Weill Cornell Medical College

Weill Cornell Reproductive Medicine is a top center for infertility. As I said we traveled from PA to NY to be a patient and it was worth it in every way. I only wish we had done this from the beginning instead of wasting a year with a different RE in PA. Dr. Reichman's Tribeca office is absolutely wonderful. The office seems newer with state-of-the-art equipment and the most friendly staff. His staff are extremely helpful, especially if you need support dealing with prior-auths and insurance - they stepped in and before I knew it everything was handled.

Dr. Reichman is an extremely personable physician. He makes his patients feel like they matter. He takes time at every appointment with you, answers every question you have, and does not make you feel rushed. There were a couple times he suggested we set an appointment for a "strategy meeting" - his words - which we loved. He knows every detail about his patients. He remembers everything, even asking about how our trip to Chicago was when we had a follow-up appointment with him. His front-desk staff are the nicest and sweetest team members. They remember your name, ask how you're doing, and are always on top of everything.

My primary nurse that I communicated with was Hannah. She always showed compassion during every interaction or phone call. She answered every question and made sure you understood your directions and next steps before hanging up the phone. Even when meeting in person about something Hannah never rushed you and was very thorough in her care and explanations. She also replied very timely to emails.

Dr. Reichman is like no other. We traveled from Pennsylvania to New York and it was all worth it. From the moment we had our initial consultation with him he gave us hope and made us feel like he truly cared. I have not had an easy journey with fertility - 2 natural pregnancies both ending in miscarriages, being told by a previous RE my lining was too thin and so never even getting to a transfer attempt, retained products of conception after a D&C by my OB. But Dr. Reichman never gave up. I remember starting my IVF cycle with him in March 2018 and during a saline sonogram is when he discovered I had retained products of conception and told me he would have to go in and do surgery after I completed the IVF cycle and retrieval. I started crying in the exam room. Dr. Reichman was extremely comforting, telling me "I am in your corner," letting me know that he would take care of me during the surgery as I was worried about my lining, and that together we would get through this and meet our end goal of having a baby. He is an extremely compassionate and caring physician, but he is also a realist - he is very straightforward with what he thinks. This is a quality my husband and I appreciated; we wanted someone who would be direct and honest. Dr. Reichman is always thinking about what is best for his patients; he individualizes every plan of care to each of his patients.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. He answers every single one of them without making you feel rushed or that it's a silly question.

I was on Gonal-F, Menopur, and Cetrotide, with an HCG trigger shot before the egg retrieval. I can't remember the exact dosages but he had me on a low dose of Gonal-F. I only had 5 antral follicles. We retrieved 5 eggs, all 5 fertilized, 3 made it to PGS testing and all 3 were PGS normal! We did not expect this and were thrilled, as my last miscarriage was confirmed due to chromosome issues.

Monitoring appointments were very efficient. You have a window of time they do "morning monitoring" and you don't have to wait very long once you arrive. Once you are pregnant, the 2-3 ultrasounds you have to have are via appointment after monitoring hours.

I was lucky as my insurance covered IVF 100%; the cost of the medications were mostly covered as well. We did pay a few hundred dollars though for some genetic testing and other blood work to be done as I had two previous miscarriages.

From my experience, I believe Dr. Reichman prefers single embryo transfer.

The Tribeca location is fantastic. It is calm, comfortable, and all new. It can get a little crowded during monitory hours but never too bad and they are really organized. The nurses are all very nice. It's so much better than the UES location! The receptionists are also very nice and helpful

Dr. Reichman sees me every visit (unless it is a weekend or he is off for a holiday), which I appreciate. He always seems to consider my case and our next steps carefully. He doesn't have the warmest bedside manner, and doesn't seem to plug into the emotional toll this takes, but he does lay out the numbers and realities and stays positive.

Dr. Riechman's main nurse is fantastic. She always answers my questions and when I wanted to order fewer meds since i had to pay OOP as I hit my insurance limit, she worked with me on ordering just what was necessary. She's a pleasure every time I speak with her. Any other nurses that cover for her are also great.

I came to Dr. Reichman from another doctor only because my insurance changed and it now covers IVF and the other place I was going doesn't take my insurance. Dr. Reichman agreed with the assessment of my other doctor (age-related infertility). Although I feel I got more compassionate "bedside manner" from the first doctor, I appreciate that I see Dr. Reichman for every monitoring visit (at the Tribeca Office). He may take a day or so to email back, but he always always responds to email. His answers are short but to the point. He's gives it to you straight so you have to be able to take that, but I have no doubt he knows that he's talking about! I feel I am in good hands for sure.

He can be blunt with the reality of things, but he does care about you getting success and knows his stuff. If you want someone with a super compassionate bedside manner he may not be the one for you, but he certainly takes his work seriously and is always positive yet realistic. If you are paying out of pocket, he also understands the great cost of IVF and takes that into account when recommending next steps, which I really appreciate.

2 stimulation cycles. Both times mostly 150 menapure, 300 gonal f, then leuprolide added in. Egg retrieval and fertilization with ICSI using fresh sample. Waited the 5 days to see which embryos survived and did genetic testing on those that did. Cycle 1 - 10 eggs retrieved, 8 mature, 6 fertilized, 4 embryos genetically tested, 1 recommended for transfer. Cycle 2 - 7 eggs retrieved, 6 mature, 3 fertilized, 2 genetically tested - awaiting results. Still have not yet done an embryo transfer.

In the Tribeca office it is a very pleasant experience even when crowded -- and it's never that bad. I don't think I have waited longer than 30 min to be seen and sometimes i get seen within 10 min.

My insurance paid for up to 40K of my expenses. After I hit my limit, I have to pay OOP. Approx 10K for egg retrieval (all monitoring included), 1K for ICSI fertilization, 4K for PGD/PGS testing. 1K hospital fee. Not sure what frozen embryo transfer will cost. Meds were covered by insurance but i think it cost 10K

The clinics strengths is that they are organized considering the amount of patients. The weaknesses are that it can feel impersonal at times and if you are feeling sensitive about it which many people do feel about this process; this may not be the best place for you.

It is a large clinic and on days for monitoring you feel like a number. On days when I see Dr. Goldschlag I feel more like a human.

When we first started with the clinic the main nurse we were dealing with as part of Dr. Goldschlag’s team was not the nicest and easily frustrated. I don’t believe she is currently at the clinic and since that time the nurses have been friendly and willing to answer questions and work with us.

Dr. Goldschlag is personable when you he sees you in person and is very patient. He is good about answering questions and taking his time with you. I have trusted him with our treatment and he has been compassionate about our set backs.

Understand that it is a big clinic and that you won’t see Dr. Goldschlag unless you personally ask for him.

After we were evaluated and I had done a hysteroscopy to remove a small polyp; Dr. Goldschlag advises we could start with IUI or IVF. We decided to do a medicated IUI which all resulted in negative results. We then moved forward with our first IVF in April 2018. We were excited when it resulted in a pregnancy but then it resulted in a miscarriage at 8 weeks. Dr. Goldschlag gave me the option of miscarrying naturally and we proceeded with a second IVF cycle in September 2018 that resulted in a negative pregnancy test.

The wait time wasn’t exaggerated but it is a different doctor each time.

My co-pay and extraneous costs not covered by insurance.

Dr. Goldschlag recommended to transfer one embryo if it made it to Day 5 and two embryos if we made it to Day 3 and given my age at the time.

Strength: it's a well-oiled machine. They have their protocols and follow them to a T. They also tell you in advance what problems they have with insurance so you can get everything pre-authorized before you start. Weaknesses: it can get busy at times so either be prepared to come early or to wait.

He talked to me like a person. He answered all questions I had as he would a colleague, asked about my weekend plans and was flexible when it came to me getting testing done. And he made jokes. Most importantly, my husband liked him and he usually hates doctors.

They called every day and always returned voice mails.

As a doctor myself, I've always treated patients the way I want to be treated and I feel threat Dr. Schattman does the same. He explained everything when doing ultrasounds and answered all questions I had, including when I could start my next round after my current pregnancy. My only complaint is that when it looked like one of my babies wasn't doing as well as the other, he said it could go either way when in his notes, he wrote "likely resolution." I think I would have preferred having been toldhe wasn't going to make it because I spent 2 weeks hoping he'd catch up with his sister, which he never did and was pretty gutted when I learned I'd miscarried.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Menopur/gonal F and cetrotide with an hcg and leuprolide dual trigger. The egg transfer was frozen (due to possible polyp recurrence) and the FET cycle was natural. Then only progesterone suppositories for 6 weeks.

It was pretty well oiled, I think.

Only had to pay for copay and embryo freezing but my insurance does have an 18k cap so the next cycle will be out of pocket

He preferred only one or two embryos at a time. Cornell itself gives a sheet on how many embryos to transfer based on age and if you're doing fresh or frozen.

It is a factory. On the plus side, they know what they're doing and they are efficient. On the minus, there is not a ton of personal connection here. The ladies behind the front desk at the monitoring station can be quite cold. If you want warm and fuzzies, this clinic is not the place.

Dr Davis is a strong scientist. He is not a hand-holder. I felt like our interactions were very brief, straightforward and business-like.

The nurses are great. Slightly frazzled, lots going on. But they are caring, compassionate and smart. I liked them better than my doctor, to be honest.

I know he is good at what he does. However, I feel like there were several oversights in association with my treatment, and I wonder if his ego got in the way. As an example, he waited several cycles before performing an HSG on me. Most clinics use that in their initial diagnostic phase. IUIs with a blocked fallopian tube is pointless. AND an HSG can increase the chances of IUI success. No reason in the world that this shouldn't have been done before I started. Lots of money down the drain, and I consider that careless.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK and make sure you ask for as much info as possible. Silly things, like getting on a prenatal as you start treatment were never disclosed. You really have to ask for the things you need with OD, cause it will not be volunteered. He is not a bad human and I think he cares about what he does. But again, too many clients and a slightly large ego makes him a bit tricky.

Clomid for 5 days (I'm 42, low AMH) and IUI. HSG after 4th IUI.

One of the more expensive places in NYC. Owen Davis charges for clomid monitoring, which seems semi-insane. Around 1250 / IUI

Dr. Palermo's embryology lab met to discuss our failures, as did the andrology team. I was told that they were devastated and stumped by our results. Dr. Palermo offered my husband a couple of tests after our second failure. We have yet to receive the results of the second test about 7 months later.

After meeting with Dr. Reichman, I had a spontaneous chemical pregnancy, 1 failed IUI, and then a spontaneous pregnancy which ended at 9 weeks, soon after being passed on to my OBGYN. After my d and c, I had retained products of conception and my OBGYN wanted to do a second d and c. Dr. Reichman called me and firmly told me not to do the second d and c and that it could affect future fertility, and offered to do a hysteroscopy instead. I knew he truly cared about my well being. I then had two IVF cycles with him. The first round yielded 22 eggs, 10 mature, and 1 fertilized with ICSI. That embryo failed to develop. At the time he told us that it would be like lightning striking twice for similar result to happen again. We tried a second round (everything was paid for out of pocket), had 26 eggs retrieved, 24 mature, and 0 fertilized with ICSI. Dr. Reichman was truly stumped. I don't fault him personally, but feel that if your case is tricky, Weill Cornell is not the place for you. I am now under the care of another doctor and have already been diagnosed with PCOS among other things, which I am being treated for, but which never came to light at Cornell. I believe the biggest mistake that Dr. Reichman made was allowing us to proceed with a second round without ensuring that we learned something from it (such as doing half with donor sperm). After our final meeting with him post 2nd IVF, he still have no idea if it was an egg or sperm issue. My husband has normal sperm count and motility, but low morphology, but that shouldn't have led to the results we got. Dr. Reichman did offer us a third round at a discount to try a cycle without ICSI, but we didn't feel there was any evidence to put ourselves through that.

The nursing staff at the Tribeca office is warm and caring. My first IVF coordinator was cold and businesslike. The second one was much more pleasant and helpful.

Dr. Reichman is a conscientious, responsive, and caring, but he is conservative and didn't go above and beyond to help us get to the root of our problem. We had 48 eggs retrieved over the course of two cycles, 34 of which were mature, only 1 fertilized with ICSI, and that embryo didn't survive long enough for transfer. We felt he shrugged us off and was ready to let us move on without trying to dig in and search for answers, run additional tests, etc. This was a let down.

If you aren't getting typical results, move on to another clinic, or even a reproductive immunologist. You won't get a rigorous scientific examination of your results.

IVF #1: Day 1-6: 225 gonal f, 150 menopur Day 7: 225 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 8-9: 175 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 10: 175 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 11 150 gonal f, 150 menopure, ganirelix Day 14: 22 eggs retrieved. 10 mature. 1 fertilized. No embryos. IVF #2: Day 1-5: 1/16 225 gonal f, 150 menopur Day 6-8: 125 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 9-10: 125 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 11: 50 gonal f, 150 menopur, 2.5 cetrotide Day 12: Trigger thurs 1/24 9:30pm Lupron 4mg Hcg 2500 Retrieval 26 eggs 0 of 24 mature eggs fertilized

Fairly efficient, but impersonal when the monitoring MD is not your own.

Everything was out of pocket for us. We spent 15-20k for each cycle. I do not recall IUI cost.

He preferred to transfer a single embryo for us, but we never had one to transfer.

The clinic is HUGE. If you are not ready for that, either find someplace new, or prepare yourself to advocate. If you are in their face and vocal you will have a better experience because they will know who you are. That being said this clinic also specializes in taking cases that no one else will touch. They are not as concerned with their success rates and only taking patients who will improve their rates, rather they are willing to give almost anyone a shot and they will adapt their protocols to meet patient's needs. One thing I like is that they have team meetings and come up with protocols as a team, not individual doctors making decisions on their own. This is comforting because you know that they are checking each others work. Something else that could be a little discomforting for patients is that because there are so many patients and the clinic is part of the hospital, not everything takes place in the clinic. Somethings take place in the radiology dept and then the lab, egg retrievals, and transfers happen in a surgical center in the hospital (I liked this because it was just IVF procedures happening there so no one else was walking in and out and you knew the nurses and front desk people did this all day every day). Also, the Andrology lab is on a different floor so you have to take the elevator and walk around with the sperm sample in a paper bag from when they give it to you to when you give it back to the nurse and have the IUI done (a little weird for people who know what is in the tube and see you walking around with it).

Dr. Goldschalg and I get along very well. He has a very calming presence and helps bring me down off my crazy (sometimes hormone induced) tantrums about why it is not fair that I was not getting pregnant. He was very patient with me, always answered all my questions, talked to me about all the options and why something would be a good/bad/or ok idea for treatment. He always said that he would be willing to do anything I wanted, but he wanted me to listen to his opinion on the matter before making decisions. He knows that I am a healthcare professional and brings it up regularly, in explanation for decisions and for why he is explaining things to me in a scientific way. He talks to me in a way that I feel I understand what we are talking about, but that he respects my intelligence and research on our diagnosis. When we had a cycle fail with no viable embryos, Dr. Goldschlag called me several days in a row, sometimes multiple times a day to update me on the situation and make sure I was ok. We spent over an hour talking about the results and what we were going to proceed with and he did not hang up the phone until he knew I was ok, and we had scheduled an appointment to meet and go over everything, despite it being a holiday weekend. I know a lot of people who have cycled with Dr. Goldschlag sometimes are not pleased with their experience because they feel like a number, but I think that is more due to the size of the clinic. Cornell has hundreds of patients cycling through on a regular basis and if you do not stand up for yourself and advocate for your care, you may get lost, but if you are able to do that, you will get excellent care at a top rated clinic.

Jamie - Only had her the first cycle. She called me the first day and the last to let me know it failed but other than that I always talked with Allison. She gave me the wrong info which had to get changed and was thankfully caught before I gave myself the wrong meds. Was weird hearing from her that my cycle failed when I literally had nothing to do with her. She was no longer with Dr. Goldschlag when I came back six months later for my next cycle. Allison - Was there from my first cycle (she caught Jamie's mess up) all the way until my successful pregnancy. She often seemed overwhelmed, probably because of Dr. Goldschlag's caseload and how many phone calls she had to make. She always returned phone calls, and gave clear instructions. She was also a lot more down to earth than some of the other nurses I came across there, which was nice. She also was SOO happy when she got to call me with my positive pregnancy test after our fourth cycle, we were both crying on the phone together, because she had been with me through it from the beginning. Cheryl and Tamara - Dr. Goldschlag's nursing team this time is a little more haphazard, but they call me back and they seem to have things together. I dont have a real feel for them yet because I just returned to the clinic in the past month, but so far nothing bad to say.

Dr. Goldschlag is very patient, always asks me how I am doing, how I am feeling - he knows after our three year journey how my emotions can get the best of me and he always asks how things are at home. He talks to me in a way that I understand what is going on, but also that shows he respects my intelligence as a health care professional. Dr. Goldschlag also has a way of lightening the mood without coming off as uncaring or harsh. He jokes with me about my reliance on Dr. Google, and he always is up to date on all the studies and new tests I bring up and what is good about the studies or what was lacking in them and why he does or does not buy into the findings. I like that he is constantly researching and learning and not just doing the same thing over and over. No two of my protocols have ever been the same (until this current cycle bc the last cycle we did I got pregnant with my daughter and we are hoping to recreate that!!), he is always taking my latest hormone levels into account and tweaking everything so I react to the meds the best way possible. Also, he always gives my husband and I a few minutes after a monitoring appointment in the room to ask questions and talk about what is going on in order to make sure that we are comfortable with everything. It can be very hard to reach anyone in the office, and almost impossible to reach him on the phone, so I like that he gives us that time. Another thing he has started doing (I am not sure if this is for everyone, but my IVF cycles were not like this), is scheduling monitoring appointments with him specifically, so I am on his schedule and know when I am going to be seeing him so that I do not have to wait as long, and there is a continuity of care, as opposed to seeing which ever MD is on call that day for ultrasounds, and then it taking several days before I see him again and can get my questions answered. Dr. Goldschlag is also EXCELLENT when the cycle fails. We have had multiple cycles fail - very, very difficulty failures - and the way he handled it, my emotions, my husband's emotions, he was very straight forward and honest with us about our bleak situation and what the next steps were. I appreciated the honesty and when he was not being straightforward with me at one point I called him out on it and from then on he gave it to me like it was. I feel for myself and my husband, it is better for us to know the truth from the outset than for us to be under the assumption that we are going to have this amazing experience. Overall he was very willing to work with us and ultimately he was able to help us get to our goal and give us our beautiful daughter.

Give him a chance to get to know you before you assume he is too quiet or hands off. Once I got to know him a little better and we were all able to relax around each other, it got much easier.

As an Orthodox Jew, Cornell has a specific protocol they use to help push off the egg retrieval until a little farther on in the cycle (called the Mikva Protocol), to help shorten the period and keep any spotting at bay. Started with estrogen patches for a few days, then added a Ganirelix shot for three days, then started Menopure and GonalF, then added the Ganirelix back in, then triggered with HCG. My dosages were incredibly low bc of my VERY high AMH levels. First cycle was extended (I dont think the dosages were high enough and I was injecting them incorrectly so I wasnt getting the full dose). Second cycle was the same overall, but higher dosages and I had better quality eggs (more mature) than the first cycle. (Cycle failed due to Male factor component) First IUI with clomid - did not respond well to Clomid, poor follicle and lining Second IUI with Letrazol - started with 5mg a day for 5 days, three days off, then bumped up to 7.5 mg a day for 5 days. Went in and had 2 beautiful 24mm follicles (one on each ovary) and lining was almost 9mm. Triggered with 10kHCG and IUI the following day.

What I do now is schedule an actual appointment, show up then and get seen within 15 minutes of that appointment. At the same time and what I used to do was show up anywhere from 6:30 to 9 am and sign in and wait in the waiting room to first get called for bloodwork and then ultrasound. The MD you see for the scan can be any of the doctors in the practice. Their system is automated, so there is a computer system that tells the tech who the next patient they are taking for blood or ultrasound is and what room to put them in. This keeps things moving assuming patients are not missing in the bathroom or grabbing coffee outside at the cart on the sidewalk. Sometimes there can be close to 100 patients waiting to be seen though, which can make the wait take several hours.

My IVF was covered by insurance but the cost at the time was approximately $12000 for IVF with ICSI (we also did Micro-TESE in conjunction which was $15k out of pocket) My IUI is also under insurance so I am not aware of the costs.

Cornell's Tribeca office is excellent - front desk staff were always helpful and friendly and I never had to wait long. Weekend monitoring and all IUIs are done at the UES office, which is much bigger and has longer waits. Also, keep in mind that Dr. Reichman will do all of your weekday monitoring and manage your treatment, but he will not do your IUIs and probably not weekend monitoring or egg retrieval (though for weekend monitoring and egg retrieval he does some as they have a rotating schedule).

Dr. Reichman always took the time to explain thoroughly every decision that we made. He was optimistic throughout, while allowing for me to feel disappointed each time I didn't get pregnant. When a potential complication arose, we had an hour-long appointment to discuss all possible options and outcomes.

Hannah was always prompt and clear with follow up phone calls.

Dr. Reichman is probably the best doctor I've ever had. He is not only extremely knowledgeable and skillful as a physician, but is also a highly effective communicator. He made sure I was fully informed at every step of the process and laid out pros and cons of every decision, including financial considerations (e.g. when deciding on next steps, he explained what he would recommend if money were no consideration and what he would recommend given the cost, and then left it up to me to decide what made the most sense for my situation).

Prepare questions in advance of an initial consultation or longer follow-up appointment. Morning monitoring appointments are very quick and didn't allow much time for in-depth conversation, though he never made me feel rushed and answered any questions I had then too. Email him directly any time you have additional questions. He typically responded to my emails in less than 24 hours.

I did four unmedicated IUI's with an HCG trigger shot using donor sperm. During monitoring for the 2nd IUI, Dr. Reichman noticed on the ultrasound that I had a potential mild hydrosalpinx, which had not shown clearly on the HSG I had done. We had a long appointment to discuss options and decided to do four IUI's and then move on to IVF. Dr. Reichman gave the option of surgery for the hydro, but said it was not required in my case. I did an IVF cycle with 8 days of stims (Menopur, Follistim, and starting on day 4, ganerelix as an antagonist). My body was very sensitive to the stims and my estrogen shot up, so Dr. Reichman had me on very low doses throughout and had to adjust my dosage more frequently than usual. Because of my high estrogen and large number of follicles, we used a Lupron trigger instead of HCG. Specific dosages are below. CD 2 - 125 follistim, 75 menopur CD 3 - 125 follistim, 75 menopur CD 4 - 75 follistim, 75 menopur CD 5 - 50 follistim, 75 menopur, 1 ganerelix CD 6 - 50 follistim, 75 menopur, 1 ganerelix CD 7 - 50 follistim, 75 menopur, 1 ganerelix CD 8 - 92 follistim, 75 menopur, 1 ganerelix CD 9 - 42 follistim, 75 menopur, 1 ganerelix CD 10 - 1 ganerelix, lupron trigger CD 11 - no medication CD 12 - egg retrieval - 24 eggs retrieved, 18 mature, 15 fertilized, 11 5-day blasts for PGS-testing, 4 PGS-normal embryos, 3 mosaic embryos

Monitoring at Tribecca was a well-oiled machine - I was always in and out in less than 30 minutes and often less than 15. On the UES (weekends), it felt a bit more like a cattle call - so many people in the waiting room and often long waits.

IUI's were mostly covered by insurance, aside from $25 copay for each appointment (including monitoring) and $125 for trigger shot. In total, I paid about $300 each IUI. For IVF, the total cost was about $20000 (including PGS-testing), almost all out-of-pocket. Medications were an additional $2000. Each frozen transfer will be another $4500 (or so).

Dr. Reichman strongly advised a single embryo transfer given my age. I agreed with him.

In general I found my experience to be positive. They see a high volume of patients but I've never had issues with wait time, they have convenient morning monitoring hours and it was great to be able to go to the UES or Tribeca office for my monitoring. I appreciated the calls from my nurses with instructions and next steps but feel as though email communication could be helpful in communicating medicine dosages, next appointments, etc. The billing was definitely a bit of a mess and I never felt like I had a clear understanding of what I was being billed for.

Dr. Spandorfer isn't the hand holding type but I appreciated his warm personality and light humor. He was positive, empathetic and helped make a stressful and emotional process a bit easier. He doesn't always explain next steps thoroughly but was always willing to answer questions or elaborate if I asked.

I had two unsuccessful IUIs before moving on to IVF. My first retrieval resulted in 26 eggs that became 13 embryos. Due to my age and good test results Dr. Spandorfer did not recommend PGS testing. We did one fresh transfer which resulted in a miscarriage and then 3 frozen transfers before getting pregnant. Each time we did natural FET cycles. I'm now trying for my second and after doing 2 natural FET cycles from frozen embryos from my 1st cycle, I did another retrieval that yielded 31 eggs and resulted in 17 embryos. This time we did PGS testing and have 7 high quality embryos. We have transferred 4 of those in 3 different FETs, 2 natural and 1 medicated cycle and have yet to be successful.

$10,500 - IVF Cycle (Not including PGS testing or ICSI if needed) $2,630 - ICSI $4,260 - Frozen Embryo Transfer

Dr. Spandorfer recommended eSET but after a few failed transfers he supported our decision to transfer two embryos.

Dr. Melnick's office is great, in a convenient location and runs on time. Unfortunately the procedures take place at the Center for Reproductive Medicine, which is huge and does feel like a factory. Dr. Melnick did not actually perform any of my IUIs, and the location of the hospital is not convenient. This was not properly explained to me at my initial visit, and I didn't know Dr. Melnick would not be doing the actual procedure.

She has a kind and friendly manner and tailored the treatment protocol to my specific situation, and advised against more aggressive treatments that she didn't feel were necessary yet.

I only interacted with Dr. Melnick's primary nurse over the phone. All of our interactions were perfectly pleasant, but it can take some time to get them on the phone (you usually have to leave a message and get a call back by end of day). Sometimes I got a call back from her AFTER the receptionist had left, so if she told me I needed to make an appointment for the following day, I was unable to.

She is young and relatable, so it feels like you are speaking with a friend and makes the whole process feel a little more personal and less clinical. She was kind and compassionate, though sometimes it did feel as if the appointments were a bit too quick and slightly rushed.

Make sure to ask for the follow-up steps for this cycle, as well as what you should do if the cycle is unsuccessful. If the cycle is unsuccessful, you will have to be proactive in making your next appointment on the right day and ordering any medicines to ensure that you have them on the day that you need them. There really isn't a lot of follow-up in between cycles, maybe because they have some veteran patients, so after my first cycle, I was a bit disoriented as far as next steps.

Because my labs were good, my age is "young" for the clinic, and I had given birth less than two years prior, she wanted to be very conservative and initially recommended IUIs without medication because she didn't want me to end up with twins. Neither was successful, so I then tried a third IUI with Clomid, which was also unsuccessful.

It was about $1,200 per IUI. My insurance should have covered my doctor visits and ultrasounds, but they took it out of my deductible.

n/a

Dr Davis is great and very knowledgeable. Be your own advocate with the nurses and ask questions. When necessary ask them to double check with the doctor. The billing department is inefficient and annoying.

Dr Davis was always knowledgeable About my situation. The nurses did not seem to always be knowledgeable and i felt like a number with them.

They have made mistakes. Often i ask them to double check with dr Davis and their directions would change as a result. They did not seem to be able to answer my questions. Generally unimpressed. I had Katie last time and i thought she was on top of things. This time the nurses keep changing and i have not being impressed.

I would 100% recommend him if he had a different staff. He is always knowledgeable about my situation, answers my questions and seems to be on top of his game. Usually he calls me back immediately. Once i had been notified of a chemical pregnancy but he didn’t call me until Monday (i asked to speak to him Friday morning).

Be your own advocate with the nurses. Get the plan from dr Davis and question the nurses if they are incorrect or if it was different than the plan dr Davis mentioned.

First time i got pregnant in 2016 after a natural cycle iui with estrogen priming for an ivf cycle i did not need to start because i was pregnant. I then did 3 natural cycle iuis (because it was successful the first time). Started Estrogen priming for ivf but had to Stop protocol Because i had a positive pregnancy test. Turned out it was a chemical pregnancy. Starting ivf next cycle.

He was out of pocket. So expensive

The people are very compassionate and friendly. I feel everyone there is competent at their job. I am always able to get an appointment when I need it. The fertility process is very time sensitive, so I really appreciated the coordinators making sure I get the correct meds at the correct timing. The only weakness, is it can be difficult to get someone on the phone if you have a question. I usually have to leave a voice mail, and then they call me back a few hours later. It would be much easier if they communicate via email, since I can not always get to my phone if it is a busy work day.

Dr. Goldschlag always asks how I'm doing and gives thorough explanations of treatment and option. I always feel like he is doing what is in my best interest. He has never pushed ivf treatment like some other doctors might do because that is where the money is.

She has been very organized and thorough. She was able to communicate with my insurance so I had a clear understanding of what part of the treatment is covered, and what I should expect to pay for. There was no surprise bills. She has also been helpful in letting me know what is the next step in procedure such as when to get blood work, when to take meds, etc.. The only negative I can say, is it can be difficult to speak with them on the phone. There is some phone tag. It would be much easier if they can communicate via email.

Dr. Goldschlag is very mild mannered, soft spoken, and always asks how I'm doing. I am 40, and have been trying to conceive for 1 year. He did not jump to ivf, he first made sure my body is in the best condition it can be to to conceive before proceeding with further fertility treatment. Since I have hypothyroid, he had to make sure it is at optimal level. He has also surgical removed a polyp in my uterus, which has been blocking egg implantation. It is something my regular obgyn failed to inform me about. I have now done 1 round of IUI, but has failed. I will continue 2 more rounds of IUI before moving onto to IVF. He does seem to have a full schedule so appointments can be quick. I sometimes have to rely on his assistant to explain the next steps.

Don't wait! I waited a bit to go to a fertility doctor because I did not want to be pressured into ivf. But, that was not my experience at all with Dr. Goldschlag. I wish I had seen him sooner so I can understand what is going on with my body. My only other advice is to ask a lot of questions. He gives a good explanation of your fertility plan, but the steps you need to take such as when to get blood work, when to take the drugs, and etc.. sometimes needs to be clarified.

His treatment made sure my body is in the best condition it can be to to conceive before proceeding with further fertility treatment. Since I have hypothyroid, he had to make sure it is at optimal level. He has also surgical removed a polyp in my uterus, which has been blocking egg implantation. I have now done 1 round of IUI, but has failed. I will continue 2 more rounds of IUI before moving onto to IVF.

The costs you are responsible for really depend on your insurance. I had to cover cost of sperm washing for IUI, which was $375. Other then that it was just co-pays. The coordinator was very helpful in informing me what is covered. And, if it is not covered giving me alternatives labs to use for some tests that are not covered.

Weill Cornell is unlike any doctors office I've ever been to. It is clean, everyone is extremely friendly and remembers your name, and they are always on time. I never waited more than five minutes in the lobby before being taken back to the exam room.

Dr. Reichman remembers every detail of his patients' life and their cycles. He is friendly but not fake, which I appreciate.

The entire nursing staff at Cornell is amazing - they are caring, take the time to walk you through every detail of your protocol and answer any and all questions you have.

Dr.Reichman is friendly, easy to talk to and caring, but also very to the point, which is so important to me. He doesn't beat around the bush and explains every possible outcome in detail, which is so important throughout this process. He is also sarcastic and cracks jokes - SO needed with all the stress infertility brings.

He is blunt at times - some people might not like this, but I really do. I want to know the good and the bad, with nothing sugar coated.

Our first round was just Clomid, taking 50mg per day. My body responded too well to the medication and we had to cancel due to three matured follicles. The second round, we reduced the dosage of Clomid to two days of 50mg then three days of 25mg. My body did not respond enough, after the 5 days of Clomid, we didn't have any mature follicles. At that point, we added in daily Menopur injections. We did about 10 days of injections, at differing dosages, which Dr. Reichman adjusted day to day. We had two mature follicles, which was great, but unfortunately my estrogen had dropped to basically zero over 24 hours between injections. We decided to trigger ovulation and see what happens. Unfortunately due to my low estrogen the cycle did not work. We are now starting a third cycle of Menopur injections and hoping we can get my body to ovulate with the perfect amount of follicles. If that doesn't work, we will move onto IVF.

My insurance covers all infertility treatments, except IVF, so luckily everything up to now has been covered. My only costs are my regular copay for office visits and medication.

N/A

I trust the technical expertise of the Weill Cornell Centre for reproductive medicine completely. I trust their research and methods and skills at performing procedures. I was very happy with all procedures performed by the team of doctors including IUI, egg retrieval and transfers. On the other hand, the administrative/ billing team was not familiar with Aetna insurance which led to multiple, time wasting, and high stress instances of the admin team incorrectly telling me I was responsible for meds out of pocket when in fact I was 100% covered. At one point i was on vacation to de-stress from the cycles and them emailed to tell me i would be responsible for bills of $10k for medication - this was incorrect due to poor research on their part. (Dr. Reichman actually volunteered to help get it sorted by reporting the errors to the head of the Weill Cornell insurance billing team, who then worked with me directly). I also had billing issues, receiving bills for thousands of dollars, when I had already paid for a complete IVF package in full. This all got rectified, but was extremely time consuming and stressful.

Dr. Reichman formed a relationship with us, asked after my husband on the occasions I had solo appointments. He was extremely responsive on emails, days, nights and weekend. He offered sincere condolences when cycles were not successful.

My main nurse coordinator, Hannah, was very helpful with treatment and appointments and trying to resolve issues with my insurance coverage. The IVF training nurse was excellent, helpful and compassionate also. And the nurses that drew my bloods each day were skilled, gentle, upbeat and friendly.

Dr. Reichman performed a thorough work up of both me and my husband. He explained the tests. He was very friendly and we looked forward to our visits. On the occasions that I was particularly hormonal/emotional/struggling with what felt like a long period of treatment he was not overly supportive. I felt he was more comfortable at appointments if my husband was present. As part of treatment there are a lot of transactional ultrasounds and I found that he (as well as other male doctors) are less gentle than my subsequent experience of female doctors. That said, I fully trusted Dr. Reichman to get us the result we wanted - without question - and therefore was fine with the minor discomfort.

If patients have worries about treatment or symptoms during treatment I recommend framing the question to Dr. Reichman as “this is happening - is this because of the fertility treatment or does this pose a challenge or risk to my cycle?”. Dr. Reichman is not a primary care physician so if any symptoms are not a result of, or will impact fertility treatment he will direct you to your regular doctor.

Gonal-F 900 IU Menopur 75 IU Cetrotide 250mcg HCG shot Lupron 2 week kit Progesterone in oil Medrol Z-pac

Timing was convenient - early morning before work. Wait times were not an issue. Equally, I called once to say I was running late due to a subway breakdown and they calmly assured me I would be seen no problem when I would get there. If I had too many questions for a morning monitoring appointment, Dr. Reichman would arrange to see my husband and I later that day.

~$28k out of pocket

Dr. Reichman strongly encouraged elective single embryo transfer. I was happy with this approach.

They have an excellent lab, are organized. Definitely felt like a number in the NYC office, but the Mt Kisco satellite office was much more personable. Often very long waits for monitoring at the NYC upper east side and a complete cattle call. Monitoring hours were 7-9am which was tough for me to make.

Dr Elias frequently checked in with me and was always very quick to respond to my emails. More to the point, when my ivf cycle failed he left me a voicemail and expressed his sympathy. During our follow up appointment soon after, he was caring, but also realistic presenting all the facts.

The nursing staff in NYC upper east side was very busy and I felt like just a number - which was fine. I had most monitoring visits in the satellite office in Mt Kisco and the nurse there wasn’t too friendly not talkative, but she was overall ok - that didn’t bother me.

Dr Elias is extremely intelligent and knows his stuff. Among other tests, he did a HSG and felt one of my tubes was questionable and told me I would need a lap. However, when the radiologist read the images, the radiologist read them as normal. Dr Elias then said we should hold off on the lap and try some clomid cycles, some with IUI. They didn’t work and finally I told him I wanted the lap and to move to ivf which he agreed to readily. Turned out my left tube was completely blocked, Black, twisted, a total mess and had to be removed. I wish Dr Elias had been more aggressive and gone with his gut feeling after the HSG that the tube was not right and recommended a lap from the beginning (which I would have been fine with) - especially since previous to developing the tube issue developing, I’d always gotten pregnant on the first month of trying (although many ended in miscarriage). I wasted 7 months and a large chunk of my insurance money on IUIs and clomid cycles that were never going to work with that tube. At the age of 42, the wasted 7 months was the hardest to swallow. Shortly after tube surgery, i had a failed ivf cycle, but then got pregnant naturally 2 months later. With that said, Dr Elias knows his stuff and is a kind and caring doctor - wish he’d been more aggressive particularly with my age.

If you want to try something other than what Dr Elias suggests, bring it up - you don’t always need to follow his advice. He is pretty amenable to doing what you want at the end of the day. He was even willing to work with a reproductive immunologist (Dr Braverman) and make changes to the ivf protocol that I suggested.

2 clomid cycles with timed inter course. 1 clomid cycle with IUI. 1 ivf with estrogen prime, menopur, gonal-f, cetrotide - produced 9 eggs, 4 fertilized, day 3 fresh transfer of 3 embryos (bfn) and the other 2 embryos didn’t make it to feeeze.

NYC Upoer east side was a cattle call - I only went there on weekends and would sometimes have to wait 2 hours With every seat taken in their extremely large waiting room. Mt Kisco Office was much better, much more personable with sometimes no wait, and never more than 45 Min wait.

They were covered under my Fertility insurance, but the costs at Cornell are very high. About $15K per cycle plus then add on service - freezing, ICSI etc

Dr Elias said with my age, 42, he recommended day 3 transfer of 3-4 embryos to give me the best chance of pregnancy (embryos do better back in the body) and PGS testing on remaining embryos to freeze.

The Tribeca office of Weill Cornell CRM is a hidden gem. The facilities are new, the waiting room is never packed, and the front desk staff are wonderful. My husband and I visited the main office on the UES once, for our IUI, and it was a night-and-day contrast to Tribeca - incredibly crowded, seemingly somewhat dated, and huge. Given the large number of doctors and patients, I would be surprised if they are able to support the same continuity of the Tribeca office (as in, always seeing your doctor for each monitoring appointment, which was amazing!). I suppose if there is one downside to the Tribeca office, it is that on weekends, holidays, and for procedures like an IUI or embryo transfer, you will need to visit the UES location.

Dr. Reichman knew exactly where we were in our treatment cycle, every time he saw us. He needed no prompting about any of my personal details, or what our plan was. And when I had emotional moments, the level of compassion he showed me was well beyond what I expect from even the best-trained medical professionals..

I didn't have a great deal of interaction with the nursing staff, as I did not undergo IVF. I called a few times with questions, and they were very helpful in their responses. I wasn't assigned a specific nurse, but when you start treatment at CRM, you receive contact information for your specific doctor's team, including nurses whose duties are divided and specified. The nurse I typically reached out to (based on these descriptions) was frequently out of the office (it was during the summer, so this may not be the case year-round). When I left messages on Dr. Reichman's general nursing line, however, they were always quick to call back.

Dr. Reichman was, in short, a dream to find, in a city full of top REs. From the moment we sat down in our consultation, it became clear that he was not only an excellently trained physician, but was also passionate about his specialty, and sincerely empathetic towards his patients. This combination allowed me to truly relax and leave myself in his hands (e.g., no more endless googling!), in a way I never really did with my first doctor, and I think that made a difference in our outcome, if only by improving my mental wellbeing as we went through our cycle. We saw him at every single monitoring appointment, and when questions arose, I emailed him directly, and heard back without fail in a few hours or less. From what I understand from friends, these are unique qualities to find in a doctor at the top clinics in NYC, given the huge numbers of patients they churn out. In short, even before our first (and only) cycle was finished, my husband and I were thrilled with the level of care we received from Dr. Reichman.

If you find yourself overwhelmed by science or statistics, don't be afraid to ask questions. He will respond with patience and kindness.

We saw Dr. Reichman after completing four cycles with another doctor. On the surface, Dr. Reichman kept the same protocol, as I had a good response to the drugs: 5 days of .5mg of letrozole, an HCG trigger shot, and an IUI. My monitoring appointments at CRM, however, were much more frequent. I believe we had four or five ultrasounds before Dr. Reichman decided I was ready for the trigger shot, which ultimately took place a few days later in my cycle than previous treatment. This meant my uterine lining was thicker than it had ever been, and we had one great sized follicle plus another potentially mature one. He also timed the IUI differently than my previous one - this IUI took place about 28 hours after the trigger shot.

My husband and I had recently moved and were waiting for our new insurance to kick in during our cycle with Dr. Reichman, so we paid entirely out of pocket. Our costs were about $5500. This included our initial consultation and baseline ultrasound, required blood work for myself and my husband (Hep B/C, HIV, mumps, etc.), three monitoring ultrasounds, the IUI, two pregnancy blood tests, and five OB ultrasounds. Because we were paying out of pocket, Dr. Reichman charged us a reduced rate for everything outside of lab costs.

This is a highly professional organization. I would recommend this clinic to anyone in the area. They know what they doing. Trust their process. It works well. The wait time to see the doctor or have blood taken was very short. They were very responsive to questions and returned calls quickly.

Dr. Reichman was very caring through out the process, familiar with the specific facts of my case and my concerns, and willing and ready to answer all my questions.

I was very impressed by my nurse Hannah Giamo and all of the nursing staff. Everyone was very knowledgable, responsive, caring and kind.

Dr. Reichman is very knowledgeable and caring. He made sure he understood my husband and my concerns, outlined all the options, and guided us to choosing a strategy that best suited our needs. He is very on top of the latest developments in this field of medicine. I also liked that I saw him on each visit. He kept me informed and made the process as smooth as possible.

I recommend him without hesitation. Trust his advice and the process.

I learned to my surprise that I had a low egg reserve for my age. I would like to have multiple children and Dr. Reichman proposed doing IVF as soon as possible, genetically testing, and freezing the embryos. This proved to be a good option for me. I am pregnant now and have embryos stored as well. I am hopeful that I will get to have multiple children as I wanted. I took Follistem, Menupur and Ganirelux.

The monitoring hours were in the mornings. I went in and then headed to work. They were efficient and I never waited very long to be seen or to have blood taken. They have a nice waiting room and very friendly front desk staff.

Since the embryos were genetically tested, we only did a single embryo transfer.

Amanda runs the office very efficiently and compassionately. She makes sure that we are well informed and cared for every time we visited the clinic. Amanda and the clinic staff are the main reason the clinic runs so efficiently. Whether it is the appointment schedule or billing queries she ensures all our questions are answered promptly. Shannah and others in the clinic made every visit easy for us. They always greeted with smile and compassion and make the start of your day and IVF journey cheerful. Shannah remembers everyone's name and greets them in a personalized way making the connection very honest and authentic. We have rarely sat at the reception not knowing when our turn will come, overall a great experience right from Dr. Reichman to Hannah to Amanda and others

Right from the first time we met Dr. Reichman, he came across as a good and caring human being himself. He had our best interest in mind and devised a treatment plan to help achieve our goals. He has always been kind, compassionate and extremely well read which gives one tremendous confidence in his abilities.

Nurse and nursing staff were always available for any questions. We got prompt call backs for our daily monitoring results as well as any ad-hoc requests we had. Hannah always had smile on her face when we interacted with her, made us feel warm and welcome. Hannah's approach is very similar to Dr. Reichman in terms of compassion and care.

Dr. Reichman is the most extraordinary doctor and human being we have ever met. In a difficult journey of Infertility, you cannot find someone better than Dr. Reichman to be on your side. We wish we knew about him when we started this journey three years back. Right from the first time we met Dr. Reichman, he came across as a good and caring human being himself. He had our best interest in mind and devised a treatment plan to help achieve our goals. He has always been kind, compassionate and extremely well read which gives one tremendous confidence in his abilities. Compared to our experiences with other top doctors and fertility clinics in New York, Dr. Reichman has set a benchmark of care, treatment, knowledge, compassion and effectiveness which in our opinion is hard to beat. He is always two steps ahead in the treatment plan. He is very efficient and always gave us ample time during each visit. Our appointments were always on time and he was fully aware of our current and past medical data to make the most accurate decision on treatment plan. We highly recommend Dr. Reichman.

Start your journey with Dr. Reichman, it will only get better. He is direct in his communication which in our view is very helpful. Go to him!

Low dosage gonal F and Menopur followed by cetrotide with HCG and Pregnyl trigger.

Very efficient and smooth

comparable to other fertility clinics in new york

Being one of the best clinics, it's also one of the busiest. It's not the place to go if you need hand holding. Patients do not have any contact with the Embryology Lab which I found frustrating at times, but rest assured they are top notch. Dr. Palermo, the developer of ICSI is the Director of Andrology Lab here. Your doctor can also contact the lab for any specific questions you may have. Morning monitoring hours are extremely busy. I went between 6:30am-7:30am every morning to avoid waiting and I preferred the Tribeca location. You need to be extremely proactive with your insurance and coverage, especially if you need anything from the Pre-Certification team, who were not very responsive and often times dropped the ball.

Dr. Reichman always responded promptly to emails. There were many ups and downs during this process and he took time to have multiple sit downs to regroup and strategize throughout the process. I felt like he genuinely cared about our case.

Hannah was my primary nurse, but you will often have a different nurse call you each day. At first I was weary about speaking with a different nurse each day, but they are very well organized and able to answer all your questions.

I've been seeing Dr. Reichman for almost a year now. We did multiple rounds of Clomid and Letrozole, 2 egg retrievals and 1 embryo transfer. I am currently 12 weeks pregnant with my first child all thanks to Dr. Reichman! After trying Clomid and Letrozole for a few months, I was eager to begin IVF. I would like to point out that Dr Reichman did regard me as one of his more challenging IVF patients. I'm very petite with PCOS and a very high AMH so I had to be carefully monitored while stimming to avoid OHSS. I saw Dr. Reichman every day for nearly 2 weeks and he was very good about explaining what the different levels from blood tests meant and his strategy for setting the dosage of meds each night, even during the holidays. As all readers will be aware, this process is very involved and quite intense, and I definitely felt that Dr. Reichman was with me all of the way. I was 35 at the time of my first retrieval and I have to say I thought we would be done after a single egg retrieval since my AMH was so high. We were disappointed when the numbers quickly dwindled from eggs retrieved, to mature eggs, then fertilized, to the ones that made it to day 5. We were only able to get 1 PGS normal embryo from the 18 retrieved eggs. I knew Dr. Reichman was disappointed as well. He outlined what we might try differently if we chose to do another retrieval and was always optimistic he could give us the family we wanted. Not that I had any reason to doubt Dr Reichman, but more because of the time and money involved, I sought a second opinion. I met with another renowned clinic and the doctor there actually said my protocol was excellent and that she would not have done anything differently to Dr. Reichman. That doctor also said Weill Cornell is an excellent fertility center. That was very reassuring and we decided to do another retrieval with Dr. Reichman. I began Metformin (even though I don't have diabetes, some say it helps with egg quality in PCOS women), weekly acupuncture, and drastically changed my diet. I waited 4 months in between egg retrievals since it takes 90 days to recruit a primordial follicle. The second retrieval resulted in 2 euploid and 2 mosaic embryos. With 5 total frozen embryos, we decided to try a frozen embryo transfer. I am currently 12 weeks pregnant and looking forward to seeing Dr. Reichman for the next FET. The ART process is very complicated and there were so many things I had questions about. Dr. Reichman patiently helped me weigh the pros and cons of each decision and he went out of his way to treat me and put my mind at ease. We are very grateful to him.

The morning monitoring sessions go quickly. Do your research and have all your questions ready to go. Weill Cornell is one of the best and therefore one of the busiest clinics.

Few months of Clomid with trigger shot, then Letrozole with trigger shot (no IUI). Very low dose follistim, menopur, ganirelix for egg retrievals with all Lupron trigger to avoid OHSS. Letrozole to prep for FET followed by 10 weeks of progesterone suppositories.

Always go between 6:30-7:30am to avoid waiting and crowds. Front desk demeanor at the Tribeca location was always very pleasant. Tribeca office a much nicer experience than UES office.

Base price approximately $17,500 for an IVF cycle before cost of ICSI, embryo storage, anesthesiology fee, hospital fee and meds. There are also a series of tests needed prior to starting IVF that can add up. Total price varies for each patient and I would say ours was between $22,000-$30,000 for each round of IVF with an insurance ART life time max coverage of $10,000, which was of course maxed out within the first IVF round.

Others have said it and I agree. Cornell is a well oiled machine. I don't think I've had to wait more than 15 minutes to be seen for monitoring. I've found every doctor and nurse at Cornell to be genuinely kind and compassionate. Only once did I meet a doctor who seemed to be in a rush and that was Dr. Spandorfer. He wasn't unprofessional, but he seemed rushed during my ultrasound and didn't count or measure as many follicles as the other doctors. I have heard that the labs at Cornell are among the best. I have confidence in the labs, doctors and nurses at Cornell.. Cornell also does day 3 transfers and will transfer untested embryos. A friend that went to RMA said that they only transfer PGS tested embryos for women over 40. The main weakness is that everything is communicated over the phone whereas online or email would be more efficient and if you have a question for the nursing staff, you need to leave a message for them to call you back. Also, not sure other clinics do this, but the day after your trigger shot, you need to go to the York Avenue office for pre-op at 6:30am which is very early since my trigger shots were usually 11pm to 12pm.

Dr. Pfeifer is a kind and compassionate doctor.

The nursing staff at Cornell is excellent, particularly at the Tribeca office. You are in great hands.

Dr. Pfiefer is compassionate and a good communicator and she’s made adjustments to my protocols to improve my cycles. My obgyn recommended that I see Dr. Reichman or Dr. Pfeiffer for IVF. Dr. Reichman had better reviews but his assistant never called me back, so I ended up seeing Dr. Pfeifer. At 40 years old, my AMH was 2.29 and my FSH was 7.18, so we thought it would be ok to start with 3 IUI. My first two IUIs were unsuccessful. Dr. Pfeifer then found a small fibroid which she removed surgically. I thought this might be preventing me from getting pregnant so we tried 2 more IUIs which were unsuccessful before moving on to IVF. I’ve done 3 ivf cycles using the antagonist protocol, with adjustments and significant improvement with each cycle. For IVF#1, I had 5 follicles and 7 eggs retrieved, 7 mature, 5 fertilized, but there was fragmentation with most of the embryos. For IVF#2 (four months after IVF#1), I had 9 follicles and 7 eggs retrieved, 5 mature, 4 fertilized but the quality was much better – no fragmentation. For IVF#3 (seven months after IVF#1), I had 9 follicles and 16 eggs were retrieved, 13 mature, 12 fertilized and 6 made it to blastocyst. Two were transferred on day 5. Four were PGS tested: 2 normal and 1 mosaic. So far I have had a favorable experience with Dr. Pfeifer. At some point, I asked Dr. Pfeifer if DHEA supplementation could help and she was neutral on it, she said the research isn’t conclusive but it if I wanted to it wouldn’t hurt. I ended up doing my own research and taking DHEA as well as other supplements and my cycles have improved the longer I have been taking the supplements, although I'm not sure if it is the DHEA or something else. I am personally doing a lot to try to improve egg quality, as far as diet, exercise, supplements, acupuncture, yoga, meditation and herbs and educating myself about avoiding fertility harming toxins, and having emotional support of close friends (who have gone through IVF) and family. My second and third cycles were also a lot easier for me mentally since I had been through it before and knew what to expect and was much more adept at administering the medication.

Dr. Pfeifer is a great doctor and you are in good hands. My advice is more in general about IVF: Be sure to have a lot of support from friends and family. Take time to nurture yourself, and educate yourself about IVF so you know what questions to ask. Take the time to educate yourself on what diet, exercise, lifestyle and supplement changes you can implement to improve egg quality because there is a lot you can do. "The Infertility Cure" and "It Starts With The Egg" are good resources. The CCRM fertility supplement list is also helpful.

IVF#1: For my first round of IVF, my protocol was 325 to 400 iu Gonal-F for the first 5 days, then 250iu Gonal F, 150iu Menopur and 1 vial Cetrotide for the next 5 days, and HCG trigger on day 11. I only developed 5 follicles, mostly on my left side, which was not as good a response as we thought I’d have. However, Dr. Chung did my retrieval and we were able to get 7 eggs. All 7 eggs were mature, 5 fertilized and we transferred 4 embryos on day 3 by Dr. Schattman. Dr. Pfeifer said that most of the embryos had fragmentation, so it would be best to transfer them on day 3 since it didn’t look like they’d survive to day five. The four that were transferred were one 10 cell, and three 8 cell. One of them was grade 1.5 (which is the highest) and the other 3 were grade 3 which are “so-so” quality. The cycle failed and I spoke to Dr. Pfeifer about what we could do to improve the next cycle. She said it was remarkable that all of my eggs were mature, even though I had some follicles under size 10 and 11 and that she’d trigger me earlier next time, with a lead follicle between the size of 16 to 17, since my eggs appear to mature at a smaller follicle size. She said she also would have me start Menopur sooner. She explained that they aim to have 90% of the eggs be mature. She said this could help with the egg quality because if you are triggered too late the quality could decline. Later on in my research, I learned that there are studies proving that older women usually do much better when they are triggered at a smaller follicle size. IVF#2: I started taking micronized DHEA (25mg 3x a day) along with other supplements 2 to 3 months before my 2nd IVF. I also saw a fertility acupuncturist 1 to 2x a week who prescribed me custom herbs to take before and after ovulation, did yoga regularly, and I tried to cut down on exposure to bpa/phthalates/fragrances, the use of household plastics and plastic food containers/water bottles. I had a better response for IVF #2. My protocol was 300iu Gonal-F and 150iu Menopur daily, with Cetrotide added mid-cycle. When I triggered, I had 9 follicles (6 on the right and 3 on the left) – which was 4 more than I had with IVF #1. On the morning of my trigger my follicles on the right were size 17.8, 16.8, 16.6, 15, 14, 11.4, and on the left they were size 15.3, 14 and 14 and my E2 was 1944. However, only 7 eggs were retrieved by Dr. Kang. 5 of the eggs were mature and 4 fertilized but they didn’t have the fragmentation that embryos had during my first cycle. All four were transferred on Day 3 and Dr. Pfeifer did my transfer. We were hopeful, since all 4 embryos were graded 1.5, which is the highest grade, but I didn’t get pregnant. I met with Dr. Pfeifer and I asked her a lot of questions, such as should I be tested for natural killer cells, should we test for dna fragmentation, are there any other tests I should do and should I try an ultrasound guided transfer. She said she didn’t believe in natural killer cells and didn’t think any other tests were needed. She said she didn’t think an ultrasound guided transfer would make a difference, but we could do it next time. Also, she said she was happy with how my second cycle went and would keep my protocol the same, except she would have me use the Estrogen patch before my next cycle. IVF#3: I had my 3rd cycle of IVF two months after my second cycle and it was the best so far. The number of eggs retrieved doubled, and the number of fertilized eggs tripled compared to my previous cycle. My protocol was the same as IVF#2 except I took the estrogen patch 6 days before I started stims, changing it every other day. My AFC on day 1 of my period was 12, with 6 follicles on the left and 6 on the right. After 10 days of stims, the morning of my trigger I had 9 follicles, 4 on the right (size 16.3, 16.2, 14.5, 12.5) and 5 on the left (size 17.6, 16.8, 15.2, 17.5, 14.6). My lining was 11-12 and E2 was 2440. I was triggered with 5,000 HCG. Dr. Kligman did my retrieval and 16 eggs were retrieved, 13 were mature and 12 fertilized. This was amazing considering I never had more than 7 eggs retrieved or 4 eggs fertilize. Dr. Pfeifer was surprised with the results since my response was significantly better with virtually the same protocol. This was the first time I had enough eggs to push to day 5. On day 5, I transferred 2 blastocysts grade 3AB and 2.5AB via a fresh ultrasound guided transfer by Dr. Chung, with a visiting doctor from Taiwan present. On day 6, I was told I had four extra blasts which were PGS tested. Two weeks later I was told that 2 were normal and one was mosaic, and I had the option of knowing the genders. Unfortunately, the fresh transfer was not successful but I am feeling hopeful after my recent follow up appointment with Dr. Pfeifer. She said she expects a 60% success rate for each frozen embryo and would recommend a single embryo transfer, and she is encouraging me to do a number of tests that should improve my chances for success. I did a lot of research on questions to ask and tests to do after a failed IVF cycle. I asked if I should do a saline sonogram (to check for fibroids), hysteroscopy, endometrial biopsy/scratch, endometrial receptivity array, and be tested for an infection or blood clotting disorders. Dr. Pfeifer said I should do an saline sonogram (between day 6 and day 10 of my cycle) and depending on the results, we would or would not do a hysteroscopy. She discussed the endometrial biopsy/scratch and endometrial receptivity array and said that it could possibly aid in implantation. However, since I had irregular cycles in the past, I would need to do a mock cycle with estrogen and progesterone prior to doing this test, so I'd have to wait another month before I could do this test since I need to start taking the estrogen on day 2 of my period. She didn't think I was not getting pregnant because of an infection since my white blood cell counts are normal, but she agreed to have my blood tested for clotting issues. She was so pleased with my improvement in more than doubling the number of eggs retrieved and the significant improvement in egg quality that she took notes as I shared with her what I did differently. I told her that I continued with acupuncture and yoga which I strongly believe contributed to stress reduction, and that my husband also made positive changes in lifestyle and also took supplements which I found supportive. I shared with her a very long list of supplements that I had been taking after the first failed cycle, including 500mg of Ubiquinol, 100mg of Pycnogenol, 75mg of DHEA and several others. I stopped taking certain supplements during stims and in the two week wait. I continued to try to avoid exposure to bpa and other toxins. I started doing more cardio and meditation, changed my diet to include more protein and good fats and less carbs and less gluten when possible. I also incorporated more warm, cooked foods, especially vegetables and bone broths. I tried to keep my carb intake under 40% but it realistically ended up in the range of 35% to 45%. I cut out caffeine except for chocolate. I had dark chocolate frequently and I cut down on alcohol except for a few glasses of wine on a few occasions socially. Dr. Pfeifer believes that diet, exercise and sleep are all very important to one's overall health and she encouraged me to keep doing what I am doing.

A well oiled machine. At the Tribeca office, I usually arrived between 7:45am and 8:10am and I never waited more than 15 minutes. Usually it was 5 minutes or less. At the York Ave. office, I usually arrived around 7 to 7:30 and the wait was also minimal. I learned my lesson that if you arrive after 8am at York Ave. you may need to wait a long time.

4 rounds of IUI plus 2 rounds of IVF totaled $48,000. I paid about $13,000 out of pocket after $35,000 in fertility benefits/insurance was used ($25,000 for treatment and $10,000 for medication). Note that fertility medication for the first round of IVF cost approximately $11,500 with insurance covering the first $10,000. When you use insurance, the prices of the drugs are somehow inflated. For the second round of IVF, I purchased the same amount of fertility medication, but since I was paying out of pocket, it only cost around $4,000 instead of $11,500. I do not have the total costs for the third IVF cycle yet.

For a 40 year old woman, she would recommend transferring up to 4 embryos for a fresh day 3 transfer (untested), up to 2 on a day 5 fresh transfer (untested), and 1 PGS-tested normal embryo for a frozen transfer.

The clinic moves quickly. This is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good if you need to get to work, but bad if you don't want to feel like a number. Always be prepared with your questions or you will be rushed out the door.

Dr. Goldschlag is a very kind doctor and will answer any questions, but you have to ask the questions or your time with him is limited and not filled with much information. At each appointment he scrolls through your files quickly, before speaking to you. It made me feel like he wasn't very familiar with my case. It would have made me feel more comfortable if he did that before entering the room or at least explained what he was looking at and why to make me feel more at ease.

There is one nurse who is not very compassionate and extremely rude on the phone. She talks quickly and becomes irritated if you ask questions for clarification. She acts as if you should know and understand everything she is spitting at you. My first interaction with her was very unpleasant and I hung up crying. I left a message for a call back, because you never get a live person, and she never called me back, which was extremely stressful with the time sensitive nature. I then had to wait another month, which was fine because she stressed me out so much, I felt completely overwhelmed and needed to take some time to process everything. Every interaction with her has been unpleasant and I have felt dismissed. I explained to her that I needed a specific pharmacy for my insurance to cover the medications and she claimed, "We never had that conversation." My prescription was called in to the specific pharmacy, after being called into a different one, so obviously we had a conversation about it. She was very curt on the phone, which makes a stressful time even more stressful. She was also very rude with me when I asked if my file mentioned to try and call after 3:00pm, because I'm a teacher. She made it clear that that's not always going to be possible. I said I understood that, I just wanted to know if it was in my file because I had asked the doctor's assistant to make a note of it. She is so quick to talk over you and doesn't hear what you're asking. She has taken an already stressful time in a woman's life and made it much more stressful, which is terrible. Just because she deals with this everyday and it is easy for her, she needs to understand that this is overwhelming and patients have questions. It was a very upsetting experience. That being said, Dr. Goldschlag's assistant, Shanise, is lovely and has gone above and beyond to make sure my questions get answered and that I feel comfortable with the process. I mentioned my interaction with the nurse and how upsetting it was to feel invisible and dismissed and she really stepped up and has helped with the process. She told me that I should always contact her directly and she will get my questions to the right place and get back to me with the necessary information. After our conversation I even got a call from the doctor, which I didn't even ask for. It remains stressful that no one answers the phones and you need to leave a message, but Shanise will get back to you within 2 hours.

Dr. Goldschlag is a very kind doctor. He is very quiet when he talks. That quietness and calmness definitely puts you at ease a bit, but with all of the machines running, it can be difficult to hear him at times. He doesn't explain much or provide you with much information other than, "You'll hear from a nurse later with instructions." If you have questions, he will answer them and give you the time you deserve, but sometimes on the spot it can be overwhelming and you're not necessarily sure what your questions are. I wish he was more thorough when in the room, so that questions didn't arise when you left because getting in contact with a nurse, or him, is difficult. You always get a machine.

Come prepared with questions to avoid playing phone tag. Also, have patience because you will never get a live person on the phone. You have to leave a message and receive a call back. If answering the phone at your job is difficult, this can feel very stressful.

My cycle hasn't started yet, but I have been prescribed: estrogen patches for before my period to suppress my ovaries Gonal menopur HCG Leuprolide z pack Cetrotide

Should be around $10,000

It is a very well run place, where you truly feel like you are in the right place to accomplish your goals. The atmosphere can be off-putting at times, and the nurses may not be exactly how you want them to be, but at the end of the day it is a place where I feel my dreams are possible despite our fertility challenges.

Dr. Goldschlag himself is extremely nice and sympathetic to the challenges one faces during this time. Although he is not particularly mushy or compassionate, he does come across as very very understanding and positive. My husband and i found his positive energy to be quite infectious. Even when he had to break bad news, i felt that he was holding my hand through it and validating my emotions. However- the overall feel of the Cornell Reproductive office is very much like a factory, causing you to feel like a number. Although the nurses are nice, sometimes they seem like robots and i felt like i was bothering them whenever i had a question. It often feels like you are just a box they are checking off their list. Dr Goldschlag makes you feel more human, but for the rest of it you tend to feel like a number.

I have a hard time with them. I always feel like i am bothering them, and when they call me with results or instructions I'm just another thing on their list to cross off. I wish I was given one person to reach out to from the very beginning (not just for those who are on IVF...anyone going through this needs help not just IVF patients) who would make me feel comfortable and free to ask any questions to.

He is so positive that it really causes you to become just as positive as well. Its not "if you get pregnant", he says "when you get pregnant". He is very calm and very honest. You can really tell and feel that he wants to hear what is on your mind and how you are coping. He takes the time to explain every thing about the process to you and calls back his patients. No matter how big the matter, he wants you to feel that you can reach out to him no matter what. The only negative is that he isn't overly friendly with his patients. Your relationship with him is strictly about your goal, with minimal small talk. He shows his sympathy as best he could and you can tell he is trying but he would not be described as a warm doctor.

Be prepared for the atmosphere of the office. You feel like a number in a fast paced factory and that s just the way its gonna be.

I was put on the estrogen patch to help my ovulation window be extended during the diagnostic tests and processes. There hasn't been much other treatment involved as we quickly learned my husband has male infertility and the only option for us would be IVF which isa journey we have not yet embarked on.

It is very expensive and insurances usually do not cover fertility associated treatments

I like the fact that the clinic has multiple locations so it makes it easy to go to the daily appointments. I like that there are many nursing stations to take bloodwork but also wish for a bit more privacy.

When I had one on one meetings with Dr. Pfiefer, she always made me feel like a human and not a number. She was attentive and up to date on what was going on with me. When I dealt with the nurses at time, I felt like a number.

For the most part, the nursing staff was good overall. It was nice that someone (not the main nurse) would call you back in a timely manner. There were a few times they did not call back or forgot to after some results but it wasn't during the IVF cycle. The only issues I really had was trying to have the nurse understand the prescriptions authorization process which was different than just sending it to a pharmacy, etc.

Dr. Pfeifer has a very direct approach to explaining things with good bedside manners. There were times where I felt she could do better in explaining the whole picture or long term impact of my treatments. For example, when she mentioned harvesting more eggs sooner rather than later, I didn't realize the long term impact and timing of all the IVF cycles

Be prepared with questions but also asking about the timing of each treatment plan.

1. Both IUI used Clomid and HCG shot - negative pregnancy results 2. IVF Cycle 1 & 2 use the same protocol except cycle 2 had 1 day less on hormones Gonal-F - Total 900IU - 4 pens: 450mg for 4/5 days then decrease as close to retreival Centrotide - 6 Kits Menopur - 10 vials Chorionix Gonad (HCG shot) 3. IVF Cycle 1 resulted in 2 frozen transfers (1 embryo at a time), both transfer took Progesterone vaginal inserts - both transfer resulted in negative pregnancy 4. IVF Cycle 2 was a Day 3 fresh transfer so took Progesterone oil. Transferred 3 embryos, pregnant with 2 and miscarried at 8 weeks

There was a set time for monitoring and bloodwork. You learn quickly what times to go in and to avoid due to "morning traffic". It was fine and the timing was ok that I got to work on time.

My out of pockets cost for 2017 was $14,366. Healthcare benefits was exhausted since last IVF. Medications ~$5,000 out of pocket IVF Fees ~10,000 out of pocket (last IVF I paid $5000 out of pocket as benefits were exhausted) PGS Fees ~2,000-5,000 (depending on number of embryos tested) 1st IVF, I paid for 7 embryos to be tested and did not have any tested on 2nd round Hospital Fees ~1,000 (paid twice for each egg retrieval Other Dr Visits/Lab Work ~2,000 out of pocket after insurance

Because I have never been pregnant before, my hormones levels and reserve was good, my doctor suggested to transfer 1 embryo at a time. Looking back, I would have transferred 2 (because that is all I had at the time). I ended doing a fresh transfer with 3 embryos in my 2nd IVF cycle.

Cornell is truly one of the best. They are efficient, they are friendly, they are professional and they get results. If you're looking for hand holding, this isn't the place to get it. The nursing staff is overwhelmed, so you have to be persistent. They don't use email, which can be really annoying if you have a quick question. I found the doctors to be cutting edge, thoughtful and very professional. I really appreciated that they don't take a one size fits all approach and tailored the protocol to me and my specific challenges. After seeing 2 other doctors at 2 other practices, Cornell was the only place where we ended up having success.

While Dr. Schattman has a ton of patients, he made a real effort to do my scans each morning, especially since we were from out of town. he answered all of my questions, even when rushed, and always called me back within 24 hours.

While I theoretically had a primary nurse, I spoke to someone different every other day. There was very little continuity in terms of my nurses, which was frustrating. If I left a message for a specific nurse, someone else would call me back. i felt like I had to stay on top of every detail b/c none of the nursing staff was consistent who I was dealing with.

Dr. Schattman, while very busy, was always responsive when we reached out to him--and had a very concrete plan in place for me within 20 minutes of us meeting. He tailored my protocol to me, instead of just doing the same thing he does with every patient, which I appreciated.

Come prepared with questions--appointments go really quickly and Dr. Schattman will be in and out super quickly. He's not going to take 20 minutes to chit chat with you. if you have questions, make sure to have them ready to go when you see him.

Monitoring appointments were surprisingly efficient--The earlier you arrive at Cornell, the faster you'll get through monitoring. Since we were cycling out of town, getting results from our DC clinic to NY seemed way more challenging than it should have been. But once we got to NY, everything ran pretty smoothly. I never had to wait more than 30 minutes or so in the morning, so getting to work on time was not an issue.

We paid out of pocket for this cycle--as we had maxed out our insurance allowance of 25K. The medication was around 5K plus another 13K for the IVF cycle (including monitoring, hospital fees, ICSI, embryo freezing). For our frozen transfer, we spent another 4K for the actual monitoring, medication plus an ERA which Dr. Schattman wanted us to do before the transfer.

Dr. Schattman allowed us to decide whether to transfer 1 vs. 2 embryos--he gave us the pros and cons and I appreciate that he gave us all the information we needed to make the decision.

Clinic is clean, up to date, and you are in and out in 10-15 min. Sometimes you have to go to there uptown office and they are just as fast. There is a nurse always available if you need to speak to one.

Dr Reichman has excellent bedside manners. He makes sure his patients are comfortable. He does not sugarcoat anything and gives you realistic outcomes.

Nursing staff was very helpful and always a phone call away. They always called you when you went in for monitoring that day.

Dr Reichman is always reachable via email which is great. He will answer you within 24-48 hours. He is compassionate and understanding. His approach to treatment is very straightforward and he explains everything step by step. He is a wonderful doctor

If you have any questions, even if you feel they are "stupid" questions, don't hesitate to ask. He will always answer. No question is stupid when dealing with infertility

We started with IUI first, On my second IUI cycle i was pregnant with multiples but miscarried 8 weeks later. The Dr was very hopeful that of we did more IUI's we might have another chance. I took clomid every cycle. Finally after the 6th cycle we decided the next step would be ivf. The Dr explained the entire process, medications and adjusted during the cycle if needed. Daily monitoring at the office was required to see how well i was progressing. I am currently in the 2ww. If the Dr doesn't reach you his nursing staff always do.

IUI was covered under insurance but ivf fresh cycle ranged from $10-12,000. Additionals would be icsi ($2,500) or assisted egg hatching ($1,800), also PGS testing varied ($3,000-8,000)