RMA of New York

Although Dr. Grunfeld is clearly knowledgable and an expert in the field, he does not spend time with his patients or adequately explain risks or even the possibility of success with a procedure. Dr. Grunfeld was overly optimistic that my 2013 egg freezing cycle would yield good results. When the use of those eggs in 2018 was a total failure, he showed little compassion or concern and did not follow up with me and my husband to advice us on next steps. I was shocked that Dr. Grunfeld showed little concern after my husband and I experienced two miscarriages from spontaneous pregnancy *and* a failed egg fertilization cycle in which my 24 eggs yielded 0 embryos that tested PGS normal. It was disheartening that we had to call his office numerous times to get even a short (5-minute) conversation with him and that his response was to simply suggest that we do another fresh IVF cycle. I felt like a number and had no confidence that Dr. Grunfeld really cared whether my husband and I were able to conceive.

I would not recommend that any prospective patients seek treatment with Dr. Grunfeld at RMA. I would recommend going to a different clinic. I now see Dr. Samantha Pfeifer at Weil Cornel, and am having a much better experience.

Dr. Grunfeld gave me gonal F and Follistum for egg stimulation. He also added ganirelex later in the cycle and Ovidrel for trigger.

I paid approximately $11K for egg freezing, $4K in storage fees, $3K in genetic testing for me and my husband, and $3K for egg thawing and PGS testing.

Dr. Grunfeld prefers SET, which is fine. My husband and I had no normal embryos to transfer.

Dr. Copperman is an exceptional doctor and knows what he is doing. I trust hime with my medical care and although it has taken us awhile he is always ready to keep trying. However, he is not warm and fuzzy and this has been hard for us at times when we needed a bit of encouragement. He is very much a scientist reflecting on data and analysis to determine best course of treatment. I can't complain because we have so far gotten the results we wanted. So his system must work. It can also be hard to get an appt with him as he is VERY busy so sometimes it seems that you speak via the nurses to him versus hearing your plan straight from your doctor. RMA is a bit of a factory but it is convenient with quick monitoring hours available all over the city. And I have found the other doctors at RMA that I have seen during monitoring, egg retrieval, and FET transfer to be overwhelming competent and warm.

Ask a lot of questions so that you feel informed of what the next steps are. Dr Copperman has alot of statistics and that helped me make decisions as to do IUI or IVF. In that way he is super helpful on what success rate of each procedure is.

Egg retrievals worked best for me when I took birth control pill for 1 month and then started menopur, follistum, and lupron. For FET I was on estradial pills, vaginal e-ring, and estrogen patch, and progesterone in oil via injection.

Monitoring was a well oiled machine. If we got there early enough it didn't ruin our day. And since there are locations all over the city it felt quite easy. And then we would treat ourselves for a nice breakfast before work.

About $13000 per egg retrieval / $3500 for FET transfer. $2000 PGSD for testing

Dr Copperman would only transfer 1 embryo. He said statistically 1 embryo transfer is more successful and is safer for baby and mother. We went in originally wanting to transfer two embryos so we were a bit disappointed to hear he would only transfer one. However, we only have a few embryos so I think this route is much better for us health wise and strategically.

During the consultation she provided research information on the two options which she has provided us. She also referred us to a specialist for additional surgery/ second opinion and also provided us with research about treatment with out without the surgery. she was not pushy with the options and let us make the decision. She is a firm believer about having 1 embryo implanted and voiced her concerns about twins. she was also open about adjusting medication according to reactions and what not. she is very forward and will let you know if she agrees with some things or not. I like that she is up to date on research and current treatment options. I do like that she does not do duplication of testing if it came back normal/out dated.

I personally thought that i would meet with MD herself. When entering the room, she introduced us to a medical student. I was not informed about her and it honestly made the visit awkward and the student looked bored and made faces during the consult. I wish they would allow the patient to consent prior to the visit. I found it insensitive.

IVF

I had medical insurance and had an office visit and some testing done in the office. I did not do any treatment.

MD wanted 1 embryo transferred and i was inquiring about multiple. I explained why multiple and she dismissed it and explained her reasoning. She also reported that I am young and dont need to worry about doing treatment.... I wish she would have explained reasoning for 1 embryo vs.2 and to explain it deeper (in regards to my previous treatments/diagnosis). I felt it was very one sided on that decision and i was uncomfortable with her approach to that.

It's actually pretty hard to share my experience with her because I barely saw her in the 4 months with RMA. We had a none existent relationship. Every time I went in for monitoring aka "cattle call" I saw a different doctor. They were all very nice and I'm sure great doctors but the problem is with these big clinics is that you really don't have one person truly dedicated to your success. IVF is all about timing. How can a doctor that hasn't even seen my ovaries make any sort of decisions on my cycle? And even if she wasn't there for all the visits, she never once called or emailed me to see how I was feeling. No one ever told me what my embryos were graded or was wrong with the embryos after testing. It was my first time doing IVF and didn't even know to ask. I was never told any blood work results. I learned I didn't really know much about anything until I got my medical records to move over to a fertility doctor. I also felt they dropped the ball with the last cycle. Then on about 5 days into this last cycle, a dr said there were only 3 eggs that looked mature. So I emailed Dr McAvey asking if she thinks there are only going to be 3 viable eggs then maybe we should cancel the cycle. We're paying this out of pocket so not trying to throw 15k out the window. Then the next day she upped my dose drastically like a Hail Mary attempt to get some more eggs to mature. The day before retrieval my I believe my biggest one with over 23mm which is huge and one or 2 others over 20. I feel she pushed those to the limit to try to get some others to grow. We did a half dose of the trigger. Ended up with one abnormal embryo on day 5. So, I was right. 15k out the window.

FInd another doctor

They didn't really explain why they were doing what they were doing. I didn't know better and just went with the flow. Only until after I moved to a new doctor did I realize how left in the dark I was.

Cattle call for sure but in and out pretty quick

I got a discounted rate through the Glow app. It was 15k for the cycle including monitoring since we didn't do a transfer they applied that money to the new cycle making it 12k.

Never got that far

Dr Mcavey is very nice, but never had adjusted my fertility treatments. We have all this “unexplained reasons” which seems to get everyone of the hook, while this is costing us a lot of money. I wouldn’t liked my one on one with her especially after a failed IUI

Take your time when she is in the room with you. Even if you have a failed IUI, press to see her or speak to the nurse for a better course of action on the next round.

The plan was pretty basic. Come In for montioring and blood test after cycle day 1. Would go back a week or so later for an ultrasound. Then trigger, then back for IUI. She ordered to see and endocrinologist and my TSH level is normal now. Now we have done 4 IUIs , taking this month off to save money for IVF next month.

4 IUIs $2,000 Genetic testing $400 Meds $300

My husband and I came to see Dr. Copperman because we had both tested as carriers for a genetic disease. In June, he told us we would be pregnant by Thanksgiving. We then went through two rounds of egg retrievals, neither of which resulted in any viable embryos to test for the genetic disease and freeze. His only change between round 1 and 2 was to bump up the hormones - no additional testing for any unknown factors that caused the issues. When the 2nd egg retrieval didn't work, he treated us like we were the problem and left me wondering if I had unknown fertility issues. We switched to another doctor and I'm now pregnant after one very successful round of IVF, with four frozen embryos to spare. So clearly, the problem wasn't with me. I recognize this is all a bit magic, a bit of a crapshoot, but to have my IVF doctor treat me like an annoyance for not performing the way he assumed I would is really the icing on the cake of an already extremely rough experience.

I would get a second opinion.

It was a cattle call. Getting there really early was the best way to avoid a very long wait.

Dr. Thornton is nice and somewhat caring but she did not listen to me when I wanted to get the full work up done. I emailed her listed of test and Informed her that I would like to get all of the blood work out of they way. But that was not the case. I had to go for more blood work (that should have need done the first time around). They probably wanted to just be able to charge me the fee of an office visit. Dr. Thornton did not give me advice or answers on why I was miscarriage. She just offered to keep trying with IVF so RMA could rack in the cash

Stay on top of your care and ask questions if you do or know why is happening or why it is happening. Research on your own and stay informed of proper protocol. Check and recheck all of the suggested methods.

Monitoring hours were 7:30-9:30. Sometimes the wait was 45 minutes other times it was 10-20 minutes. You can get your blood drawn at other offices if needed which was convenient. But you have to go to the Madison office for all procedures done, IUI, IVF, etc.

My insurance covered almost of the procedures but we still spent around 5,000 for copays, medication and blood work. We spent an additional 5 for PGS testing and embryo storing.

I did PGS testing on all embroils before the transfer. Single embryo transfer reduces risks and pregnancy complications so I agreed with doing the single embryo transfer to minimize risk

I feel like I wasted my time and my insurance money with someone too busy to give me the individualized attention and care that I needed. 5 retrievals and 1 failed double FET and I feel like I completely wasted my time with him. All of my bloodwork and numbers show that a different approach was needed and with him there is zero thinking outside of the box. Factory. Number. You don't matter as a patient or a person.

Don't waste you time. I never felt better than when I went to two separate opinions after and they both said WTF was he doing.

standard ivf retrievals follistim/menopur high doses not variation other than the day I was triggered.

Super busy at all times. Always a wait.

I had an awesome financial coordinator! Couldn't reccomend her enough! Thank you Joann ndor

He agreed to transfer two. I had one high quality and one low quality. Both failed no implantation.

During the few times where I saw Dr. Davis I really liked him, but most of the time I was interacting with nurses, staff, and other doctors. My case is a bit different from most and I had to regularly remind each person I was in contact with. There was miscommunication between those people and it seemed that the staff/nurses/doctors did not read my chart. My big issue is with RMA as a practice. I don't think I realized how much of a problem it was until I left the practice upon moving.

As Dr. Davis to ensure that you care is known across all members of the RMA team.

I was not quite ready to do IVF and wanted to try other options, using letrizol, ovidrel, and progesterone with timed intercourse. I liked that Dr. Davis was open to this and never pushed me to move forward before I was ready. It was difficult that it never felt like we were trying to figure out what is wrong, but just trying solutions. None of these treatments ended in pregnancy. When IVF was a next step, I was moving out of state and did not continue at RMA for that reason.

Initially, Beth seemed sympathetic to my feeling of helplessness but as more treatments happened, she didn't take the time to explain to me why the treatments kept failing. I would've liked to spend more time understanding what we could do to find out if there are other underlying problems with me or my husband in order to better our odds. Maybe there's no way but at least we have explored some options but unfortunately we haven't had the chance to do so yet.

I would tell the prospective patient to ask a lot of questions upfront, esp. in case the first couple of treatments fail. I think the most time you'll get out of the doctor is upfront during the first consultation. After the first meeting, you are dealing with nurses and other doctors in the clinic who are not your primary doctor so it's harder to get the information you are looking for.

The overall strategy my doctors recommended was to start with IUIs and see if they'll work before I try any more intense treatments due to my age. However, the IUIs have not worked and I still haven't found out the underlying issues.

For the past two IUIs, I've paid more than $5K out of pocket to the clinic. That included medications, consultation and the actual procedures performed.

Not applicable as I've not tried eSET.

To be honest I didn't really feel like a patient of Dr. Mukherjee's. I saw/spoke with him only a hand of times and it was mainly to receive bad news, when a cycle failed. I do not feel like I developed a patient/doctor relationship with Dr. Mukherjee given the amount of time spent together and lack of personalized attention to my case. He is a nice person, very well experienced in the field, and he will answer questions if you have them but he (and RMA) seem to be very set on their standard mode of operations. I think Dr Mukherjee / RMA is fine if you fit into their standard protocol but not so if you need personalized attention.

Ask him how often you will see him, how he will determine your course of treatment, what will be the next steps if the current treatment fails, and then decide if it is going to be a good fit for your needs and expectations.

I went through 3 retrievals with Mukherjee. The first protocol he used was the antagonist protocol, which is surprising to me as I've read it is for poor responders or people with PCOS, of which I am neither. The second protocol was antagonist with estrogen priming. Those first 2 cycles resulted in no viable embryos for transfer. The third protocol was down regulation, which I've read is the place where most doctors start but he said is "old technology". I ended up with 1 viable embryo (which ultimately ended up in a chemical pregnancy). During the 9 month period I was under his care I probably saw or spoke to him 5 times. He likened the first 2 unsuccessful attempts to bad luck. After the 3rd unsuccessful cycle he's referred me to a reproductive immunologist since my infertility is still "unexplained". For this I am thankful because I feel like I might be able to find some answers. I think Dr Mukherjee and RMA is fine if you fit into their standard protocol but not so if you need personalized attention.

Approximately $9K for retrieval, $5K for transfer, $2K for PGD, $2K for PGD administrative fee, $750 for anesthesia, $5K for medications

The doctor told me that they do not transfer more than 1 embryo at a time but when I was waiting to have my transfer I heard him say to the couple next door that they were having 2 embryos transferred. If you undergo genetic testing they will always discourage you from transferring more than 1 embryo at a time.

Not a good listener; talks without pause so you have to interrupt to say or ask anything. Did not tell us I had diminished ovarian reserve until at least 6 months after treatment started. Because we were instead told nothing was wrong with either of us we delayed treatment. He never told me that there was a possibility anything could go wrong during my IVF cycle other than not getting pregnant after transfer, so I was shocked, confused and devastated when he cancelled my cycle because I did not produce eggs. This is after he told me when my retrieval date would be without ever saying it was contingent on the stimulating medication working. I never knew not getting to retrieval was a possibility.

Ask a lot of questions. Find out as much as you can about treatments before seeing him. Take it upon yourself to get educated as he is very relaxed and doesn't seem to think need fertility help is as traumatic to patients as it can be.

Since I was ovulating on our initial visit, we opted to try IUI. When that didn't work he suggested not trying IUI again and do IVF. I was hesitant about all the medications, and since he said nothing was wrong with either one of us, we decided to try naturally for a few more months. When still no success we went back and that's when he said- by looking at the original bloodwork- that I had low ovation reserve. We were startled and decided to do IVF as soon as possible. I started meds and went for monitoring two times where he told me everything was good and when my retrieval would be, then on the third he said "nope nothing is happening" when I had an ultrasound. I asked what he meant and he said nothing is happening so the cycle is cancelled and sent me home. My husband scheduled a follow up as we were shocked and confused, and the dr was very casual said who know's why and we can try again without any suggestions for changing the process. So we left and decide to check into other doctors.

I don't remember specifically but with treatment and medication comebine we probable spent about $1000 out of pocket (I have insurance)

He said multiple isn't recommended.

I thought he and his team were unethical because they kept pushing for procedures and tests that seem unnecessary- he looked at my blood reports and ultrasound and told me that I needed aggressive fertility treatment immediately-that while there was no bad news there was no good news either. I'd been referred by my obgyn who told me that even though my results were excellent (he said "your numbers are that of a woman 10 years younger") he couldn't determine why I hadn't conceived after trying for 3 months and if I wanted I should speak to a fertility specialist to explore my options.

Find another doctor.

Alan recommended 3 rounds of Clomid with IUI and then IVF with embryo freezing.

2500 IUI and genetic testing covered by insurance

Dr. Kudesia was available to answer questions in person when we made an appointment. She was clear, balanced and walked us through the available data on medicated cycles with IUI and IVF. We are a couple with a lot of questions and she took her time to answer everything. It never felt like she was trying to push us in a specific direction and she didn't get defensive when we questioned certain approaches based on our failed outcomes. She took time to call us over the weekend after we found out about all our embryos failing to reach day 5. It was devastating news, but we appreciated her call. She is upbeat, cheerful and encouraged me to stay positive while recognizing that was hard to do.

Schedule specific appointments if you want to have time to ask questions.

With our daughter who passed away, I got pregnant quickly so Dr. Kudesia expected that we would get pregnant again. We started with medicated cycles and IUI given there were no other signals that we had any issues. After that failed 6 times, we moved to IVF. I went through 3 IVF cycles with Dr. Kudesia, all with different protocols. The first led to 0 day 5 embyros, the second had 1 (but it was abnormal following PGS testing) and the 3rd we did a day 5 fresh transfer as a last ditch effort to see if that would work.

Monitoring was fine in the morning. I got there when it opened and there was often a couple people in front of me waiting to go in.

Covered by my insurance, but I've used up all my coverage and still am not pregnant.

When we did the day 5 fresh transfer, we agreed to transfer 2 embryos.

He is a very smart man, with a lot of experience and knowledge. Very textbook and he's eager to teach you his knowledge of your situation. So you trust you are getting accurate information but the entire time you do feel like a number. Once we agreed to IVF we saw him once during the process, and we were constantly left with questions and no answers after each visit.

Be prepared to ask question if/when you have face time with Dr. Sandler. He is impossible to get a hold of and speak to after your initial consultation and meeting.

The only know issue is my low ovarian reserve. So we tried 3 cycles of letrozole plus timed IUI followed by a round of IVF on the antagonist protocol.

Get there first thing in the morning and you are in and out within 15 minutes. Otherwise be prepared to wait approximately 45 min.

IUI was around $800/round. IVF was $15,600 plus $5,000 in medication.

He takes things as a case by case basis. So I did trust his recommendation along the way.

As described in the prior response on how Dr. McAvey made me feel human as opposed to a number, she also explained my options for fertility treatments, including egg retrieval and embryo freezing. Without judgment and without forcing an opinion, but with helpful guidance to assist me with making the most appropriate decisions for me during that time. She was approachable, relatable, thoughtful, attentive and responsive.

Be open, communicative and ask questions

I think my protocol was standard for someone with my statistics, including age and base hormone levels. It’s known as antagon and I started with clomid, gonadotropins. 300 Gonal-f mornings, 2-3 vials menopur,l evening, introducing cetrotide when added the third menopur vial. All for about 10-12 days before trigger shot.

Monitoring was done early in the morning so it didn’t interrupt the regular work day, which was quite convenient for me. Given RMA’s popularity, a 5 minute visit usually lasted an hour because of the number of patients in the waiting room on any given day. It’s a well-oiled machine though and I knew what to expect each visit, with blood work done first, wait for a while, then ultrasound. If I wanted to speak with a nurse that was another wait. The above description is regarding the west and east side offices. Downtown was much smaller and therefore a shorter wait and less stressful experience.

Estimated medical costs were ~$9,000. Medications ~$5,000.

N/A

My doctor was very good about giving me options and helping me weigh the pros and cons of each, allowing me to make my own choices. She seemed to understand LGBT fertility care and acknowledge that it may look different from other fertility care.

Know the limits and rules of the clinic.

I did not use any medication. I tracked my ovulation with OPK tests and called the clinic when I was ovulating and went in for iui. I did a LOT of testing before iui.

RMA was able to get all of my appointments and testing covered by insurance. I paid about $400 for my iui itself.

I'll repeat what I had said before: Dr. Mukherjee at RMA was recommended by a friend, who hasn't had a successful fertility experience, but I trusted her recommendation. He was always kind and took time to email respond, sometimes quickly, sometimes after some days. When I did see him for consultation or ultrasounds though, I found that sometimes I didn't ask all my questions because he seemed very busy and rushed. He did call me personally though, when to tell me about my one frozen embryo not making it past Day 3 or Day 4, even after the nurse had called me after the bad news. I did an egg freezing cycle with him in July of 2019 (out of 4 follicles, only 1 egg was viable and was frozen) and then I tried an embryo freezing cycle again in February 2020, and this time, there were 5 follicles but again, only 1 egg was viable and was successfully fertilized by my partner's sperm, but didn't make it to Day 5. It was heartbreaking to then end up with nothing after spending $17,000 or so when all was said and done. At our last consultation, Dr. Mukherjee said our best chance was to try naturally as I had a low reserve and rather than spend tens of thousands of dollars, that was our best bet, but my partner and I decided to change to a different doctor at Weill-Cornell who has been very kind and thorough and spent over an hour with us at our first consultation, patiently. He was recommended by a different friend who had a successful IVF cycle with him. So in summary, Dr. Mukherjee was pretty much kind, but we just felt rushed each time we saw him and then at our last consultation to discuss the failed embryo, he seemed to be pessimistic about future fertility treatments and didn't really seem to hear us that we were thinking of a second child. Also, the only thing that changed about our protocol between the first egg freezing and the 2nd time which was embryo freezing, was that he added Clomid and Ganirelix to my protocol. I took all the Clomid prescribed (5 days) and 1 day of Ganirelix, but the result of 1 egg harvested was the same.

Be sure to ask all your questions and not let him make you feel rushed and shy -- also, bring your partner when possible as I found that my partner was more assertive and not shy when asking questions, whereas I was. It was good also to have my partner there to make sure I didn't forget to ask anything. Have your questions written out in advance on your phone or wherever so you don't forget anything. I do remember once when I needed a signature from a doctor about getting physical therapy for my shoulders continued that he was happy to help me, and I do appreciate that. Also, he helped expedite my getting all my medical records, especially after my failed embryo freezing cycle.

I did an egg freezing cycle with him in July of 2019 (out of 4 follicles, only 1 egg was viable and was frozen). The protocol included Gonal-F and Menopur and the trigger shot. I actually started taking the injections fully on Day 4 because my Day 2 was a Sunday, and they told me to come in on Monday. After some confusion with Freedom Pharmacy and also the quite unclear videos from RMA on the injection methods (because I didn't have my medications or syringes with me to get a real life demo from the nurse), I ended up not injecting Gonal F or Menopur fully on Day 3. I'm not sure if my lateness in finally getting the injections correct meant that I had less stimulation, but anyway, I did manage to get 1 egg harvested and frozen. I was hoping for 2, but they said that one of the eggs was already degenerated when they harvested them. I then tried an embryo freezing cycle in February 2020, and this time, he added Clomid and Ganirelix to my protocol. I took all the Clomid prescribed (5 days) and 1 day of Ganirelix, but the result of 1 egg harvested was the same. There were 5 follicles, and Dr. Mukherjee was hopefully that we could get 4 or 5 eggs harvested. But while the one egg that was harvested was successfully fertilized by my partner's sperm, it didn't make it to Day 5. It was heartbreaking to then end up with nothing after spending $17,000 or so when all was said and done. At that time, United Healthcare helped cover some medications, but I mainly used my 75% discount Compassionate Care card. My insurance did not cover the cycle. At our last consultation, Dr. Mukherjee said our best chance was to try naturally as I had a low ovarian reserve and rather than spend tens of thousands of dollars, that was our best bet, but my partner and I decided to change to a different doctor at Weill-Cornell who has been very kind and thorough and spent over an hour with us at our first consultation, patiently. He was recommended by a different friend who had a successful IVF cycle with him.

It was convenient to have this monitoring hours range, but I found that the earlier I went, the faster I was seen. If I came in closer to the end of the period, I had to wait much longer.

For my most recent cycle, I paid about $2550 in medications, $750 for anaesthesia, $13,115 for the embryo freezing cycle, so total was around $16,415. I believe the egg freezing was about $9,000 for the cycle and other costs were similar.

We never got to that point - we didn't yet intend for IVF, only embryo freezing.

Dr. Sandler is incredibly knowledgeable and often explained what was going on in great, scientific detail. I'm a science nerd so I appreciated having this information, but he sometimes presented the information just as information giving me little indication as to how this information would affect my husband and I in real life. It seemed like he was using a "flow chart" of sorts where if treatment A didn't work then we move on to treatment B without necessarily considering me, my history or how the previous treatment went. He was somewhat personable, but I wouldn't say his bedside manner was always great. Sometimes it seemed as if he wanted to succeed with us more to advance his own ego than to give us sometime we want so badly.

Don't expect warm and fuzzy.

We started with three cycles of IUI using the pill Letrozol and Ovidrel for the trigger shot. I was told each time I went for monitoring that I was responding well to the medication, but got a negative result each time. I don't recall having any side effects from the Letrozol. I bruised at the injection site from the Ovidrel (but I bruise easily in general). Then we moved on to a traditional IVF cycle. We used Follistim, Menopur, Cetrotide, and Ovidrel again for the trigger shot. Giving the shots to myself wasn't as bad as I expected. I bruised at the injection sites (which you should try to vary as much as possible to avoid injuring the same spot repeatedly) and was sometimes red and irritated as well. I had a very "full" feeling with the injections (which I was told was normal bloating) and was sometimes uncomfortable for a few minutes after each shot (mostly with the Menopur and Cetrotide). We got 9 eggs from this cycle, and at the time were told this was a good number. Unfortunately, only 4 fertilized with ICSI (my husband had testicular cancer in 2013 so they did this because of his medical history) and by the time day 5 came around for the transfer only one was left (it was not at blastocyst stage yet, but they transferred it because it was all that we had and said there was still a chance that we could get pregnant). We did not, however. When we met with Dr. Sandler for a follow-up we were told that 9 eggs was not really a good number (not sure why we were told at the time that it was) and for someone my age and without any other obvious health issues they would have expected more (a doctor we saw before beginning this whole process brought up the idea of endometriosis but Dr. Sandler felt strongly that he did not need to investigate this further). We were also told that my right and left ovaries produced a different number of eggs during this cycle. Dr. Sandler said he would like to see more egg production and more even production between the two ovaries so he recommended another round of IVF but using what they called a "flare protocol". So for IVF round 2, I went on a birth control pill for about 20 days first (this is supposed to shut the whole system down so that when the injections begin, the system is "flared" up and made to produce more eggs and with evenness between the ovaries). Then I did injections again, but this time using Lupron, Follistim, Menopur and then Ovidrel for the trigger shot. This time 13 eggs were retrieved, 8 fertilized with ICSI and 3 remained at the time of transfer. Dr. Sandler recommended that we transfer two embryos (this time they made it to the blastocyst stage) so we did. The third was allowed to mature another day and was frozen on day 6. I should also mention that with all rounds I also used Medrol, Endometrin, and Prometrium after the transfers (I also took a single dose of an antibiotic with each round). Again, we got a negative pregnancy test. We met with Dr. Sandler again and were told that the one embryo that was frozen made it to a very good stage (all embryos are given a rating based on their development) and he recommended that we transfer that frozen embryo. So we did. I took Estradiol and then used the same progesterone as with the fresh transfers. Again, a negative pregnancy test. We used all of our available insurance benefits and also paid a lot of money out of pocket with Dr. Sandler. So after many failed attempts we decided to try a different doctor just to have a fresh set of eyes look at our case.

I tried getting to the office before it technically opened since I have to be at work early in the morning (by 8am). Usually there were about 5 people there with me. They generally started seeing patients for monitoring on time. The longest I waited was an hour, but that only happened once.

All three cycles of IUI were covered by our insurance and I do not recall the specific costs. A round if IVF with medications ran well over $10,000. Payment was due on day one of the cycle and in full. The anesthesiologist did not take insurance so each retrieval required at least $750 out of pocket. I spoke with Dr. Sandler at the last follow up appointment about finances and he was able to reduce the cost of the frozen transfer that we did.

He is thorough, but this can also be to his detriment. He spends a lot of time spouting facts and figures that don't necessarily apply to you (for example I'm 32, I don't particularly care about the success rates for women 40+ or risks for them). We were also very under-prepared for a lot of things that happened along the way-- stopping our first cycle (nobody had ever mentioned that might happen), transferring more than one embryo (we had only ever been told, for years, that one embryo would be transferred due to my age), an ectopic outcome.

This is hard. You don't know what you don't know, so it's impossible to tell someone to ask a lot of questions, etc. when you don't know what to ask and you feel like you're getting thorough information.

1) IVF-- my husband had testicular cancer and so his sperm count was low. Our first cycle was stopped as I was told my eggs weren't developing as a "cohort". Two eggs were "racing ahead of the pack" and Dr. Lederman felt like due to my age and health, we could do better. It was converted to an IUI where I had a negative home pregnancy test and the dr's office had a low positive (chemical pregnancy most likely). 2) Once I got my period I was put on birth control (pill) for about 2.5 weeks and then started hormone injections again. It took longer than anticipated before they did the egg retrieval (we were told about 10 days, it was 14 before my retrieval). My egg retrieval was extremely painful and I couldn't move and was in the worst pain of my life for several days. Nobody would prescribe me anything for the pain (various other materials I read online said other patients at other clinics were always sent home with an rx painkiller). I had also been told this procedure is "painless". They got 12 eggs, 10 were mature enough to fertilize (ICSI), 8 were successful, 6 grew, and we wound up with 2 the day-of. The doctor who did our transfer, literally as they were wheeling me out of the waiting area and into the transfer room, said "oh we want to put both back" so my husband and I didn't really have time to even think about it. We had been told, for years, that only ONE egg would ever be transferred. 3) This resulted in an ectopic pregnancy and the most difficult time of our lives. The pregnancy test came back low positive (hcg about 8) so they told me it didn't work. Then my numbers continued to triple every 2-3 days and make huge jumps. This whole time I was in for monitoring every 2-3 days where various doctors, who were not my doctor, would tell me they didn't know what was wrong but something definitely was even though my numbers were in the normal range. I was repeatedly told they "couldn't find it" (the sac). After a couple weeks of this (getting good new the numbers were rising and then terrible news that they were convinced something was terribly wrong because they couldn't see anything) I was sent to an ultrasound clinic with higher tech machines as, after weeks of torture, my doctors office finally informed me that their machines aren't good enough to see anything that early anyway (!!!!). This place found an ectopic pregnancy in my left tube. I had two shots of methotrexate that evening and we had to stop trying for three months. 4) After three months, we went back to Dr. Lederman and said at this time we are only willing to try IUI (something less invasive). We are in the middle of our first cycle with Clomid.

The weekend had one location open across the entire city and it was a cattle call. It is a nightmare to go there with waits lasting over an hour, nowhere to sit, etc.

Our insurance covers this. I just have an occasional co-pay.

Over all I liked Dr. Copperman, I do wish I saw him more. His bed side manner is decent, although he can have a bit of a sarcastic way about him which can be good for some and bad for others. He used a different protocol than my previous doctor which I liked and seemed more appropriate for someone my age dealing with diminishing ovarian reserves.

Don't be afraid to ask him questions. He sees a lot of patients and can be very quick during a monitoring appointments and can make it hard to get your questions asked and it can feel a little rushed.

Dr. Copperman used something called the short protocol with me for the cycle. This adds in a medicine called luperon which helps your brain to naturally produce FSH. Since I am considered to be young in the fertility world, he said this protocol can be very successful as my body can be very receptive. In addition to the Luperon I also took menopur and follistim. The short protocol also doesn't require estrogen beforehand or ovulation tracking. I was also put on the pill for two weeks before my cycle to jump start my cycle.

There was a window of time in the morning which was nice in a way since I didn't have to miss work. They are very quick and on average would probably spend 15 min waiting which wasn't terrible considering how many people were waiting.

treatment for embryo freezing was $12,000 plus the cost of meds

When I met this dr he was very nice and looked into my eyes saying " I will get you pregnant." This doctor is pretty set in his ways and is not open to patient suggestions. Ive had several failed IVFS prior to seeing him so I knew what to expect. I have a tendency to make many eggs and embryos and they all arrest. He basically did the same IVF stim cycle as my previous dr and just lowered the medication dose a bit. He did not take my MTHFR seriously and said I do not need to take baby aspirin or lovenox. I ended up getting 2 poor quality but PGD tested normal embryos with him. They only made it to blast on day 6 and 7. He only let me transfer one and it stuck! I had to ask him to check my thyroid levels which he neglected to check and they were high! I had to start medication immediately since I was currently pregnant but it takes over a month for the medication to work. I ended up miscarrying. My progesterone levels were on the lower side and he didn't seem to care. He never called to apologize about my miscarriage which I found hurtful. I felt like I slid between the cracks because I look young and he probably figured it would be an easy cycle. I will never forget when I asked him why I miscarried a normal embryo and he answered " you are just unlucky".

To be your own advocate because he does not look at everything and important testing numbers get neglected.

We used Gonal F 150 mg, menopur, ganirelix and a HCG/Lupron dual trigger to avoid hyperstimulation. I ended up with 22 eggs, 13 mature, 2 made it to blast but only on day 6 and 7. They were biopsied and PGD tested and then were frozen. I did a FET that following month which resulted in an unexplained miscarriage.

RMA had a few locations throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan where you can do monitoring. The Manhattan offices were like a cattle call. I once was in the waiting room for almost 2 hours! the Brooklyn office is a little less of a wait because its a smaller office.

My IVF was not covered by insurance so the medications, egg retrieval, PGD testing, and FET was around $25,000.

My dr. strongly suggested transferring only 1 embryo because it was PGD tested normal. I had 2 embryos that were poor quality but both PGD normal and he refused to transfer both. I ended up miscarrying one. I have not transferred the other yet.

I think Dr. Grunfeld is a good "doctor" and by that, I mean a scientist. I think he "knows his stuff" and is generally a decent person. My chief complaint is that he was way too overly optimistic when I first started and, as a consequence, I was extremely shocked by what happened and where I am now. When I went to see him about IVF, he made it seem like a fait-accompli that I would have a baby. And it all went well -- until it didn't. I had one embryo from my first round that genetically tested normal and implanted. I miscarried it, and it turned out the fetus had Down's Syndrome. Dr. Grunfeld never communicated to me that PGS was not 100% (I am sure I signed something that said I know). I would have appreciated a little more caution from him and a little more sympathy. When I went in for my follow up appointment, he didn't remember that the fetus had Down's and was not prepared. This was upsetting. He also urged me to another round which I did. I got 10 eggs but no PGS-normal embryos. When I went to see him for my next follow-up appointment, he told me to keep going but I could not at that point as my insurance had run out. I then did an IUI where I really felt like an afterthought to him and the clinic. Overall, it was a disappointing experience though I don't really blame Dr. Grunfeld.

Be careful if he is overly optimistic. IVF is not a fail-safe. Dr. Grunfeld will make it seem like it is.

I had the same protocol for both cycles. Gonal-F (c. 150), Menopur (between 2-3 vials), then the trigger. Dr. Grunfeld made no adjustments in between cycles which I understand. Both cycles produced a good amount of eggs -- it was just an egg quality issue given my age.

There were on occasion very long waits but I don't blame the clinic for that. I think they moved people in and out as efficiently as possible.

My insurance covered most of it though I had to $1,000 per cycle for shipping of the embryos, $750 per cycle for anastheisa, and $3,000 for genetic testing of up to 10 embryos.

Dr Talebian was very caring and took extra time to talk to me and answer calls. She was not always there and not always the doctor on call to help me. It was hard to tell in my case because the results of the very expensive procedure were not what I wanted or had hoped for, so it was overall disappointing. She handled that well I think, though I never felt I had as much time as I wanted with her.

Push hard. They will whisk you through if you don't demand answers and work really hard to understand and push for the best treatment.

I started with the pill for 3 weeks, which was based on my low AMH numbers. Then I did a standard protocol for a long cycle (meds were very costly). I had 3 eggs we hoped to retrieve and we only got one.

Easy and pretty efficient...

$14k. They did give me a small discount to get started and they advised about med costs.

Dr. Knopman was confident that she could help me and that confidence transferred to me. When we sat down to make a game plan I felt like a weight had been slightly lifted. She had a plan and we were going to make that baby! She made sure to see me whenever she was in the office and she performed all of my procedures (egg retrieval and embroyo transfer). When I had spotting early in my pregnancy, she had me come in right away to alleviate my fear that something was wrong. She is also very down to earth and will chat with you about other things going on in your life so you don’t feel so stuck in your infertility bubble when you’re at the office practically every day. I will be returning to Dr. Knopman whenever I am ready for baby #2.

Trust her, you’re in good hands. Although, with any doctor, make sure you ask questions if you don’t understand something and advocate for yourself.

Dr Knopman encouraged me to transfer 1 embryo because I am young and had good embryos. She felt that putting 1 embryo in for 2 cycles was just as effective as putting 2 embryos in for 1 cycle.