New York Fertility Services

Strengths: Experienced doctor, easy location in the heart of Manhattan, easy to get an appointment. Weaknesses: Low success rate, the facility is not so inviting, lab didn't look very... stringent when I had a quick look. Front desk was a bit rude and not good with dealing with insurance coverage.

Dr. Batzofin is very charming and makes you at ease right away. He will joke and also take the time to really know your situation. Then he also patiently explains a possible plan of action, and what to expect as results. He seemed experienced and knowledgeable.

The nurse in charge of the semen analysis was quite nice and knowledgable. She personally emailed me the results within a few hours of collection. I found the nurse assisting the doctor during the ultrasound not very experienced, maybe an intern?, taking notes on a personal pad. I had to ask a couple of times to get the results in writing and the report's quality was very poor.

As a patient, Joel Batzofin is respectful, has good beside manners and seems to know what he's doing. I just wished he took more time and was more precise during the ultrasound to count the follicles. I was present and it looked very subjective to me.

Check their success rate. Dr. Batzofin is nice and experienced, but I am not sure that his clinic is up to the quality standard that one would expect today.

We started by a semen analysis for myself to make sure I was fertile. The next step was an ultrasound and blood tests of my known egg donor to assess her ovarian reserve.

$475 for a consultation, billed to insurance.

I do not remember talking about single/multiple embryo transfer with him, as I already knew I wanted a single embryo transfer.

All in all I was very happy with NYFS. Dr. Batzofin is very knowledgeable, compassionate and flexible - and his staff reflect this mentality. There was some turnover during the 10 months I was there, which led me to believe that there may have been some personality issues going on in the background, but as a patient I never saw any indication of this. The front desk team was very kind and patient. The clinic also has very reasonable negotiated rates with insurance companies, which helps stretch your coverage further than at other clinics. I also thought the Lab Director John Scodras and the cryopreservation specialist Schennella were wonderful to work with, although I am a little shaky on how two of our highly graded embryos arrested during the same thawing process (but I know that this happens and is often out of the lab's control). I think that ultimately, and perhaps unfairly, clinics get judged by their results. We went through 7 embryos in order to get one successful pregnancy. But we did get a successful pregnancy, which at the end of the day is what really matters. And so I think NYFS certainly has its strengths and weaknesses, like all clinics, but if you're looking for highly personalized care at a more reasonable cost, then it's absolutely a great option.

Because NYFS is a small boutique clinic, Dr. Batzofin really takes the time to know his patients. I very much felt like we were on a team and he wanted me to get pregnant almost as badly as I did. The front desk team and the nursing staff were also incredibly warm, friendly and compassionate. I can't say enough nice things about the people that work at NYFS.

I really enjoyed the nursing staff at NYFS. They were incredibly personal, understanding and sweet. I was sad to say goodbye to them when I graduated from the clinic. Suzette was a treasure - by far the best nurse I've ever had anywhere at drawing blood with no pain!! Sanella was also very sweet and competent. There was another nurse whom I liked very much, Jocelyn, but she left abruptly and I was never sure why.

Dr. Batzofin was kind, compassionate and flexible in his approach to our infertility. From what I could research, he followed all the proper protocols and was always willing to change course when we were unsuccessful. I greatly appreciated his willingness to listen to my preferences and incorporate changes to our next steps. I did feel he was too quick to suggest surrogacy in our case (after only one or two failed transfers). I am currently pregnant after the 4th embryo transfer, and so ultimately we have the result we wanted. I am not sure whether I would have gotten pregnant quicker with a different clinic, but I highly doubt I would have received the same level of service and attention.

I think I was very naive at the beginning of our infertility treatments and thought that IVF would work the very first time. I would suggest that a patient take the time to educate themselves on the process and likelihood of success. I would also suggest that new patients be very vocal in their preferences. Dr. Batzofin's success rates are not as high as other clinics in NYC, but he is also willing to take on patients that other clinics would turn away.

For my IVF egg retrieval, we used the Lupron Long Down-Regulation Protocol, which I believe is the more traditional approach. (In general, Dr. Batzofin tends to favor more traditional approaches, but is open to trying new methods if the patient wishes.) I produced 15 eggs, 13 of which fertilized, 9 reached the cleavage stage, and 8 reached the blastocyst stage. We transferred one fresh embryo and froze the rest. Three months later I had an unsuccessful medicated FET using lupron, estrogen and progesterone suppositories. Two months after that we tried immunosuppressive therapy (blood thinners, steroids and intralipids) and had another unsuccessful medicated FET (lupron, estrogen and progesterone injections). Finally, two months later I requested an endometrial scratch and a natural FET (no lupron, monitoring natural ovulation and then supporting with low-dose estrogen and progesterone suppositories) and we transferred two embryos. This resulted in a successful singleton pregnancy. Two of our embryos did not survive the thawing process during our last transfer, which has given me some concerns over the quality of the lab. We now only have one frozen blastocyst remaining from the original 8.

We were very fortunate to have Oxford Freedom insurance, which covered a $10,000 lifetime max plus fertility meds. Because NYFS has reasonable negotiated rates with Oxford, our one egg retrieval, one fresh embryo transfer, and 3 frozen embryo transfers were covered under the LTM, as were the medications. There were a number of extra associated costs, such as cryopreservation and storage, co-payments and fees, but those probably totaled around $4,000-$5,000 total. Unfortunately, we have hit our LTM, so everything from here on out will be out of pocket. NYFS's self-pay rates appear to be similar to most other NY clinics (i.e., very expensive).

Given my age (33) and quality of the blastocysts, my doctor preferred transferring single embryos, however he was very supportive of transferring more if I had felt very strongly about it. Ultimately, we transferred two embryos that resulted in my current singleton pregnancy.

Very clean office, staff are very polite and friendly u will feel very comfortable. If u have any questions make sure u write them down so u can have all of them answered . Dr. Batzofin makes sure his patients understand everything and he is very compassionate

Dr.batzofin was very polite and respectful I felt very comfortable he answered all of my questions and concerns

Teresa answered the phone a lot she gave me my results on time if I didn’t understand something she took the time to explain and made sure I understood

He is a very compassionate doctor, very respectful and polite made me feel very comfortable he answered all my questions and concerns received my results for me and my spouse fast , unfortunately I didn’t continue to go through with ivf process because funds are low and I didn’t want to do iui because of my diagnosis (PCOS,recurrent miscarriages and incompetence cervix

If you want a baby and you have the funds and it’s hard to conceive on your own without treatment go through the process with Dr.Joel Batzofin he cares about all his patients

I did consultation and work up for me and my spouse..I had all of my up to date information so he just reviewed and and explained to me the protocol he would take . My spouse had 2 semen analysis and blood work.. the first analysis wasn’t good the second one was ok and the blood work results were good

Under $1,000

Nice, clean environment with a smiling face greeting you at the desk. Never long wait time.

When I was there I felt that there was a lot of turnover. At one point, a nurse drawing my blood said it was her first time doing so, and after a try or 2 she went to get the PA to draw my blood. I felt that the nurse who explained how to do the injections could have been clearer. Overall., they were nice and compassionate.

Ilana was very thorough and explained all options. I received a follow up email after every appointment summarizing what was discussed. I felt confident in Dr. Ressler's recommendations, though felt that personality wise, she was not super warm.

Ask all your questions!

I had been to a doctor previously who felt that symptoms should be treated, so I was on meds to regulate blood-sugar, even though the levels weren't tested. Ilana Ressler immediately told me to stop the treatment until we determined what the issues were. Once I was tested, she explained that the levels were fine and the meds were unnecessary. Dr ressler prescribed Menopur and then timed intercourse after taking an injection to trigger ovulation. I was monitored daily/every other day while taking Menopur (injections) and she increased amounts based on hormone levels. Thankfully, the cycle was successful and I have a beautiful daughter :)

They took insurance, so I was only billed copays.

Medications move fast and furious. I wish they ordered them sooner than later.

He was extremely involved and cared deeply for our results, really wanting to get us over the finish line.

They even cried with me. Suzette and the gals are the best.

Dr. B was recommended to me by a friend who went through many docs. He is all about getting to the problem instead of the typical line of treatment (e.g. clomid, IUI, etc). He knows our barriers are all different and treats you as though you are his only patient. Each failure has been an experience where we learned something about an unseen issue; what I see as part of the process. He responds to email nights and weekends, and puts me at ease. I would highly recommend Dr. B and his staff!

Be prepared to get away from the normal infertility script. He has a method to it all!

Covered by insurance

ICSI with multiple embryo transfers

Once it was discovered that I should be on HRT, they were not communicative on their choice as to why my medication and dosages were appropriate for me. Additionally, they seemed to no longer be interested in supporting me in treatment when it became apparent that I may need donor eggs.