The plan [with Dr. Merhi] was to use my own eggs w/ donor sperm...with Dr. Merhi, I began to feel supported and listened to. I began to realize I that if I brought more to the table (the right questions, etc.), he took the time with me, too, to explain things more clearly. When it came the for the egg retrievals, it was ONLY Dr. Merhi's that I felt ZERO pain. The other Dr.'s techniques, etc., I had a lot of pain during the procedures - no joke. After all the cycle efforts using my own eggs (always MY decision to make), I am the one who came to the hard realization that perhaps my eggs weren't viable. I took a break (mid-2017 to Fall 2019). When I returned to my efforts, I came in already knowing I was going to use a donor for eggs (& donor sperm). I o
Some of the blood drawers [at New Hope Fertility Center] weren't great (read: painful needle insertion!), and others - I felt nothing! Some of the sonogram technicians (NOT nurses) liked to pretend they really new a lot about medical needs/advice - which was not great for a "newbie" like me in the beginning of my journey...I received 2 conflicting emails from two different nurses. I wrote back immediately letting them know of the different info., and they got back to me right away with the corrected info...Sometimes - the billing dept. can be a bit cold and treat you like a number. I recommend taking care of billing stuff before the day of a major procedure (IUI, egg retrieval, IVF transfer, hysteroscopy, etc.). It can be a bit unnerving to deal with billing dept. the day of those emotional procedures. If your name com
How was your experience with Zaher Merhi at New Hope Fertility Center?
Any time I asked to see Dr. Merhi, I was scheduled in and able to do so. Only once was he not there and so his team scheduled a phone consult appt with him and he called the very next day. I specifically requested him to be the Dr. to perform my last/most recent IVF transfer with donor egg and sperm, and he made sure to schedule me with respect to his availability. He left no stone unturned to give me all the meds, scheduled appt.'s, consults, etc., to make sure we succeeded this time! I feel he took no issue with my age (47) and was 100% on my team with absolute assuredness we would succeed. If I had any questions, he would slowly spell everything out for me in a respectful way...even drawing pictures/charts for me in his office. We did succeed and he was genuinely SO happy for me!
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Zaher Merhi at New Hope Fertility Center?
Ask in the beginning what days Dr. Merhi is at the office location you prefer. He goes to two (I think) different locations every week. Be bold with requesting exactly what you need and ask every question you have! Make sure you ask to specifically meet with him. When you do monitoring during their daily hours (7am-12pm), I would get there on the earlier side if you hope to catch Dr. Merhi after your meetings with bloodwork/sonograms. It helps if you do your own research and have specific questions for him re: your own protocol and needs.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Zaher Merhi at New Hope Fertility Center?
With Dr. Merhi, I felt listened to and respected. I felt he took the time (never rushing) with me to help me really understand every step. He helped me feel like no question was too "dumb" and he was very positive and encouraging. I read folks' energy very well and he was very sincere with me. He was not in it for the money and taking me for a ride. I felt supported and nurtured.
Describe the protocols Zaher Merhi used in your cycles at New Hope Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I started at New Hope FC in 2016! I met with whomever whenever they were available as I had no idea what I was doing nor what to expect. For a while, I felt I was just a number and on an assembly line. That is, until I met with Dr. Merhi. I started in 2016 with mini-IVF protocol. The plan was to use my own eggs w/ donor sperm. I'll skip the methods used by some of the Dr.'s & go right to Merhi. The meds used for cycles, etc., were pretty much the same w/ all Dr.'s I was using along the way. However, with Dr. Merhi, I began to feel supported and listened to. I began to realize I that if I brought more to the table (the right questions, etc.), he took the time with me, too, to explain things more clearly. When it came the for the egg retrievals, it was ONLY Dr. Merhi's that I felt ZERO pain. The other Dr.'s techniques, etc., I had a lot of pain during the procedures - no joke. After all the cycle efforts using my own eggs (always MY decision to make), I am the one who came to the hard realization that perhaps my eggs weren't viable. I took a break (mid-2017 to Fall 2019). When I returned to my efforts, I came in already knowing I was going to use a donor for eggs (& donor sperm). I only requested Dr. Merhi (after prior experiences w/ other Dr.'s there). Full disclosure: after the time away, new Dr.'s were there as well. I have NO idea how some of them are. I can only attest to my comparison of Dr. Merhi with about 4 others there. I ONLY worked with Dr. Merhi this time around. And - to GREAT SUCCESS!! I am pregnant...1st trimester almost over. :-)
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at New Hope Fertility Center.
It took many, many visits to realize who my favorites were, honestly. Some of the blood drawers weren't great (read: painful needle insertion!), and others - I felt nothing! Some of the sonogram technicians (NOT nurses) liked to pretend they really new a lot about medical needs/advice - which was not great for a "newbie" like me in the beginning of my journey. Make sure you are talking to a NURSE when you have questions. Also - if you get the feeling the nurse does not know the answer, ASK for a meeting with Dr. Merhi! Also- Dr. Merhi has a specific nurse team! Ask for the Merhi-Nurse Team email for emails communications (merhisupport@...). I definitely had my favorite nurses there. Sometimes, the nurses' lines re: my specific protocol were crossed and I had to confirm something 2 or 3 times with DIFFERENT nurses before getting Dr. Merhi's actual correct answer. This was mostly through several email exchanges and strategically CC'ing different nurses. Never apologize for needing an answer if you feel you're not getting what you need. Call! Email! Again, some nurses are way more experienced and clearly-spoken than others. You'll start to realize as you go along. Never hesitate to ask for a meeting with Dr. Merhi if you really need.
Describe your experience with New Hope Fertility Center.
You can feel assured that the Dr.'s at this clinic all know the latest techniques and strategies for protocol for each person's needs. There's a chance you'll feel a bit like you are on an assembly line at first. I can't stress enough - make your voice heard! Ask questions, and if someone doesn't know the answer, make a consult appt. with your chosen Dr. there. In my case, I chose Dr. Merhi - hands down. Sometimes - the billing dept. can be a bit cold and treat you like a number. I recommend taking care of billing stuff before the day of a major procedure (IUI, egg retrieval, IVF transfer, hysteroscopy, etc.). It can be a bit unnerving to deal with billing dept. the day of those emotional procedures. If your name comes up to visit billing - hopefully it's not on a major procedure day. If you know you need to pay for something and a major procedure is coming, just be proactive about taking care of it early. They WILL call you in on a procedure day and make you pay before the retrieval/transfer. Feels a bit cold, I must say. But - it's not free after all. Just recommending you take care of it before the DAY OF. It really helps if you read their website re: all the different levels of IVF, etc., and then make your list of questions going in for the very first consultation with a Dr. of your choice. If you need to, meet with 3 or 4 different Dr.'s in the beginning to see who you gel with.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at New Hope Fertility Center.
Monitoring hours are very convenient! It is a well-oiled machine. Hours are 7am-12noon. The sooner you arrive, the less time you'll wait. The longest I've waited was about 30 minutes. That was only because I went in closer to 11-12pm time. They are a well-oiled machine. Once you arrive and check-in, you're in line in the order you came.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Zaher Merhi at New Hope Fertility Center.
The billing dept. is VERY good/trustworthy at trying to submit everything to your insurance first. Depending on what your coverage is, the costs of all procedures, monitoring, etc., are comparable to most places. They are reasonable in relation to other places, depending on what you're having done. Not going to lie -- it's EXPENSIVE. But - I feel we're a special case: in the end, after several efforts using my own eggs w/ IUI donor sperm and IVF, we chose to also go with an egg donor. I mean - I could have put this child (the one I'm pregnant with as I type!) through its first two years of college! Some of the meds were covered by my insurance - not all of them. Some of the procedures were covered by insurance - not all of them.
Describe Zaher Merhi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at New Hope Fertility Center.
I never talked about this with Dr. Merhi because my wife and I agreed that we'd only ever opt to have ONE embryo transferred at a time. We did not want to risk multiples. It was not ever a topic for Dr. Merhi and I.
What specific things went wrong at New Hope Fertility Center?
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at New Hope Fertility Center.
ONE time - only once - I received 2 conflicting emails from two different nurses. I wrote back immediately letting them know of the different info., and they got back to me right away with the corrected info.!
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Clinic
New Hope Fertility Center
New York