.

In my first consultation, I saw Dr Zhang two and a half hours after waiting past my scheduled appointment time. I also did not like Dr Zhang's abrupt explanations to my questions. He said mini-IVF was the treatment for me and he was over zealous about my chances of success. I never saw him through the rest of the cycle. I always communicated with his nurses and assistants. The cycle was not successful. I scheduled an appointment to see Dr. Zhang for explanations and answers. He explained that it might be the fault of the doctor or maybe they retrieved my eggs at the wrong time. Then he just told me to try again. It felt like they just wanted me as a customer.

Go somewhere else.

He prescribed minimal stimulation IVF. I started on birth control pills: two pills a day for 2 days, then 1 pill a day for 3 days, then half a pill a day for 3 days. Seven days later, I started clomid: 50 mg/day for 5 days then 25 mg/day for 4 days. At the same time I started clomid, I took letrazole 2.5 mg/day for 6 days. One day after starting clomid and letrazole, I started follistim: 75 IU/day for 7 days. One the last day of follistim, I injected half a syringe of ganirelix. The trigger was 10 IU lupron and 150 IU ovidrel. The rational for the procedure was not explained, other than to say that this is the minimal stimulation protocol.

Monitoring was no problem. It was efficient and the wait time was short.

I did not get any bills yet, except the anesthesia bill for $500. I think the rest might be coming later. I also had to pay for the lupron trigger: $10 or $25 in cash, I don't remember. This was a lot of money for 10 IU in a syringe that they filled, considering that an entire 2.8 mL vial of luprion is $10 co-pay, which I know from my other IVF procedure.

Strengths: affordability, convenience (for those in NYC area) Weaknesses: lack of communication, lack of physician contact, physicians did not seem to care about me as a person (e.g., physician who did retrieval)

Once I started my cycle, I had no routine physician interactions-- just interactions with the phlebotomists and ultrasound technicians. When I did interact with a doctor because I had questions or concerns, it was because I specifically asked and fought for it.

I had minimal interaction with nurses.

Dr. Zhang was difficult to communicate with. He missed a scheduled phone appointment and only called when I emailed him and his nurses about it. After my cycle, I emailed several times with questions and concerns and did not receive responses. In addition, I felt he only gave me information when I was informed and persistent enough to ask for it; if I hadn't been, I feel he would have happily proceeded with me being "in the dark" and therefore less able to hold him accountable for my clinical outcomes.

Make sure you understand the clinic's approach to egg freezing (i.e., low stim) and it aligns with your own expectations and priorities.

Birth control pills (Desogen, Apri, Reclipsen): HALF a tablet by mouth daily for about a week before the cycle began Letrozole 2.5mg tablet, 1 tablet. Clomid 50mg, 1 tablet. Both for 5 days. Follistim 150 units for four days At this point I discontinued the Letrozole and continued Clomid and Follistim for ~3 days nasal spray and Ovidrel the night before the retrieval

2K for procedure; 500 for anesthesia; 2K for monitoring and bloodwork. Medications were ~2-3K

Good location, easy monitoring, lighter protocol -- which i think is still effective. I liked many of the nurses, embryologists. Sometimes, nurses don't get back to you, or seem to be not be very knowledgeable or experienced -- that is troublesome, as it adds to stress.

Dr. Zhang seemed to be sufficiently attentive, and receptive to my concerns (whether age, costs, immune issues etc). I actually think his idea of minimal stimulation works well for older women.

Most of the nurses are very good and compassionate. However i had problems with nurses, 1) they would not give me clear answer about medication/consequences -- as a result i had unexpected reaction etc; 2) one of the nurses, who does not seem to work there any longer, advised me not to take a pain relief medication before procedure -- i came into the office for prescription. As a result i suffered great pain during a procedure and after the procedure, for about a year various pelvic floor problems

Dr. Zhang seemed compassionate and willing to be relatively flexible (immune issues etc). I felt somewhat stressed though, when asking for help to make a decision, he would not quite help saying it's an elective procedure...

I became worried by the end that they do not monitor closely enough and I think they don't. It might make sense to come a bit more frequently, especially in the beginning of the cycle, so they adjust the drugs better.

He uses minimal stimulation estrase/chlomid/femara/fsh/ganorelix

they have very wide monitoring window, so it is very convenient.

about 4K per retrieval + meds

New Hope provides a typical big city medical experience. I wouldn't expect Dr. Zhang to recognize me in the waiting room - it's a busy place! His protocol was the most successful one for me, and that matters most to me.

I got to know the nurses the best at all the fertility clinics. They are very skilled, knowledgable and professional and can answer most questions.

My boyfriend and I arrived at Dr. Zhang's office armed with files from my three prior cycles (2 egg freezing, 1 embryo freezing) as well as notes we had taken from consultations with four other reproductive endocrinologists. Dr. Zhang seemed distracted - he jumped from his computer screen to our faces and glanced through my files. When he discussed his proposed approach, its tailored nature made it clear that he in fact had absorbed everything in my files and what I had told him. He had a hypothesis on how to optimize my cycle to increase the number of mature eggs as a percentage of eggs retrieved. We decided to give New Hope a go. My mini-IVF cycle yielded more mature eggs than the conventional cycles.

Advocate for yourself. If you have questions, keep calling and asking until you get a response. The nurses are extremely helpful. The office is digitized and nurses provide instructions via email. Email is not a good way to contact the office with questions though - call and keep calling if you aren't getting a response.

The clinic has monitoring every day from 7am-2pm. You just show up when convenient for you. This was a HUGE benefit in dealing with my work schedule. However, be prepared to wait as long for monitoring as you do at other places (budget an hour if you need bloodwork and ultrasound).

The clinic's environment is very nice, calm and bright with daylight. There is a big electronic screen that shows you when your turn is up. The office is also conveniently located across the street from a subway stop. The appointments with their doctors are always over 1 hour wait. NO RESPECT for patient's time. When you ask where the doctor is, they tell you the doctor is in the OR.

Dr Merhi did not even recognize me when I saw him in the clinic after the first initial consultation. When the transfer ended in a chemical pregnancy, he did not reach out to discuss next steps or share condolences. During the initial consultation he assured us that he would be the only doctor performing any procedures (transfer, water sono, practice transfer) on me. He didn't care to tell me the week before my transfer that he was not going to be in the clinic. Neither did he return my email after he returned to the clinic (which was after my transfer).

The team of nurses were always prompt to send my monitoring results with instructions. Any questions I send they always respond within a day or 12 hours.

Dr Merhi was very warm and provided a lot of details on the day of the initial consultation. He peppered us with follow up emails after the initial consultation. I never saw him in my morning monitoring appointments and he didn't contact me about the transfer, before or after.

Find a different doctor.

$3800 for FET. $350 for initial consultation. $500 for water sono.

New Hope only transfers 1 embryo at a time.

The clinic is very busy but does monitoring and retrievals every morning seven days a week. They are very economically priced compared to most clinics in America. I like it that you can choose to do egg retrievals without sedation. Most clinics will not allow the patient this choice.

I like Dr. Liu. Like Dr. Zhang, he has a kind and respectful demeanor and he does not have the big ego that a lot of doctors have.

They are busy. Some of them are nice and some seem to not to have much empathy or understanding of the sacrifices and difficulties of being infertile and paying for ivf.

He is nice. Like the other doctors there, he doesn't really explain why they are using the medications or such. I don't think most patients want to know as much as we do. I'm not sure any ivf doctors would explain much anywhere else either but I don't know.

I don't know.

We've done natural and mini ivfs at the clinic. I really can't remember specifically which times we did what. I don't have many follicles but we do have a couple of frozen blasts after this that we did not choose to pgs test because of finances and other reasons.

I like the monitoring here. It is very efficient and you come when you want to (mornings and maybe afternoons?)

It depends on what you are doing. The clinic is much cheaper than most US ivf clinics. We didn't use insurance so I don't know about that at all.

I'm not sure. We have not planned any transfers yet.

New Hope is very flexible with protocol and listening to what you want. i have on numerous occasion requested less of a dosage, questioned when they were triggering and even changed freezing embryos into an IUI which resulted in my first son's conception. They are open to suggestions which is a big plus.

He has a lot of patients so it’s hard to get personalized attention from dr. Zhang. He is also always traveling but he is a great doctor. Very knowledable and positive. When others told me I will need donor eggs he never gave up on me having a baby with my own eggs. And it happened twice!

they are friendly and helpful but can take a while to answer your questions because they are so busy.

Very positive. Didn’t give up on me while others were directing me towards donor eggs he instituted I would have my own babies and I did. Twice!!! Very smart, very knowledgeable. Not easily accessible though. Recently he has been traveling a lot.

Don’t be afraid to tell them you disagree with their protocols or if you feel uncomfortable with a dosage you can tell them to adjust it. They listen to what the patient wants. They are flexible and they have an amazing lab!!

Since I have low amh levels dr zhang didn’t force a lot of stims. We did a lot of natural cycles. This is one clinic who is okay with taking out only one egg at a time.

pricey but not exorbitant.