Ratings of 1 indicate that a clinic was poorly operated.
Ratings of 10 indicate that a clinic operated very well.
Scheduling
8.9
8.9
Scheduling
Ratings of 1 mean it was difficult to schedule appointments with this clinic.
Ratings of 10 mean it was easy to schedule appointments.
Billing Department
7.9
7.9
Billing Department
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory billing department.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent billing department.
Nursing Team
9.2
9.2
Nursing Team
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory nursing team.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent nursing team.
LGBTQ+ Care
9.6
9.6
LGBTQ+ Care
Ratings of 1 indicate an unsatisfactory LGBTQ+ care.
Ratings of 10 indicate an excellent LGBTQ+ care.
Attention to Detail
8.5
8.5
Attention to Detail
Attention to detail is on a 1 - 10 scale, and is scored based on the rate, and severity, of errors committed by the clinic according to the patients.
For example, a severe error might be failing to inform a patient of critical information, while a small error might be failing to call a patient with results.
CDC Success Rates
This is the most recent data from the CDC. The CDC cautions that it should not be used to compare doctors and clinics. This data represents the outcomes of IVF cycles when using a person's own eggs.
For more information please see our FAQs.
Where you see a “?” on the chart, a clinic has done fewer than 20 cycles in this category and age range, so the CDC says showing percentages from this small data set would be misleading and unreliable.
I only met with her [Dr. Shannon DeVore] once, and had one followup phone call with her. She was compassionate and informational and clear. I liked her manner. She called me herself with my test results, which I appreciated. She did use the word "toxic" to describe by body which I did not like, and has made it difficult to envision a solution to my fertility problems.
The [NYU Langone Fertility Center] clinic is beautiful and the people are all friendly, however I felt like I was treated really well while they were courting me as a patient, but as soon as the situation got tough and I needed more time and information to decide what to do next, they pretty much disappeared and I was on my own.
How was your experience with Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I only met with her once, and had one followup phone call with her. She was compassionate and informational and clear. I liked her manner. She called me herself with my test results, which I appreciated. She did use the word "toxic" to describe by body which I did not like, and has made it difficult to envision a solution to my fertility problems. The doctor who gave me a second opinion used the same word, so I guess this is how they refer to it, but I wish they'd use different language with the patient. Other than that I felt like she communicated really well.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Come in prepared to advocate for yourself and with all of your questions ready, she'll take the time to answer them but followup outreach might be harder.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The clinic is beautiful and the people are all friendly, however I felt like I was treated really well while they were courting me as a patient, but as soon as the situation got tough and I needed more time and information to decide what to do next, they pretty much disappeared and I was on my own.
Describe the protocols Shannon DeVore used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I haven't done it yet, and don't know if I can afford it here. I didn't get an estimate of how many cycles we might need to do before success, and can't afford to do multiple cycles at $25k each. I also didn't really get a specific quoted price for my situatiuon, just a price list of all possible treatments and procedures (but I'm not sure which I'd be doing). What was recommended was egg retrieval and fertilization (however many times necessary, I didn't get a personalized recommendation for the process), then a salpingectomy (remove my fallopian tubes, I would have to do this somewhere else), then transfer (however many times necessary, I didn't get a personalized recommendation for the process). I got a second opinion and it was the same.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Omayra (coordinator), not a specific nurse)
They respond when I reach out, and everyone's nice. I haven't had any extra care, like them following up with personalzied recommendations, following up to set up the next steps, etc. Once I expressed concern about the cost no one reached out anymore.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It's really pretty, clean, new, everyone's nice, good bedside manners. You need to be your own advocate, I do feel somewhat like a number there. I got an initial consultation but after that no real followup - no personalized recommendation or pricing sent to me, and no one followed up to set me up for next steps.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I only did the consultation. I paid a $50 copay, and I paid a little under $200 coinsurance when they sent me to a lab to get scans.
After three transfers and no successful pregnancy, he [Dr. James Grifo] is not only encouraging me to continue but ensures me that this process will result in a baby it is just a matter of time and numbers (at some point it will work). He understands how frustrating that is and is constantly encouraging me and letting me know how well I'm doing despite the anxiety, fear, pain, discomfort and hormonal roller coaster.
Don't be overwhelmed by the size of the office or the staff [at NYU]...Despite its size, it is extremely well run. Signing in at the computer is arguably the only time I felt like a "number." I have never experienced a mishap or mistake on behalf of the clinic or a missed call etc...They [nurses] are exceptional, all of them. Caring, kind, compassionate and HUMAN. They know me by name and are all cheering me on.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Grifo is all about numbers. He is extremely smart, continues to do research and I find him to be candid and honest with me. After three transfers and no successful pregnancy, he is not only encouraging me to continue but ensures me that this process will result in a baby it is just a matter of time and numbers (at some point it will work). He understands how frustrating that is and is constantly encouraging me and letting me know how well I'm doing despite the anxiety, fear, pain, discomfort and hormonal roller coaster. I find him open to working with other doctors (even when he doesn't agree with their ideology), he is willing to try different things than what his normal protocol allows for. He is open to my suggestions and patiently answers pages and pages worth of prepared questions I have presented him with after doing my own research. In dealing with autoimmune issues he has been particularly accommodating and his ongoing work on Chronic Endometritis has been extremely informative.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Don't be overwhelmed by the size of the office or the staff.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Nurses know my name, as does Dr. Grifo, all are patient, kind, attentive and in tune with my particular case.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
First retrieval cycle we did 150 Follistim, 150 Menopur. I had 13 eggs, 11 fertilized with ICSI. Did a fresh transfer and PGS tested the balance. Got 2 PGS normal embryos and 1 Mosaic. After failed fresh transfer we did an endometrial biopsy that was positive for Chronic Endometritis. Took months to treat that, once it cleared I did two frozen transfers that both resulted in chemical pregnancies. The first frozen transfer was done with Estrace and an autoimmune protocol that included Prednisone, Plaquenil and IVIG. The second FET was a natural cycle transfer with autoimmune protocol as well.
This current retrieval cycle I am doing 300 Follistim, 150 Menopur and Letrozol.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I love these women! They are exceptional, all of them. Caring, kind, compassionate and HUMAN. They know me by name and are all cheering me on.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The clinic is big, there are always people in the waiting room. If you want a boutique experience this is not for you. Despite its size, it is extremely well run. Signing in at the computer is arguably the only time I felt like a "number." I have never experienced a mishap or mistake on behalf of the clinic or a missed call etc.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
A lot of women in the waiting room, if you show up at the very end of monitoring hours you will wait for sure. But once you put your name into the system that you arrived, you will be called in turn (usually within 20 minutes at the very longest) and from there it is a well oiled machine. You get to know all the doctors and PA's that are doing the sonograms and you know all the nurses drawing blood.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
For a self-pay full cycle, with PGS testing, transfer and medications the OVERALL cost (everything included) is approximately $24,000.
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Grifo does not endorse multiple embryo transfer but is willing to do so at the patient's request or insistence.
[Dr. Elizabeth Fino is] non judgmental, encouraging and realistic at same time, intelligent and well informed, no ego and open to both questions and my/my spouse’s own preferences...IVF injectables (follistim and ??) with monitoring (blood tests, ultrasound, in office visits) followed by egg retrieval. Had very good egg response but poor maturation. Unclear if this was due to egg quality or other factor.
[NYU Langone Fertility Center] Clinic is familiar with high risk patients and unusual circumstances. Communication with office staff can be very inconsistent - sometimes quick and other times have to call repeatedly...10k out of pocket for treatment plus costs of office visits and monitoring, which were covered by insurance. Clinic gave significant discount and some free pharmaceuticals since IVF was for preservation
How was your experience with Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Available, intelligent, non judgmental, encouraging and realistic at same time, intelligent and well informed, no ego and open to both questions and my/my spouse’s own preferences. Strongly recommend.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Communication with support staff (billing, etc) can be challenging. Be proactive about getting the information you need and let Dr Fino know if you need help or are running into issues.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr Fino and staff were very flexible in accommodating quickly scheduling around cancer treatment timeline, realistic and compassionate communication, detailed explanations.
Describe the protocols Elizabeth Fino used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
IVF injectables (follistim and ??) with monitoring (blood tests, ultrasound, in office visits) followed by egg retrieval. Had very good egg response but poor maturation. Unclear if this was due to egg quality or other factor. Was slated to begin second cycle but had to cancel due to a separate, unplanned surgery.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Donna)
Donna was amazing, other nursing staff were generally very compassionate and capable also, office/billing less so.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Clinic is familiar with high risk patients and unusual circumstances. Communication with office staff can be very inconsistent - sometimes quick and other times have to call repeatedly. Billing was very challenging and errors caused months of headaches and ultimately the person was fired. Be proactive about getting the information you need and ask your doctors for help If you need.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Quick and courteous
Describe the costs associated with your care under Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
10k out of pocket for treatment plus costs of office visits and monitoring, which were covered by insurance. Clinic gave significant discount and some free pharmaceuticals since IVF was for preservation before cancer treatment.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost paperwork
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Billing person said she submitted to insurance but had not.
Dr. Grifo took the time to sit with me and my husband on our first visit, to explain everything to us. I was so impressed by his warmth, especially as one of the top doctors in this field, during that first visit. Subsequent visits were more rushed and I didn't really feel that same warmth...You're not going to get a lot of face time with Dr. Grifo...I felt the whole time that I was in good hands in his practice.
This is a very professional clinic [NYU Langone Fertility Center], and they have clearly been around the block. They have a TON of experience, and it shows. One downside of being part of a huge clinic is that it can sometimes feel like you're getting lost in a sea of patients. I often had a hard time getting through to the nursing team...The nursing and coordinator teams, overall, were fantastic. Very compassionate and took the time to explain things to me.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
There's no question Dr. Grifo is one of the top experts in this field. While I would have loved to have had more face time with him throughout my treatment, I trust him and his associates implicitly. I felt the whole time that I was in good hands in his practice.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
You're not going to get a lot of face time with Dr. Grifo, and the office is quite large and busy, but it's generally a well-oiled machine.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Grifo took the time to sit with me and my husband on our first visit, to explain everything to us. I was so impressed by his warmth, especially as one of the top doctors in this field, during that first visit. Subsequent visits were more rushed and I didn't really feel that same warmth, but I guess that is to be expected.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
In our case, we are dealing with male factor infertility (my husband has non-obstructive azoospermia). Everything on my end was totally fine, so I didn't have to go through quite as aggressive of an egg retrieval protocol as initially expected. I don't remember all the details but the drugs used in my cycle were gonal-f, menopur, and one other (can't remember the name right now!). They were able to retrieve 18 eggs, of which 12 were able to be frozen. Then those eggs were thawed on the day of my husband's TESE procedure. They fertilized 6 eggs, and only 1 made it to the blastocyst stage. Unfortunately, it was a mosaic with a very low chance of survival so this was a failed IVF cycle. We'll try again in the future.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The nursing and coordinator teams, overall, were fantastic. Very compassionate and took the time to explain things to me. My only complaint was that they were very difficult to get in touch with at times. I had a lot of complicated timing things to work around and it took me days to get through to a nurse to explain how things were going to go. That was very frustrating.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
This is a very professional clinic, and they have clearly been around the block. They have a TON of experience, and it shows. One downside of being part of a huge clinic is that it can sometimes feel like you're getting lost in a sea of patients. I often had a hard time getting through to the nursing team, which was completely understandable given how many patients they have, but that didn't make it any less frustrating. They're also not fully up-to-speed from an EMR standpoint. My husband's side of things were a lot easier to navigate because the male fertility center is fully on the up-to-date EMR platform through NYU. Even though the female fertility center is part of the same system, they're using an antiquated system so results aren't uploaded, and it's very hard to communicate with the care team through there.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It was generally pretty efficient. I always made sure to go first thing in the morning so I always missed that morning rush.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I don't remember the exact breakdown but if I recall correctly it was about $10,000 for the egg retrieval and another $10,000 for the thaw and fertilization (including genetic testing)
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I know that Dr. Grifo does not do multiple embryo transfers, as his experience has shown him that it's not worth the risk. I understand and agree with his position.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to call with results
Failed to inform you of changes in protocol
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Communication was a really big issue. I had multiple days where I had to spend the entire day on the phone trying to track down a member of the nursing team or a care coordinator, to get answers on how to proceed with certain parts of my cycle. In the end it all worked out, but that lack of clear communication added a lot of stress to an already stressful situation.
As a single woman, this process has been full of emotional landmines, and Dr. Devore was so wonderful in helping me navigate them, always empathy and honesty. She never made me feel pushed towards any course of action, but I also knew she was invested in helping me reach my goals (and fully understood how they might be different than other womens'). She's smart and candid and funny and empathetic...Make sure you are totally clear on timelines...I was sometimes surprised by how long something would take or how quickly I would have to decide something
I thought the care coordinators [at NYU Langone Fertility Center] were very perfunctory and left out important information (like needing to have sperm in place prior to day one). The nurses were a rotating band, some better than others. Definitely recommend going to the west side office when you can, it's much calmer and less crowded, which makes you feel less like a number...I was annoyed that I never knew when to expect those calls, because if I missed them, I found it was hard to get a person on the phone when I called back
How was your experience with Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I felt compelled to write a review because I used this site to help me find a doctor. While I'm still in the middle of my treatment, I can't recommend Dr. Devore highly enough. As a single woman, this process has been full of emotional landmines, and Dr. Devore was so wonderful in helping me navigate them, always empathy and honesty. She never made me feel pushed towards any course of action, but I also knew she was invested in helping me reach my goals (and fully understood how they might be different than other womens'). She's smart and candid and funny and empathetic. And also, while I haven't done a transfer yet, I know she has a high success rate because I studied her papers before I chose her. I feel assured that when I'm ready to get pregnant, she'll do everything in her power to make that happen for me.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Make sure you are totally clear on timelines. This is the one place where her communication fell down a bit, and I was sometimes surprised by how long something would take or how quickly I would have to decide something.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I hit it off right away with Dr. Devore and from then on, she made me feel she was invested in me, medically as well as emotionally.
Describe the protocols Shannon DeVore used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I had frozen eggs before, and the drug protocol here seemed very much the same. But Dr. Devore used the information from that prior freeze to make adjustments to my trigger time to help yield the best results.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Kim Peters was my patient coordinator)
I thought the care coordinators were very perfunctory and left out important information (like needing to have sperm in place prior to day one). The nurses were a rotating band, some better than others. Definitely recommend going to the west side office when you can, it's much calmer and less crowded, which makes you feel less like a number.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It's a big hospital system and all the annoying bureaucracy that comes with that. I hated the east side location. It was inconvenient for me but also always crowded and the retrieval rooms there felt kind of dingy and uncomfortable.
Usually, you go in for monitoring in the morning and you get a call in the afternoon with updates. I was annoyed that I never knew when to expect those calls, because if I missed them, I found it was hard to get a person on the phone when I called back. Communication about drugs and insurance also generally sucked; my doctor herself actually provided the most knowledge of how to maximize my insurance benefits.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Shannon DeVore at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I was lucky to have great insurance coverage under Progyny, which covered almost everything.
Describe Shannon DeVore's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The doctor [Dr. Frederick Licciardi] and his research is top notch...First transfer was with Ovidrel, second was a natural cycle...He felt very comfortable going with one each time [Eset Approach]. I wasn't interested in the risk of multiples given my "Advanced" age...I still have his voicemail saved from when our transfer didn't work. He was honest and compassionate about what had happened ("I wish I had better news, and I know how disappointing this must feel.") but was still optimistic about the future ("Give me a call when you are ready and we will go over next steps.")
The morning clinic [NYU] is a work horse - you come in and then you leave and it is all business. It's an odd thing - but there is no sense of community, not once did another patient say something kind to me or smile, everyone looks at their phones. The nurses are moving people through as fast as possible. Whole thing is very odd - unlike anything I have ever experienced...They did not account for the timing of mail order delivery of drugs.
How was your experience with Frederick Licciardi at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Licciardi is great. I still have his voicemail saved from when our transfer didn't work. He was honest and compassionate about what had happened ("I wish I had better news, and I know how disappointing this must feel.") but was still optimistic about the future ("Give me a call when you are ready and we will go over next steps.")
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Frederick Licciardi at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The doctor and his research is top notch. You have to be prepared mentally to deal with the NYU clinic - which is a whole other story.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Frederick Licciardi at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
We talked about common interests beyond having babies - like skiing. For me this is important - it's like a sales call, let's talk about something for a minute or two that isn't this crazy expensive stressful situation that we are really here to discuss.
Describe the protocols Frederick Licciardi used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Unfortunately I do not have access to the paperwork - but I could supply this later. (First transfer was with Ovidrel, second was a natural cycle)
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The morning clinic is a work horse - you come in and then you leave and it is all business. It's an odd thing - but there is no sense of community, not once did another patient say something kind to me or smile, everyone looks at their phones. The nurses are moving people through as fast as possible. Whole thing is very odd - unlike anything I have ever experienced.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It's NYU - and they have a great track record at getting the results that I wanted. I would recommend them for the work, but not the decor. Also the location is not easy to get to in the morning. I did hear that they might be opening more locations for bloodwork.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Frederick Licciardi at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
$4500/IVF
Describe Frederick Licciardi's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
He felt very comfortable going with one each time. I wasn't interested in the risk of multiples given my "Advanced" age.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Lost appointments
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
They did not account for the timing of mail order delivery of drugs.
My first appointment with Dr. Hodes was when I got the results of my initial bloodwork...She bluntly told me that my chances of having a healthy live birth were pretty close to zero after showing me a few charts. I had some good things on my side though, such as a good egg reserve, so that was nice, but overall I felt overwhelmed and lonely durng that visit. It was very short and I left and cried my way to the subway. It felt a bit impersonal. Her office is on the West sideand I live in Brooklyn, so I opted to go to the office on the East side on 1st Avenue for my followups. I didn't really see her very much after that since she doesn't rotate in as often at the East side office. My experience at the 1st Ave office was lovely though. Everyone treated me with such care and respect. I ended up seeing Dr. Hodes for follow up after having surgery on my uterus, and that time she was very warm and sweet. She gave me good news about my surgery. Following that, we had a couple phone calls about what the next
The clinic [NYU Langone Fertility Center] is large, clean, and inviting. It's definitley better to go as early as possible if you are doing your bloodwork since it can get very busy in there, but everyone is calm and sitting around reading or on their phones. The longest I've had to wait after getting there closer to the end of the time range for bloodwork is about an hour...Everyone treated me with such care and respect. I ended up seeing Dr. Hodes for follow up after having surgery on my uterus, and that time she was very warm and sweet. She gave me good news about my surgery. Following that, we had a couple phone calls about what the next cycle would entail. She was very thorough, factual, and empowered me to make my decisions as I felt appropriate.
How was your experience with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
She's blunt and gives your the facts. Who knows how many people she sees in a day, so she's not always as warm as I may have like, but she can be very warm at times too. I really appreciate her not sugar coating things for me and making sure I had the data I needed to make my decisions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Slow down a little if you can - your patients can sense when you are in a hurry. It's a scary time for a lot of us.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
My first appointment with Dr. Hodes was when I got the results of my initial bloodwork. Part of what may have impacted my experience is that my husband had to be out of town that day for work, so I went alone. She bluntly told me that my chances of having a healthy live birth were pretty close to zero after showing me a few charts. I had some good things on my side though, such as a good egg reserve, so that was nice, but overall I felt overwhelmed and lonely durng that visit. It was very short and I left and cried my way to the subway. It felt a bit impersonal. Her office is on the West sideand I live in Brooklyn, so I opted to go to the office on the East side on 1st Avenue for my followups. I didn't really see her very much after that since she doesn't rotate in as often at the East side office. My experience at the 1st Ave office was lovely though. Everyone treated me with such care and respect. I ended up seeing Dr. Hodes for follow up after having surgery on my uterus, and that time she was very warm and sweet. She gave me good news about my surgery. Following that, we had a couple phone calls about what the next cycle would entail. She was very thorough, factual, and empowered me to make my decisions as I felt appropriate.
Describe the protocols Brooke Hodes-Wertz used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
The overal strategy was to do a round of stims, and then retreival. We were going to freeze any embryos (we decided to genetically test), and then transfer any good embryos. We used Gonal and Menapur for the stims. Everything went very well during that phase, but ultimately the goal was to get as many eggs out since my issue is poor egg quality, so it was a numbers game. Since my chances were very low to have a high quality egg, the more eggs we got, the better our chances to find that good one. I had about 17-18 follicles at the time of retreival. Our of those, 13 eggs were retrieved and 6 embryos were made. Out of those 6 empbryos, 3 made it to Day 5. Unfortunately, none came back normal from the genetic testing. I was supposed to continue cycles and then have surgery on my uterus to correct the septum. Due to my own work and travel challenges, I opted to have the surgery first and have yet to do my second cycle.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The nurses are amazing. They are so compassionate and on their "A" game. Despite having to use a message service to get in contact with them over the phone, they are great with following up in a timely manner and getting you the info you need. Love them!
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
At the time I did my first cycle, there wasn't a clinic in Brooklyn, so that was a bit of extra hassle - going back and forth so often from Brooklyn to Manhattan. The clinic is large, clean, and inviting. It's definitley better to go as early as possible if you are doing your bloodwork since it can get very busy in there, but everyone is calm and sitting around reading or on their phones. The longest I've had to wait after getting there closer to the end of the time range for bloodwork is about an hour.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
These were not a big deal. Imagine a large inviting room with maybe 50 chairs in a nice lounge arrangement. You get in, sign in, and wait for them to call your name.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Before insurance, around $35K. After insurance, around $5K out of pocket.
Describe Brooke Hodes-Wertz's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Grifo spoke to me in a professional, respectful manner and responded to my question by clarifying with elaboration, visuals, charts, scientific research, and articles. He explained the process very clearly and I felt confident in his experience, abilities and credentials...I would have preferred he performed my surgery but it was explained to me that due to the unpredictability and nature of the procedure and human body that this might happen, so I felt prepared...
All of the staff [at NYU Langone Fertility Center] seems authentic and legitimately concern about my well being and care. I was very happy with my experience...It [monitoring appointments] was very convenient and run smoothly. I managed fitting it into my busy schedule....The waiting room was spacious and had several kiosks for check-in. The wait was rarely long and the system for the different parts of the process felt streamlined...
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The doctor was calm, thorough and patient with me. He seemed very comfortable with the work that he does and invested in helping people. I would have preferred he performed my surgery but it was explained to me that due to the unpredictability and nature of the procedure and human body that this might happen, so I felt prepared. I felt very good about my experience and investment of time and money.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Make sure to follow up because I never heard anything after the procedure and not sure what I am supposed to do next besides pay the freezing fee. I have been to busy to pursue until I plan to use the eggs.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Grifo spoke to me in a professional, respectful manner and responded to my question by clarifying with elaboration, visuals, charts, scientific research, and articles. He explained the process very clearly and I felt confident in his experience, abilities and credentials.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
I receive ongoing injections myself, he performed sonograms once or twice a week depending on the day. I didn't suffer negative side effects and the videos were helpful in giving me confidence in injecting myself.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
All of the staff seems authentic and legitimately concern about my well being and care. I was very happy with my experience.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The waiting room was spacious and had several kiosks for check-in. The wait was rarely long and the system for the different parts of the process felt streamlined. I felt comfortable coming here on a regular basis. The nurses communicated with me and the nurses left messages when they couldn't reach me despite my challenging work schedule.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It was very convenient and run smoothly. I managed fitting it into my busy schedule.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I liked her [Dr. Hodes-Wertz] because she doesn't show any emotion. She tell you what she thinks right directly. But I felt that she didn't give me numerous options. "It's only one thing that you should do is this" something like that....She pretty much gives you straightforward answer. There is no hesitation....If you want just get to the business without emotional support then she is right for you.... she is good person but not friendly person
There is many nurses and workers at facility [NYU - W 52nd]. They won't remember you. They do their part. So you just show and tell your problems and they will try to fix them. There is no comfort or friendly atmosphere. If you don't want close relationship with doctor or nurse and just focusing on issues, this clinic is the best for you....There were nurses that I see at visit. But I don't know them well and they don't know me well either.
How was your experience with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I liked her because she doesn't show any emotion. She tell you what she thinks right directly. But I felt that she didn't give me numerous options. "It's only one thing that you should do is this" something like that. She is not bad person, she is good person but not friendly person. She tells me what's happening and what's going to happen to me without comfort. If you want just get to the business without emotional support then she is right for you.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I believe she is experienced doctor with knowledge. But you have to ask her. She is not gonna tell you 1 to 10. I think you should write down what you want to ask before visit. She is not gonna tell you extra info unless you ask.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I don't say it's her fault. But Because of big fertility center like NYU, I didn't feel connected with doctor. She pretty much gives you straightforward answer. There is no hesitation.
Describe the protocols Brooke Hodes-Wertz used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
She told me I might have PCOS. But not quite sure. I've tried letrozole 2.5mg for first IUI. Then increased dose to 7.5mg at 4th IUI till 6th.
I 've tried clomid one time. I have unexplained infertility. So her strategy was normal treatment that increase dose of letrozole.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
There were nurses that I see at visit. But I don't know them well and they don't know me well either. Most of them are well trained nurses. But because there are so many patients. Again they are doing their best. But you feel like you are on assembly line.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
There is many nurses and workers at facility. They won't remember you. They do their part. So you just show and tell your problems and they will try to fix them. There is no comfort or friendly atmosphere. If you don't want close relationship with doctor or nurse and just focusing on issues, this clinic is the best for you.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It's NYU. I think it was expensive. But most of insurance will cover. Website of NYU says The self-pay fee for an initial consultation with physician is approximately $500. The cost of an IVF cycle using fresh eggs, without genetic testing, starts at $12,650.
Describe Brooke Hodes-Wertz's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I was not there yet. But I think she would transfer one or two embryos. She didn't want me to have multiple babies.
You see him [Dr. Grifo] once in a while in the corridors, and if you are lucky, he'll see you for 1 ultrasound out of 15. When you catch him, in your first appointment or a consultation call post PGS results, he is indeed a star. He will give you his full attention, the full truth, and will be blunt about your chances, which I appreciate, but I can see some women not being a fan of. He knows his numbers inside out, which is great, but that in itself can make you feel like another number
You feel like a human when you are seen by the team of doctors and nurses, but once you need a follow up call with one of the doctors or nurses, the answering system is efficient, but does make you feel like just another number. They [NYU] will call you back, but it's often someone you've never spoken to before...the billing team should be 200% better at their jobs...The FC NYU is a well-oiled machine. 1:1 interactions with nurses are great.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Spotting Grifo in the clinic is like spotting a celebrity. You see him once in a while in the corridors, and if you are lucky, he'll see you for 1 ultrasound out of 15. When you catch him, in your first appointment or a consultation call post PGS results, he is indeed a star. He will give you his full attention, the full truth, and will be blunt about your chances, which I appreciate, but I can see some women not being a fan of. He knows his numbers inside out, which is great, but that in itself can make you feel like another number compounding that average, that median, and keep you on your tip toes secretly hoping for the moment he will pull you aside and say "look, I followed your case day by day, I know a lot about you now, and you are not part of this statistic anymore... you are you and this is what I think!" It's not going to happen, but emotionally I'm in that phase now, as I wait for for my 2nd IVF cycle yet (I'm banking after 1 PGS-tested euploid embryo already frozen).
The retrieval is performed by the doctor in attendance that day, so if Grifo is there 1 out of 5 days, your chances of seeing him are 20%.
I just went through the embryo transfer course from Fertility IQ and am now freaking out about the performance variances across different doctors within the same clinic. Looking forward to touching base with Grifo to know his POV on this.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Try to take your emotions out of the equation as much as possible. Convince yourself you are making the best possible choice by enduring IVF: 1) you are maximizing your chances, 2) you are controlling the outcome (if you are doing PGS you are screening the best quality embryos in advance, and you are lowering your miscarriage chances to lower rates than mother nature), 3) you are taking an expensive, emotionally tolling, short-cut to starting a family, if time is of the essence for you.
Personally, IVF me dread every evening of treatment, but I took one day at a time, and even tried to enjoy the fact that I was taking control over my destiny (vs. years worth of trying, especially if you are retrieving a high number of eggs per cycle --imagine the monthly disappointments, or even mourning a miscarriage (which happened to be in the recent past).
Grifo is a matter-of-the-fact person, so if you are able to rationalize all the facts above, he is the doctor for you. He can be personable, funny, and charmingly smart.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
You feel like a human when you are seen by the team of doctors and nurses, but once you need a follow up call with one of the doctors or nurses, the answering system is efficient, but does make you feel like just another number. They will call you back, but it's often someone you've never spoken to before. Also, sitting in a packed waiting room and having your name called among other 10 names, definitely feels like a manufacturing plant scale... The 1:1 interactions are great (with with exception of billing), but everything else around it is of inhumane scale.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Gonal F, Menopur, Cetrotide and Lupron + HCG triggers. My body responded very well to drug stimulation, and all along, doses of Gonal F and Menopur were being adjusted by doctors so my follicles had time to mature appropriately. Cetrotide was taken to prevent early ovulation, and my triggers consisted of 2 days of Lupron and 1 day of HCG, at 36 and 24hrs prior to retrieval. Triggers are to be shot at specific times, so that generates a little anxiety, especially if you have to excuse yourself from a client meeting for a few minutes :(
My 1st cycle produced 20+ eggs and 2nd cycle 20+ eggs again. Quality is very different from quantity, so if you can, PGS will give you a good reality check and ensure a lower miscarriage/bad surprises rate.
I don't have final results yet as I'm still waiting on 2nd cycle results (1st one yielded 1 euploid embryo that is currently frozen).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The FC NYU is a well-oiled machine. 1:1 interactions with nurses are great. And when you have to call for questions, the message service is tremendously impersonal, but efficient. Nurses will call you back in a couple of hours, and leave very unambiguous voice mails. They are great.
A few of them are more talkative and will give you invaluable tips (that should probably be part of orientation), such as: 1) if you are doing PGS, what is the best possible way to optimize timing (brith control pills); 2) if you are using the Gonal F or Follastim pens, don't throw them away if they are not completely finished as you can get a full day worth of dosage in it, or even combine it with a brand new cartridge, representing hundreds of dollars of savings in the end; 3) don't buy all drugs at once, get supplies worth a few days, because you never know how quickly your body will respond to drugs, and you might get stuck with a ton of expensive drugs you can't return.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Not a state-of-the art clinic. Success rates, doctors, equipment were what mattered to me, but if you are looking for premium waiting rooms, 1:1 attention from your doctor during the full length of treatment, immediate responses to follow up calls, this may not be the clinic for you. The academic association of this clinic warrants a team approach, so you will have to trust the team of doctors' best practices, proven protocols, years of research and published papers. The few star doctors of the clinic will be there for you if you really need them. But you will need to be a very patient patient.
In FC NYU there are great embryologists, so if you fear your age is determining a lower quality of your eggs, you want that team looking at your embryos and performing biopsies. You also want to go for the PGS testing lab they recommend and trust their interpretation of results.
One thing I absolutely loathed about this clinic was the billing department. Staff sitting there is misinformed, inefficient, insecure, and unprofessional. Even if you consider that dealing with any insurance is a dreadful process, the billing team should be 200% better at their jobs. Every time I know I have to deal with them, my adrenaline is through the roof. FC, please reassess billing staff + provide better "client services" training and make measurable improvements ASAP!
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Efficient well-oiled machine. Nurses are very personable despite the scale of the clinic. Well-mannered, up beat, rain or shine, as early as 7.30 on a holiday. They are GREAT!
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Depends. If insurance covers, the value per IVF cycle charged is lower (about $7,500), if you are paying OOP the iVF cycle is about $10,200. Retrieval anesthesia, cryo, transfer, PGS costs, drugs are all separate. I don't have all the info yet because of insurance processing delays, but if you are doing all OOP, costs are as follow (approx. total $: 24,000)
- $15,300 retrieval + cryo + PGS
- $1,000 retrieval anesthesia
- $2,500 PGS lab testing (minimum fee, pending # of biopsied embryos)
- $5,000 drugs
Insurance scam I leaned about after many hours on the phone amidst my full time job: my Express Scripts insurance drug coverage gives me a lifetime max coverage of $4,000. If I process through insurance 1 pen of Gonal F 900 units, the cost is of $1,900. If I pay OOP, the cost is of $850 through the same pharmacy. So.... with my insurance I was hoping to cover at least 80% of the drugs I needed for 1 cylce, and with 2 pens of Gonal F (approx. 10% of the drugs I actually needed) my life time max was done!
Appalling... specially when you read Australian blogs in which women go through 10 cycles of IVF for free...
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Not discussed with Grifo yet, but my philosophy is to take as little drugs as possible, especially after the recent bombarding I did to my body, and the fact that I have no issues ovulating and a well functioning endometrium.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Provided conflicting information
Failed to convey critical information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Billing: Even if you consider that dealing with any insurance is a dreadful process, the billing team should be 200% better at their jobs. A few real life examples:
1) on day 2 of your cycle, you have to make the payment for the full treatment, already considering what your insurance will and will not cover. I got the initial information about the PGS test price during my first visit with Grifo months ago, but when I went to actually pay for the test, the billing department surprised me by saying that the lab costs were separate and could amount to almost the same price you pay for the biopsy in FC. No one ever told us that biopsy in FC and analysis in a lab are 2 separate costs, that are almost as equally costly. End result: by surprise, we spent 60% more for a test we were initially misinformed was going to cost "only" $3,600 (it's not covered by insurance).
2) on day 2 of my 2nd cycle I was the one to bring up the fact that my insurance was not going to cover my 2nd full cycle (they have a life time max that covers about 1.5 IVF cycles). The person from billing had already charged my new PGS $3,600 and forgot to check my coverage, so I had to bring it up myself. Once she started digging, she repeatedly stood up to ask for more info from her supervisors, and every time came back with a different number. A total nightmare. That day, I spent over $3,000, and all the "documentation" I got was a poorly hand-written post-it (front and back), a copy of my credit card receipt, and a verbal statement "there is no way for us to know how much your insurance has actually covered at this point, so at some point we can refund you in case you paid in excess, but I can give you this post-it with the itemized list of expenses". WHAT?!?!?!?!? I definitely expected to get better financial information from a billing department, specially since everything else in the clinic seems to be a large scale highly-functioning well-run BUSINESS. FC, please reassess billing staff + provide feedback + improvements ASAP - billing lady on 03/22/2018 at approx 9.30am.
3) on day 2 as I was making the payment for another cycle, I asked yet another billing lady for itemization of services and wanted to confirm that the price for the cryopreservation was already taken care of (specially if you are nervous you have 1 single good embryo in the freezer, you want to make sure the contractual/financial part is in good standing). Her answer "I don't have time for this now, I should not get into any details with you, look, there are other patients waiting, I'm alone here this Saturday, whereas there are 30 nurses here today. Are you going to make this $8,200 payment now on your card? We need to move on". WHAT?!?!?!??! I'm giving you almost $10,000 and you can't give me the time of day to answer a financial question? Well, she did give me another post-it I guess. I have no idea what was formalized into the system as paid or unpaid. I guess I still need to be open for surprises. FC, please reassess billing staff + provide feedback + improvements ASAP - billing lady on 03/24/2018 at approx 8.30am.
I have met Dr. Keefe once with my partner and never saw him again. Nurse Carol has been my primary contact and caregiver. After 3 clomid treatments and 2 IUIs , we have not been successful yet...I would have appreciated a closer relationship with my doctor, especially having gone through 3 unsuccessful cycles...He didn’t reply my email where I explained what has and hasn’t happened the 5 months since we initially met with him and followed his treatment protocol. We are in the process of moving forward with IVF after IUIs and I haven’t been able to get a hold of my doctor to get a roadmap for treatment so I can prepare for cost.
the initial consultation [at NYU] was $500 and the cost of each IUI is around $1000-$1500 and the cost of IVF is $17,000 plus outside lab genetic testing fees...We are in the process of moving forward with IVF after IUIs and I haven’t been able to get a hold of my doctor to get a roadmap for treatment so I can prepare for cost...Gets very busy- some days feels like a factory. Check in is automated so it goes fast and smooth. What I really had trouble with that they take limited insurance. And won’t help you with submitting claims to The insurance company which most other doctors will do.
How was your experience with David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
He was compassionate but After the initial half hour consultation there were no follow ups. I would have appreciated a closer relationship with my doctor, especially having gone through 3 unsuccessful cycles.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Stay connected closely. Ask questions. Be in touch
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The NYU offices are very busy. I have met Dr. Keefe once with my partner and never saw him again. Nurse Carol has been my primary contact and caregiver. After 3 clomid treatments and 2 IUIs , we have not been successful yet.
Describe the protocols David Keefe used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Clomid x2 a day- day 3-7
Ovidrel day 13
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Carol)
Nurse Carol is the best thing in this place. She is thorough , professional, no nonsense, detailed and good communicator. Always immediately calls back with answers. Really like her
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Gets very busy- some days feels like a factory. Check in is automated so it goes fast and smooth. What I really had trouble with that they take limited insurance. And won’t help you with submitting claims to The insurance company which most other doctors will do. Coordinators nurses and billing staff is very responsive. I have not been able to reach my doctor ever again after meeting him initially for consultation. He didn’t reply my email where I explained what has and hasn’t happened the 5 months since we initially met with him and followed his treatment protocol. We are in the process of moving forward with IVF after IUIs and I haven’t been able to get a hold of my doctor to get a roadmap for treatment so I can prepare for cost.
Describe the costs associated with your care under David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
My doctorDoes not take my insurance so the initial consultation was $500 and the cost of each IUI is around $1000-$1500 and the cost of IVF is $17,000 plus outside lab genetic testing fees around $3000 plus the medication is From $2000 -$8000.
Produced 8 follicles, 5 mature [with Dr. Hodes-Wertz]. Fantastic results for someone with amh of .008...suggested we do pgs testing due to high FSH (when first tested 16 but then dropped) she said it was the best option for us since we were running out of time. Since all embryos will be PGS tested, NYU supports single embryo transfer...was very honest on our first meeting. I was expecting her to turn me down with my numbers but she explained age is the underlying factor and we still had a chance. She did express that we were quickly running out of time and needed to jump straight to IVF.
NYU made me feel like a person to the best of their ability. The west side is a smaller office...All the of the nurses I dealt with were genuially happy to see my cycle progressing well... The nurses line is an answering service, you leave a message and they get back to you same day. They are friendly when coming in for appointments. On the day of retrieval everyone was very positive. It gave a good feeling.
How was your experience with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Hodes was very honest on our first meeting. I was expecting her to turn me down with my numbers but she explained age is the underlying factor and we still had a chance. She did express that we were quickly running out of time and needed to jump straight to IVF. I was not immediately made aware that I should try and bank eggs.... I found this out at a later appointment. To which she also said I’d probably need a few cycles until we were successful. She gave honest expectations but was never hard about it. I feel she truly cares for the success of my cycle and was excited when we started. I was lucky to see her for all of my week day appointments and she even did my egg retrieval. After receiving the results from genetic testing I requested a call with her in which I heard back in 2 hours. She assured me I can set up a call whenever I need to answer any questions.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Ask as many questions as you’d like. She will answer them all. But also do some research on your own so you have questions to ask. She is the expert, use her !
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The entire process of IVF has to be somewhat assembly line like or it would never work with the amount of patients. NYU made me feel like a person to the best of their ability. The west side is a smaller office. Dr. Hodes secretary always answered my emails in a timely fashion. She knew who I was everytime I walked in. All the of the nurses I dealt with were genuially happy to see my cycle progressing well.
Describe the protocols Brooke Hodes-Wertz used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
150 menupur
300 gonal
Ovidrel to suppress
Lupron trigger shot (2 to trigger)
Everyday this was the protocol there was no adjustments.
Produced 8 follicles, 5 mature. Fantastic results for someone with amh of .008
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The nursing staff is very knowledgeable when calling with questions. The nurses line is an answering service, you leave a message and they get back to you same day. They are friendly when coming in for appointments. On the day of retrieval everyone was very positive. It gave a good feeling.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Make sure you educate yourself. The more you know the more you can ask and understand what you can be doing to help in anyway. Google can be scary but it can also can be used to educate and ask.
The lab closes twice a year end of July and beginning of December. This was really upsetting as no one told me this and I had my consult beginning of July. I found out when the coordinator called to schedule tests and classes...I have short cycles and missed two cycles due to the closure. Between end of August and December is only 4 cycles. For someone with “not a lot of time” this was devastating. But you have to learn to just roll with it- ivf is a long hard journey, any thing can get thrown off any day.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Covered by insurance.
Out of pocket $3,600 PGS testing
Describe Brooke Hodes-Wertz's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Hodes suggested we do pgs testing due to high FSH (when first tested 16 but then dropped) she said it was the best option for us since we were running out of time. Since all embryos will be PGS tested, NYU supports single embryo transfer.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
After egg retrieval I was told the incorrect number of eggs that matured/attempted to fertilize.
Partner had to give 2 semen samples day of retrieval. First one was extremely low, there is no explanation why.
I felt like she understood me and didn't judge me....When I came out of moderate sedation, i was very tearful that only 2 eggs had been retrieved. In their make shift PACU she [Dr. Nicole Noyes] seemed rushed and didn't really console me. I guess she was busy, but it did put me off a bit with her. I also didn't feel like she really adjusted my hormone dosages the second time to yield more eggs. I felt like she kept the same protocol sh had for my first retrieval. I wish she would have altered it and maybe I would have gotten more eggs.
It [NYU Fertility] is a busy clinic. It's like the DMV. Take a number and you will be called. Packed to the gills!...Autumn is awesome. She is very compassionate, patient and sweet. I really like her as my coordinator...10k for the procedure/labs/sonograms (all those included under the number), about 10k for all the meds(depending on how your body responds to her treatment plan with meds can make cheaper or more expensive), 1200-1400 for anesthesiologist for egg retrieval
How was your experience with Nicole Noyes at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I felt she showed compassion on my initial visits. My first retrieval yielded 7 eggs. My second only 2. When I came out of moderate sedation, i was very tearful that only 2 eggs had been retrieved. In their make shift PACU she seemed rushed and didn't really console me. I guess she was busy, but it did put me off a bit with her. I also didn't feel like she really adjusted my hormone dosages the second time to yield more eggs. I felt like she kept the same protocol sh had for my first retrieval. I wish she would have altered it and maybe I would have gotten more eggs.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Nicole Noyes at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
She is very open with sharing her own personal stories, but she isn't warm and fuzzy. If you are looking for warm and fuzzy, you won't get that from her.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Nicole Noyes at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
She was very candid about her own personal life. She made me feel like she could relate to my plight of being a physician, busy, hard working and having not met the right man yet. She was very forthright about her own struggles as a female physician. I felt like she understood me and didn't judge me.
Describe the protocols Nicole Noyes used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
She used Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelex
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Autumn Arroyo)
Autumn is awesome. She is very compassionate, patient and sweet. I really like her as my coordinator.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It is a busy clinic. It's like the DMV. Take a number and you will be called. Packed to the gills!
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
A cattle call. So many women there waiting for labs and sono. Very busy!
Describe the costs associated with your care under Nicole Noyes at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
10k for the procedure/labs/sonograms (all those included under the number), about 10k for all the meds(depending on how your body responds to her treatment plan with meds can make cheaper or more expensive), 1200-1400 for anesthesiologist for egg retrieval
Dr. Berkeley is a very matter-of-fact, analytical doctor. He gives you the straight answers and instill confidence in you that he's competent, experienced and knowledgeable. That is the primary reason why we went with Dr. Berkeley for all of our IvF rounds. His communication skills and bedside manners weren't always as consistent or strong. But we knew that going into the journey not to expect any hand holding of any kind from Dr. Berkeley.
Embryology lab [at NYU] messed up by telling the nurse 26 eggs were retrieved when in fact only 14 eggs were retrieved (26 was the incubator number). And finance and billing weren't always the most responsive. Anesthesiology messed up one of our bills. They charged us for the entire amount during the second retrieval only for us to chase them down to say they were in-network with our insurance provider. Nurse failed to call in a couple prescriptions, so we had to follow up on a couple of occasions.
How was your experience with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Berkeley was great in the initial consultation. He was also great at reviewing the probabilities of women my age being able to conceive using my own eggs. He is very knowledgeable and experienced in this field, so we trusted him completely. He knows what he's doing. The only critical feedback I would give Berkeley to date is communicating better with the patient 1) he didn't mention during the initial consultation how many rounds of ovulation induction and retrieval this might take, especially for someone in my age group. 2) Each failed cycle, we would have appreciated a sit-down face-to-face meeting rather than a follow-up phone call. Since the initial consult and the first retrieval, I haven't really met with Berkeley, other than the occasional ultrasound during morning monitoring. Depending on the schedule, I was able to see other doctors at the clinic during morning monitoring, retrievals, transfers, and other procedures. Those other doctors, during my short and limited interactions, especially Grifo and Hodes-Wertz, exhibited greater empathy and compassion, which I viewed as a plus.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Go into your initial consultation fully organized and prepared with any prior lab work, medical history, genetic testing all relevant to fertility. Also, make sure that you get clarity on exactly what blood tests and exams you'll need done or updated prior to starting any cycle; infectious disease panel, day 2-3 labs, semen analysis, mammogram, etc. Also, know that you as patient will have to be the proactive one. You'll have to make tough decisions on how many rounds of IvF you can handle, whether to transfer mosaic embryos (if that is all you have), how many transfers you're wiling to go through, and when to call it quits. I understand why NYU Fertility doesn't proactively nudge you in either direction because they are first and foremost a clinic (not a research lab). But likewise, don't expect any proactive outreachor guidance on whether to continue (unless explicitly advised otherwise) either.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I dealt mostly with the nurses and fellows. Some of them were very nurturing, caring, and competent. Others were less so. Depends on who I got.
Dr. Berkeley is a very matter-of-fact, analytical doctor. He gives you the straight answers and instill confidence in you that he's competent, experienced and knowledgeable. That is the primary reason why we went with Dr. Berkeley for all of our IvF rounds. His communication skills and bedside manners weren't always as consistent or strong. But we knew that going into the journey not to expect any hand holding of any kind from Dr. Berkeley.
Describe the protocols Alan Berkeley used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
For the first three ovulation inductions, he prescribed 225 Follistim or Gonal F, 150 Menopur, and Ganirelex. For my trigger shot, I had to take 2 Ovidrels. For the fourth ovulation induction, I had the same protocol, except he also added clomid.
For the one frozen embryo transfer, I was on estrace, medrol, progesterone in oil injections.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Nurses overall were pretty good. They communicated instructions pretty well and were generally good about returning calls. A couple nurses in particular were outstanding - they were not only competent at their jobs, but patient with listening to and answering all questions, compassionate and caring, which went above and beyond. Sandra, Nicky, and Lavina, were a few of the exceptional nurses; they were really kind, and I appreciated their compassion throughout the process.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Different parts of the clinic could get on the same page about protocols. Seems like the patient coordinator and nursing staff weren't always communicating the same things - for example, when I can start my FET cycle while waiting my PGS results - patient coordinator said no, nurses said yes - that caused confusion. Some of the preliminary lab test (infectious disease panel bloodwork) fell through the cracks so I had to re-do them. Embryology lab messed up by telling the nurse 26 eggs were retrieved when in fact only 14 eggs were retrieved (26 was the incubator number). And finance and billing weren't always the most responsive. Anesthesiology messed up one of our bills.
One thing I wished NYU Fertility could have provided is some type of counseling prior to the process and during the process. I'm not talking about psychological support - because they had that, and frankly, we found unhelpful. What I'm talking about is someone who was willing to walk us through what to expect in terms of the various decisions we would have to make, how to think through how many rounds, whether and how to make the tough decision on transferring mosaic embryos, how to manage pregnancy loss, when to call it quits, and someone we can provide feedback to directly (and not just some on-line survey after every procedure), etc. Not just what to expect from a medical perspective, but the impact IvF, FET and mosaic transfers may have emotionally, financially, etc. Someone who acts as an advocate for the patient. At this time, the nurse, patient coordinator, genetic counselor combined fill that role in limited capacities. But as patient, we had to seek that out and connect the dots ourselves. Perhaps this is a resource beyond the clinic's capacity, but that would have been helpful.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Morning monitoring was open without appointments between 7 AM and 9 AM. For the most part, that seemed fair and reasonable. NYU was good about not having to bring you in unnecessarily. One advice to future patients is if you're going in only for blood work, see if you can move up the queue, because I often waited a long time unnecessarily just to give one vile of blood. You get mixed in with the rest of the patients waiting for ultrasounds.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Each IvF cycle for Phase 1 - that includes ovulation induction, morning monitoring, egg retrieval (not including Anesthesia), biopsy of up to 6 embryos (for PGS purposes), cryopreservation of embryos and transportation costs to reprogenetics lab was $15,150, out of pocket. The Phase 2 - which is the frozen embryo transfer as part of this IvF cycle was $2000 out of pocket. After our second IvF cycle, NYU began to accept our insurance, which helped with bringing down our costs. However, our insurance did not cover biopsy, shipping/handling of samples. Reprogenetics, the lab that performs the PGS tests, had their own fees, which were all out of pocket. We were charged $1000 base fee, plus $250 per embryo.
Describe Alan Berkeley's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I was strongly advised by Dr. Berkeley, given my age, to do PGS and aim for a single embryo transfer.
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Failed to call in prescriptions to pharmacy
Failed to call with results
Failed to order appropriate test
Lost results
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Different parts of the clinic could get on the same page about protocols. Seems like the patient coordinator and nursing staff weren't always communicating the same things to us - for example, when I can start my FET cycle while waiting my PGS results - patient coordinator said no, nurses said yes - that caused confusion. Some of the preliminary lab test (infectious disease panel bloodwork) fell through the cracks so I had to re-do them. Embryology lab messed up by telling the nurse 26 eggs were retrieved when in fact only 14 eggs were retrieved (26 was the incubator number). And finance and billing weren't always the most responsive. Anesthesiology messed up one of our bills. They charged us for the entire amount during the second retrieval only for us to chase them down to say they were in-network with our insurance provider. Nurse failed to call in a couple prescriptions, so we had to follow up on a couple of occasions.
Dr. Berkeley is not an easy man to reach but when you have an appointment with him, he takes all the time you need to explain every details of the treatment options and answers patiently all your questions. He never made me feel like my questions were stupid or like I am wasting his time. He is compassionate and understanding...Don't hesitate to ask for an appointment with him and don't hesitate to ask questions. He likes to share his knowledge. If you have an urgent question on your treatment, I would go through the nurse though.
The clinic [NYU] is well organized however, because it is big, there are sometimes miscommunications especially between the medical team and accountability. I would advise to take the time to sit down with one of the accountants to discuss with them the financial side of the treatment and have them fully inquire about your medical coverage. I wish I had a better understanding of my coverage when I started. I think I would have made slightly different medical decisions...The clinic welcomes a lot of patients per day and, while everyone is friendly, they don't have time to get personal. The nurses are your primary interlocutors so they do know you better and they do their best to listen to your worries but sometimes it felt like they did not have the time nor the energy to sooth your worries and anxieties.
How was your experience with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Berkeley is not an easy man to reach but when you have an appointment with him, he takes all the time you need to explain every details of the treatment options and answers patiently all your questions. He never made me feel like my questions were stupid or like I am wasting his time. He is compassionate and understanding.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Don't hesitate to ask for an appointment with him and don't hesitate to ask questions. He likes to share his knowledge.
If you have an urgent question on your treatment, I would go through the nurse though.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The clinic welcomes a lot of patients per day and, while everyone is friendly, they don't have time to get personal. The nurses are your primary interlocutors so they do know you better and they do their best to listen to your worries but sometimes it felt like they did not have the time nor the energy to sooth your worries and anxieties.
Describe the protocols Alan Berkeley used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Because I am an SMC, I had to do 6 natural IUIs before my insurance would kick in. After that I started with medicalized IUIs. I took Clomid from Day 4 to 8 twice but had serious side effect. I therefore refused to take it again and asked for another option. I am now taking Letrozol from day 4 to 8 and Ovridel to trigger the ovulation.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Carole)
The nurses and the nursing staff have to deal with a lot of patient. While they try their best to have time for each patient, it is not always easy. I remember being really upset after my second Clomid cycle did not work and I discovered I had 2 cyctes and the nurse not being very compassionate about it... like she did not know what to do. I am sure it was not the first time, a woman cried in their office. I was surprised to see how they poorly dealt with it.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The clinic is well organized however, because it is big, there are sometimes miscommunications especially between the medical team and accountability. I would advise to take the time to sit down with one of the accountants to discuss with them the financial side of the treatment and have them fully inquire about your medical coverage. I wish I had a better understanding of my coverage when I started. I think I would have made slightly different medical decisions.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Around $500 for a natural cycle IUI and I think around $1200 for an IUI with monitoring and medication
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
When I spoke directly with Doctor Fino (after my first cycle ended and I received my PGS results), I found her to be helpful, understanding and willing to go into as much detail as I needed...I found it difficult to get in touch with Doctor Fino without scheduling a call a week out...My interaction with her was limited other than determining a plan of action pre- and post-cycle. I never doubted her abilities, but did not have direct contact with her during the course of treatment to explain why certain decisions around timing and hormone levels were being made.
[NYU runs] Like a factory; limited interaction with doctors. Not for those who need their hand held. However, well oiled machine that seems to be working well...Rarely had the same one [nurse] twice; however, all were kind and intelligent. Always received a call back promptly from a nurse when I left a voicemail with the clinic...[monitoring appts] 7-9am. If you get there early, you should be seen within 15-30 minutes. Restrictive hours, though....$15.5k for cycle with PGS, $3k for meds and $5k for PGS
How was your experience with Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
My interaction with her was limited other than determining a plan of action pre- and post-cycle. I never doubted her abilities, but did not have direct contact with her during the course of treatment to explain why certain decisions around timing and hormone levels were being made.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Understand that you will not see her directly or be able to access her directly during cycles, but rest assured that the clinic is a well oiled machine.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
When I spoke directly with Doctor Fino (after my first cycle ended and I received my PGS results), I found her to be helpful, understanding and willing to go into as much detail as I needed. I felt more like a number during the cycle itself, going into the clinic and seeing a different doctor each time and receiving a call from a different nurse each time. I found it difficult to get in touch with Doctor Fino without scheduling a call a week out.
Describe the protocols Elizabeth Fino used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
First time was typically 300 Follistim and 150 Menapur. For this current cycle, starting an estrogen patch a week before beginning injections to stabilize my estrogen levels and hopefully generate eggs that are more consistent (14 eggs retrieved last time, but many were too mature or too young).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Rarely had the same one twice; however, all were kind and intelligent. Always received a call back promptly from a nurse when I left a voicemail with the clinic.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Like a factory; limited interaction with doctors. Not for those who need their hand held. However, well oiled machine that seems to be working well.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
7-9am. If you get there early, you should be seen within 15-30 minutes. Restrictive hours, though.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Elizabeth Fino at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
$15.5k for cycle with PGS, $3k for meds and $5k for PGS
Describe Elizabeth Fino's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Grifo was always kind and compassionate with every conversation. I only met with him in person once, but he was always available for a conference call with my husband and I and we never felt rushed when on the call. I felt like he really understood how tough this process is and how much of an emotional roller-coaster it can be.... He explained the science and numbers but in a compassionate way. He's clearly seen it all and would give advice, but also understands that every experience is individual and personal and deserves that attention.
Dr. Grifo's assistance was extremely nice and helpful! Everyone else [NYU] was nice, as well. The only issue was the wait time for monitoring was often pretty long. Although you may feel like you're just one of too many, once you see someone they are very nice and always answer questions. Billing was helpful, as well.... There were two main nurses I saw who both did the IUI. Both were nice and chatty in a good way as it relaxed me. With one the procedure hurt, with the other not as much, but both were nice and answered questions I had.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
I am so happy I saw Dr. Grifo as my first fertility doctor as he was so great at explaining everything. He explained the science and numbers but in a compassionate way. He's clearly seen it all and would give advice, but also understands that every experience is individual and personal and deserves that attention. My only complaint is that I would have preferred to have seen him in person during my iui's
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Make sure you request phone calls with him since you won't see him in person (if doing an IUI). But he is very responsive and receptive on the phone.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Grifo was always kind and compassionate with every conversation. I only met with him in person once, but he was always available for a conference call with my husband and I and we never felt rushed when on the call. I felt like he really understood how tough this process is and how much of an emotional roller-coaster it can be.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We did 3 IUIs. Each time I took clomid and went in for monitoring. Trigger shot and then the next day came in for the IUI (done by a nurse). My husband gave a fresh sperm sample.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
There were two main nurses I saw who both did the IUI. Both were nice and chatty in a good way as it relaxed me. With one the procedure hurt, with the other not as much, but both were nice and answered questions I had.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Grifo's assistance was extremely nice and helpful! Everyone else was nice, as well. The only issue was the wait time for monitoring was often pretty long. Although you may feel like you're just one of too many, once you see someone they are very nice and always answer questions. Billing was helpful, as well.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
My insurance did not cover IUI so I think we paid between 1-2K per cycle
Dr Berkley is a funny guy with great bed side manner...his medicine is pretty conventional he didn't discuss any naturopathic options.. He went through a rigorous initial consultation with us.making sure we covered all details. He is also a brilliant dr. He is well experienced and knew exactly what should be done. He also pushed the limits to maximize results. His short comings is that he is so busy that it could take a long time to set up apts or get return calls.
[NYU] Strengths: their medicine is top notch...They have experience with so many various cases so they are extremely knowledgeable and have top of the line recourses. Weskness: they are not personable. In order to speak to someone you have to leave a message with a call center and they will call you back. The lines for monitoring are long and the IVF coordinators and billing have attitudes.
How was your experience with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr Berkley is a funny guy with great bed side manner. He went through a rigorous initial consultation with us.making sure we covered all details. He is also a brilliant dr. He is well experienced and knew exactly what should be done. He also pushed the limits to maximize results. His short comings is that he is so busy that it could take a long time to set up apts or get return calls. Also his medicine is pretty conventional he didn't discuss any naturopathic options
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Come with all your questions he will take the time to go through them. Be prepared for a long waiting time for the apt though
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
NYU unfortunately has an enormous amount of patients. So there were so many of us that I felt we were just another patient, esspecially trying to make apts, calling the facility or coming in for monitoring. But when we were able to see or speak to the dr we felt like humans because dr Berkley took the time to go through all the details with us in person and also over the phone. He made us feel like we were his top priority. He Didn't rush us, he repeated things if we didn't understand. He joked with us so that felt very personable.
Describe the protocols Alan Berkeley used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
This was several years ago so I don't remember fully. Dr Berkley wanted to use an aggressive approach since I had a failed cycle which did not produce many eggs though I have a high egg reserve with a different dr. I was on menupur and Folistim I over stimulated so they had to do an HCG trigger. I produced 28 eggs. He told me he was going to be aggressive since I had a failed cycle previously so I knew what to expect. What I didn't know was that because of that the embryos had to be frozen and I could not do a fresh transfer.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
There are a lot of them. Most were extraordinary. Some were great. Others were not. Luckely I dealt with wonderful nurses but occasionally I had a bad one.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Strengths: their medicine is top notch. It's NYU they have laboratory resources that is bar none. They have experience with so many various cases so they are extremely knowledgeable and have top of the line recourses. Weskness: they are not personable. In order to speak to someone you have to leave a message with a call center and they will call you back. The lines for monitoring are long and the IVF coordinators and billing have attitudes.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
It was a window of time. If you get there early it's quick but if you get there late you'll be waiting a long time. It was first come first serve so some patients got competitive and catty
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
For a full IVF cycle with ICSI and initial freezing it was approximately $15,000. That was 3 years ago.
Describe Alan Berkeley's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr Berkeley promotes single embryo transfer. However when we transferred the first embryo it didn't take. Since we did not do PGD testing He recommended that we transfer 2 embryos the next time. It became a successful single birth. The next transfer he recommends we transfer 2 again he said statistically non PGD tested embryos will have a 50% success rate. So the statistics are in your favor when transferring 2. Knowing that I asked him why we didn't transferred 2 the first time as well. we only made 5 embryos so there would always be 1 odd one out and he didn't advise to transfer 3. The first one transferred was the best quality embryo so statistically it had a highest chance of success as it was.
He [Dr. Grifo] is very hard to reach and you barely ever see him. Having said that, his assistants are incredibly responsive. During our first consultation I felt he had all the time in the works for us and was going to do all he could. He also responded to us on an emotional level in a way that deeply resonated with me - something our previous doctor could not do.... Don’t expect to see him often. If you need to speak, his assistants will give you a small window in which he will call you.
[NYU is] So so busy and not as efficient as RMA. You will wait a long time for monitoring. Nurses are super nice. When you call you don’t get a person - you get a machine. But at least dr grifo has an assistant that is very helpful and responsive.... For the most part, they have great personalities and are very thoughtful and responsive.... [Cost Of Treatment] Between $15-20 for retreival and $2k for transfer... Strongly emphasizes transferring one embryo
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
He is very hard to reach and you barely ever see him. Having said that, his assistants are incredibly responsive. During our first consultation I felt he had all the time in the works for us and was going to do all he could. He also responded to us on an emotional level in a way that deeply resonated with me - something our previous doctor could not do.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Don’t expect to see him often. If you need to speak, his assistants will give you a small window in which he will call you.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
He is the most empathetic doctor I have ever had. During our first consultation, I felt he understood on a complex emotional level what we were going through and what we needed to hear (even if it was tough to say).
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
High doses of stims- it worked because I got 30 eggs (which is May more than my previous 5 retrievals).
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
For the most part, they have great personalities and are very thoughtful and responsive.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
So so busy and not as efficient as RMA. You will wait a long time for monitoring. Nurses are super nice. When you call you don’t get a person - you get a machine. But at least dr grifo has an assistant that is very helpful and responsive.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Between $15-20 for retreival and $2k for transfer
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Strongly emphasizes transferring one embryo and warns against risk of multiples.
Dr Keefe has an excellent consultative demeanor. He is careful with how he communicates with my wife, sometimes explaining things in several different ways to make sure we both understand what is going on. He takes as long as needed to be sure we understand our options, the pros/cons and are comfortable making our decisions. ... Dr. Keefe is a caring, knowledgable doctor who thoroughly explains the available procedures, explains the data clearly and is careful with the patients' emotions.
NYU Fertility has a good schedule of opening in the morning for blood work and calling with results in the afternoon. The key is to get there right when they open in order to get in and get the blood draw done. Generally, their process is like clockwork. ... For the most part, Carol [nurse] was good with us. At times, however she could be a bit gruff on the phone (not always) and there was a time or two when we had to follow up to make sure we clearly understood what we were supposed to be doing.
How was your experience with David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Keefe is a caring, knowledgable doctor who thoroughly explains the available procedures, explains the data clearly and is careful with the patients' emotions. We've always felt we were receiving the best care with him.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr Keefe has an excellent consultative demeanor. He is careful with how he communicates with my wife, sometimes explaining things in several different ways to make sure we both understand what is going on. He takes as long as needed to be sure we understand our options, the pros/cons and are comfortable making our decisions.
Describe the protocols David Keefe used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We used IUI three cycles. IUI with injections one cycle and an IVF cycle.
Describe your experience with your nurse at NYU Langone Fertility Center. (Assigned nurse: Carol was the main one)
For the most part, Carol was good with us. At times, however she could be a bit gruff on the phone (not always) and there was a time or two when we had to follow up to make sure we clearly understood what we were supposed to be doing.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
NYU Fertility has a good schedule of opening in the morning for blood work and calling with results in the afternoon. The key is to get there right when they open in order to get in and get the blood draw done. Generally, their process is like clockwork.
Describe the costs associated with your care under David Keefe at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
IVF was not insurance-covered so was about $12,500 + medicines and genetic testing (total $20-25k)
Describe David Keefe's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr Keefe believes in single embryo transfer if at all possible, but is open to discussing multiple embryo transfer if the patient truly wishes to follow that course after having a thorough discussion.
She's [Dr. Brooke Hodes-Wertz] the right doctor for me. She's just the right mix of facts and optimism. I didn't see her often, though, and sometimes I didn't know what the next step in the process was. (Though in her defense things didn't go according to plan)...We did 3 rounds of IUI with clomid that were unsuccessful. Then we moved on the IVF with Follistim, Cetrotide, Menapur, and Ovudrel. With our AMH and stats, we were expected to produce 0-1 embryos per cycle. We got 5, and 3 were normal post PGS. So we only had to do one round.
Ugly, inconvenient offices. Billing is on top of things when they want your money but not so much when you have questions or need a refund. The monitoring works like clockwork...
I liked the nurses who did my monitoring. They were great. The nurses during and after egg retrieval were horrible...She's [Dr. Brooke Hodes-Wertz] the right doctor for me. She's just the right mix of facts and optimism. I didn't see her often, though, and sometimes I didn't know what the next step in the process was. (Though in her defense things didn't go according to plan)...We did 3 rounds of IUI with clomid that were unsuccessful. Then we moved on the IVF with Follistim, Cetrotide, Menapur, and Ovudrel. With our AMH and stats, we were expected to produce 0-1 embryos per cycle. We got 5, and 3 were normal post PGS. So we only had to do one round.
How was your experience with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
She's the right doctor for me. She's just the right mix of facts and optimism. I didn't see her often, though, and sometimes I didn't know what the next step in the process was. (Though in her defense things didn't go according to plan).
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Be proactive. If you want to see her or talk to her, make the appointment. If you have questions, ask.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
She's very straight forward. My situation wasn't great but she wasn't overly apologetic about it - she told me the facts and gave me a plan. It helped keep me hopeful and not focused on my bad stats.
Describe the protocols Brooke Hodes-Wertz used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
We did 3 rounds of IUI with clomid that were unsuccessful. Then we moved on the IVF with Follistim, Cetrotide, Menapur, and Ovudrel. With our AMH and stats, we were expected to produce 0-1 embryos per cycle. We got 5, and 3 were normal post PGS. So we only had to do one round.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I liked the nurses who did my monitoring. They were great. The nurses during and after egg retrieval were horrible.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Ugly, inconvenient offices. Billing is on top of things when they want your money but not so much when you have questions or need a refund. The monitoring works like clockwork.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Pretty efficient. No complaints except that all the monitoring is annoying.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Brooke Hodes-Wertz at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I have excellent insurance so all we paid for was the PGS testing and the cost to biopsy in addition to th cryo fees to freeze the blastocysts
Describe Brooke Hodes-Wertz's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Grifo provided excellent care and clearly made us aware of the process and managed expectations appropriately. He made himself available for phone consultations during each step of the process....Made himself accessible for individual phone consultations. Emphasized us knowing about the option of genetic screening, which was important to us.... Dr. Grifo followed a medium aggressive drug plan for me.
Strengths [of NYU]: Experience, efficiency, availability Weaknesses: Rotating Dr's every time you go in for an apt.... [The nursing staff were] Efficient and always made themselves available for my questions and explaining the next steps of the process.... 17,500 for retrieval. Total after implantation and drugs was close to ~25k... Dr. Grifo followed a medium aggressive drug plan for me.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Grifo provided excellent care and clearly made us aware of the process and managed expectations appropriately. He made himself available for phone consultations during each step of the process.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Ensure to keep track of your own records of hormones, blood tests etc.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Made himself accessible for individual phone consultations. Emphasized us knowing about the option of genetic screening, which was important to us.
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Dr. Grifo followed a medium aggressive drug plan for me. I do not recall the exact protocol, but I did not respond as expected and only ended up having one ovary really respond and 3 eggs retrieved. Luckily, we had one healthy blastocyst that resulted in a healthy pregnancy.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Efficient and always made themselves available for my questions and explaining the next steps of the process.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Strengths: Experience, efficiency, availability
Weaknesses: Rotating Dr's every time you go in for an apt.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Very efficient and the Dr's were mostly great to work with.
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
17,500 for retrieval. Total after implantation and drugs was close to ~25k
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I very much agreed with Dr. Grifo's approach of only implanting one embryo and doing genetic testing. He stressed the importance of having a healthy pregnancy - considering the risks to the mother, instead of just focusing on getting pregnant and risking multiples.
There was very little interaction after the 1st consultation.... Dr Berkeley seems very competent, however the clinic takes a conservative approach towards trying IVF. We likely wasted 4 months waiting for better FSH results. When we got a 2nd opinion, at age 42, it really made sense to try IVF as soon as possible. Thus, one might conclude they are interested in keeping their statistics up; on the side, they may be acting ethically in not performing expensive IVF procedures when success is unlikely.
Overall good, just conservative in their approach to using IVF. If you are older and have financial flexibility, get a 2nd opinion from RMA asap. They [NYU] refused to do an IVF cycle based on low FSH. However, we feel, that at age 42, we likely wasted 4 months waiting for a lower FSH level. I would suggest going to get a 2nd opinion asap in the process if you don't progress asap.... [Cost Of Treatment] $25-30k for an IVF cycle
How was your experience with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr Berkeley seems very competent, however the clinic takes a conservative approach towards trying IVF. We likely wasted 4 months waiting for better FSH results. When we got a 2nd opinion, at age 42, it really made sense to try IVF as soon as possible. Thus, one might conclude they are interested in keeping their statistics up; on the side, they may be acting ethically in not performing expensive IVF procedures when success is unlikely.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
If you have financial flexibility and are told you cannot proceed with an IVF cycle because of various hormones, go get a 2nd opinion from RMA.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
There was very little interaction after the 1st consultation.
Describe the protocols Alan Berkeley used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Pretty standard protocol for the 1st cycle. Increased hormone stimulation before the 2nd one.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Overall great.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Overall good, just conservative in their approach to using IVF. If you are older and have financial flexibility, get a 2nd opinion from RMA asap. They refused to do an IVF cycle based on low FSH. However, we feel, that at age 42, we likely wasted 4 months waiting for a lower FSH level. I would suggest going to get a 2nd opinion asap in the process if you don't progress asap.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
pretty good
Describe the costs associated with your care under Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
$25-30k for an IVF cycle
Describe Alan Berkeley's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Dr. Berkeley always listened to everything we had to say and answered all our questions. He was up to date with our file and honest with what we should or shouldn't do when we brought something up on our own. He was clear with our next steps and always treated us kindly and we never felt rushed... have not had much interaction with the nursing staff and have nearly exclusively dealt with Dr. Berkeley.
Office [NYU] was never crowded or overbooked and we were always given plenty of time with the doctor. The main weakness for us as a queer couple was a mandatory counselling session that for how far we already were in our process and knowledge was unneeded and a waste of time and money, but for those earlier in the process I could understand how it could be helpful. I think any queer couples that have a donor agreement through lawyers and have been trying on their own should have the process waived.
How was your experience with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr. Berkeley always listened to everything we had to say and answered all our questions. He was up to date with our file and honest with what we should or shouldn't do when we brought something up on our own. He was clear with our next steps and always treated us kindly and we never felt rushed.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Alan Berkeley at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
The office was never overcrowded and we were always seen on time. Dr. Berekeley and his staff always took a lot of time with us to explain everything, to let us discuss all our issues and answer all our questions. We were never rushed and often spent an hour just talking to him.
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
We are still early on in our treatment so have not had much interaction with the nursing staff and have nearly exclusively dealt with Dr. Berkeley.
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Office was never crowded or overbooked and we were always given plenty of time with the doctor. The main weakness for us as a queer couple was a mandatory counselling session that for how far we already were in our process and knowledge was unneeded and a waste of time and money, but for those earlier in the process I could understand how it could be helpful. I think any queer couples that have a donor agreement through lawyers and have been trying on their own should have the process waived.
Dr Grifo answers questions, but the process feels disorganized and providers write things illegibly on pieces of paper which both feels disorganized and ineffective. Why don't they prepare material and customize it as needed....Do some research ahead of time. Also, he is a bit conservative...The clinic's [NYU - 1st Ave] strengths is their success with live births. The clinic's weaknesses are their lack of organization and the lack of ease of the process.
The clinic's [NYU - 1st Ave] strengths is their success with live births. The clinic's weaknesses are their lack of organization and the lack of ease of the process. Access to the office is difficult even when you are an existing patient...Office doesn't call back or follow-up in a timely manner. ... for scheduling and billing. The actual visit feels personal, but the office logistics are impersonal...They also kept saying someone would call me back to discuss billing and no one ever did. In the past, I also mailed and dropped off my checks for annual Oocyte fee and they misposted it.
How was your experience with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Dr Grifo answers questions, but the process feels disorganized and providers write things illegibly on pieces of paper which both feels disorganized and ineffective. Why don't they prepare material and customize it as needed.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Do some research ahead of time. Also, he is a bit conservative. Other doctors in other clinics have different approaches.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Office doesn't call back or follow-up in a timely manner. ... for scheduling and billing. The actual visit feels personal, but the office logistics are impersonal
Describe the protocols James Grifo used in your cycles at NYU Langone Fertility Center and their degree of success.
Menopur
Describe your experience with the nursing staff at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Lots of handwritten instructions
Describe your experience with NYU Langone Fertility Center.
The clinic's strengths is their success with live births. The clinic's weaknesses are their lack of organization and the lack of ease of the process. Access to the office is difficult even when you are an existing patient.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Electronic check-in works well
Describe the costs associated with your care under James Grifo at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
Egg freezing was about $17k
Describe James Grifo's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
He said he would only do single transfers for my age group
What specific things went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center?
Lost paperwork
Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at NYU Langone Fertility Center.
I requested my results from 2014 and they kept losing my request form. They also kept saying someone would call me back to discuss billing and no one ever did. In the past, I also mailed and dropped off my checks for annual Oocyte fee and they misposted it.
