Anate Aelion Brauer

The absolute best thing I can say about Dr. Brauer is that her bedside manner during procedures was UNMATCHED. I mean, talk about someone helping you to feel more calm, at ease, comfortable, and prepared! She 100% loves the surgical aspect of her work, it shows tremendously, and your safety during these procedures is of the utmost concern to her. She takes that role very seriously, but to go a step further and ensure your comfort as well, says a lot about the kind of medical professional that she is. I will 100% miss having her perform any future transfers or retrievals. That must be said. Dr. Brauer is intelligent, aspirant, tenacious, and stays up-to-date on information regarding reproductive medicine and is an active member of ASRM and ACOG. Like most physicians, she makes sure that you know these things about her. She is not shy about her credentials (as well she should not be). Albeit being confined sometimes to protocol, she will listen and work with you towards a treatment you feel you are a co-conspirator to, but to a point. While we felt a part of our treatment decisions, it was not without difficulty and push back, sometimes resulting in very tense follow-ups. Dr. Brauer will give you her time, yes. That is another wonderful quality. Sometimes she will give it eagerly, and other times may feel more obligatory. She will, however, always take the time to answer your questions, but do note that if your questions challenge her methods or the protocols, expect to be met with some tension, dare I say attitude about it. If you are coming from a place of researched information, email it to her, provide that clinical study you're referencing, otherwise, it will sound anecdotal and it won't be taken seriously. There was one occassion that Dr. Brauer returned our after hours call to help us with our concerns regarding a trigger shot for our second retrieval. Since the first had failed due to mistimed trigger, we were nervous and did not agree at all with the dosage we were given. She called, spoke to us directly at 9PM in the evening, changed the dosage and we had a successful retrieval. Despite the critical things I've had to say based on our experience....she is THAT doctor - the one that will show up for you if she likes you and/or has something to prove! Stay within her good graces, and she's phenomenal. Our experience with Dr. Bruaer turned sore when we opted not to PGS test our embryos and endured two miscarriages, one of which was an abnormal embryo (Trisomy 22) and the second of which we are still awaiting results on. The foundation on which we were building our medical professional and patient relationship began to see some cracks as our transfers kept resulting in positive pregnancy, followed by miscarriage. It felt obvious to us that these stats were not good for the clinics overall numbers and any zest to fight with us for the family we so desired began to look more like exasperation. Additionally, since we do not pay out of pocket and are covered fully by insurance, we always felt like we were not their ideal patients, and treatment was varied based on this.

I would advise to stay within her good graces, because that is when she is the best doctor anyone could ask for both professionally and emotionally.

I came to SGF in October of 2020 after preterm labor at 18 weeks resulting in loss. After several months of monitoring my beta, a Saline Sonogram was finally done by another doctor within the practice to determine why my HCG would not drop below 5. A very small, microscopic protrustion was seen, possibly leftover fetal tissue, which Dr. Bruaer suspected may be the cause, but would not be an interruption for IVF treatment, and so treatment finally began in the new year of 2021 with a new deductible :) I was told my numbers were great, my retrieval would be textbook. I had an AMH of 3.48 and a cohort of 13 or so follicles (6-7 on either side). We began with one week of Alyacen birth control to stabilize my ovaries, followed by a moderate IVF stim cycle using Gonal F and Menopur (exact dosage: 150 Gonal F, 150 menopur). On day 5 of the stim cycle we introduced Cetrotide once a day in the daytime. Monitoring showed that I was responding perfectly to the stimulations, the follicles were growing synchronously and everything was moving along in "textbook" fashion. By day 10 of stims, I noticed watery discharge. I brought this to the attention of my nurses and Dr. Brauer on day 12 of stims when I had a huge gush of watery discharge which was very unusual for me along with dizziness and stomach troubles. No one seemed concerned. They advised these symptoms were normal. The discharge continued until retrieval day. We stimulated for 12 days. Then, I was given a trigger shot of Ovidrel (standard unit dosage) 36 hours before my scheduled retrieval. I went in for monitoring 12 hours after the trigger shot. I had very bad stomach pains by then. I notified the nurse. Again, no one seemed concerned, and so I assumed these were typical symptoms. By the morning of the retrieval I was in excruciating pain. I could barely sit. I could hardly walk. My ovaries were in severe pain, but also the top of my stomach. It did not feel normal, but I had nothing to compare it to. Dr. Brauer was not available for my retrieval, as she was away. My retrieval was performed by Dr. Singer. I have nothing good to say about Dr. Singer what-so-ever. The retrieval was a failure. Despite having 30+ follicles measuring synchronously, at least 20 of which were measuring 14mm or more prior to trigger, Dr. Singer was unprepared for my retrieval, coupled with ovulating too early. It was as if he had not even looked at my charts at all based on his replies to my spouse post retrieval. He was only able to retrieve 2 follicles. The nurse that was in the room with him said it appeared as though I had already ovulated. We know in hindsight, this is exactly what happened. Both follicles were mature, and fertilized, therefore we knew we could rule out empty follicle syndrome, but neither made it past the cavitation state into blasts. Fast foward to retrieval #2. No longer willing to work with Dr. Singer at all, who told us that if Dr. Brauer thought we would have better results than the 2 follicles obtained, she was mistaken, Dr. Brauer promised to perfom my retrieval and stood by her word. The protocol was longer, Alyacen birth control for 16 days, followed by 14 days of stims, introducing cetrotide again on day 5, but halfway through, Menopur was dropped to 75 ml vs. 150, and cetrotide doubled on day 9. We agreed to administer a mixed trigger shot of .8ml Lupron and 1500 HCG intramuscularly. Retrieval took place 36 hours after. I felt 100x better than the first time. I knew for sure then that something had gone wrong that first time and it was related to the trigger shot. The second retrieval was successful, 17 follicles collected, 15 mature, 12 fertilized, and 8 frozen (not tested). Dr. Brauer did say it was the second most difficult retrieval of her career due to my anatomy and the left ovary being wedged between two fibroids that measure about the size of the ovary when it's dormant. Our very first FET was a natural cycle since I ovulate regularly on my own. Alyacen birth control to manipulate timing due to a death in the family followed by monitoring natural ovulation cycle. PIO shots for 6 days, followed by transfer and continuation of PIO shots. Tested positive with HPT as early as day of. Beta confirmed positive pregnancy 9DP5DT w/ Beta at 288. At 8 week ultrasound, fetus measured behind, by 10 weeks, no cardiac activity and a D&C was performed at the clinic. Second transfer, also natural cycle, this time with a trigger shot, PIO shots for 6 days prior - implantation failure, Beta was 1.68 Third transfer, also natural cycle, trigger shot, PIO shots for 6 days prior to transfer, Positive HPT 7dp5dt, and Beta was positive but low on 9DP5DT at 30. fetus measured behind at 8 weeks. D&C performed outside of the clinic.

There is so much untapped potential at many of the larger clinics to find ways in which they can personalize treatment for the LGBTQIA+ community. The demand for fertility treatment is increasing. More queer people are seeking treatment rather than spending time, effort, money on at-home inseminations. The numbers would improve exponentially if that very community was not shuffled into this mix of predominantly infertile heterosexual women and given the same formula for success. Dr. Brauer, while seemingly open to same sex and queer fertility treatment, does not go out of her way with any particular nods of support or proclimations of being supportive of the queer community. There is a level of respect from her though.

Monitoring at SGF Manhattan was made easy. The hours generally go until 10AM, but on occassion, when necessary and if it could be accomodated, you could be seen until 11AM (though not preferable). This was a huge convenience for me and my long commute to the clinic and work hours. In addition, the monitoring hours are performed within a window, so while an appointment is advised, you could, if you had to, just show up.

We had a high duductible every year, and sometimes it seemed like the clinic tried to hold off on our procedures that could have taken place end of year when insurance would fully cover them for the new year. That aspect was definitely questionable, or just coincidence. However, our insurance covered the majority of the costs associated with our IVF retrievals and transfers. I do not recommend having genetics testing post D&C done with SGF who use NATERA. I would advise against it. We are still disputing charges with them and they are not efficient or helpful at all. As far as the out of pocket costs with SGF, I did look to see what our insurance was billed vs. what was paid, and the OOP expenses are definitely competitive. They are not as pricey as some other clinics, but not on the lower end either. They are average costs for IVF. However, SGF does offer programs that could be very beneficial for those paying OOP such as shared risk.

Dr. Brauer follows the recommendations set forth vby ASMR for eSET. In my particular case, due to PPROM, we never were keen on implanting more than one embryo at a time both because I was successfully implanting and wanted to give each embryo a chance on its own, but also because of the risks of a twin pregnancy with someone who already suffered PPROM at 18 weeks. However, I do believe if we sincerely wanted to and were okay with it, Dr. Brauer would have okayed multimpe embryo transfer of our untested embryos.

We went to Dr. Brauer after repeated failed IUI (4 times), and IVF (3 times) at a different center where the last cycle resulted in an ectopic pregnancy. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility but seemed according to the embryologist unable to grow day-5 blastocytes. My wife was 37 and I was 47 at the time. We were desperate and had mixed expectation when we first reached out to Shady Grove. We were at a point in life where we had to consider backup options in our fertility journey. At first consultation, Dr. Brauer quickly put us at ease through a frank but encouraging assessment of our situation and a sound proposed path forward. She was warm, direct and transparent (which we desperately needed after multiple rounds of disappointment). We followed her advice with 2 wildly successful egg retrieval. That turned into 4 good quality frozen PGS normal day-5 embryos and 3 low-grade mosaics, one of whom is happily with us in a healthy week-13 pregnancy. Dr. Brauer is energetic, knowledgeable, and communicative. She gives honest feedback and is there to listen and support. She truly cares about her patients. Compared to multiple doctors (from other centers of excellence) we had before, Dr. Bauer has IVF expertise and clinical intuition head and shoulders above her peers’. She is supported by amazing staff (e.g., Debs) and embryologists (George) who are compassionate, caring and truly do magic. We cannot recommend her and her practice enough to other couples going through this challenging fertility process. Dr. Brauer and her office can be the long-awaited hope you have been looking for.

~15K

She's very cheerful and positive, but at the same time give you a realistic expectation. She does speak very fast, which sometimes make you feel like you are being rushed, but seems that it just the way she talks, because she always answer your questions thoroughly.

She tends to talk fast when explaining things. So, if you need time to digest, make sure you ask her to slow down.

We did 3 IUIs with clomid that were unsuccessful. We move forward with IVF cycle with birth control pill, that resulted in 1 aneuploid embryo, and 1 highly mosaic embryo after PGS test. So, we decide not to proceed with transfer, but did another IVF cycle. For the 2nd IVF cycle, dr. Brauer modified the protocol to Estrogen patch protocol, and this time we got 1 euploid embryo. The embryo was transferred, and I'm currently, 28 weeks pregnant with a baby girl!!

Monitoring hours are between 7 - 9 AM. It can get very crowded in the morning, but I don't have problems during my time there. The longest I've waited was about 30 minutes, and that wasn't very often.

Based on the insurance billing, looks like IVF cycle is about $10-11K per cycle, not including the medications. Medications is around $4-6K per cycle.

Dr. Brauer would prefer eSET.

From day one, I felt that Dr. Brauer listened to me and reviewed my chart from the other hospital. She kept adjusting and tweaking my treatment plan (protocols) throughout the year that I worked with her. She was warm, kind, compassionate and sincere. She was a shoulder to cry on with bad news and the person screaming the loudest with good news. I was beyond fortunate to have met her. Her dedication to helping people get pregnant is evident. She called with most of my results and I appreciated that.

Luckily my IUI were covered and I had 3 IVF covered with insurance. I only had to pay for copays including office visits and medications.

I was an older patient and the rationale for single embryo transfer was explained in detail with me- ie risks to the mother and baby. In the end, I only had a single embryo to transfer.

Dr. Brauer is confident and backed by credentials. I appreciate her directness and ability to be aggressive. But for me, I felt like my diagnosis and treatment was all following a protocol without a real consideration for my unique situation and reaction to meds. I've gone through each cycle with a lot of doubt about it actually working... and as someone paying 100% out of pocket, it is a tough decision to continue coming back without the confidence that Dr. Brauer is considering me, specifically, as a patient.

Don't be afraid to keep pushing back and asking questions, even if Dr. Brauer acts like your question is silly.

Dr. Brauer used very standard protocols to induce ovulation. She started me with Clomid + Ovidrel + IUI + endometrin. Then, because my lining was thin switched me to letrozole + Ovidrel + IUI + endometrin. When I asked to try a timed intercourse cycle, she only recommended letrezol because "I would ovulate on my own" (which I didn't) we also used 1mg Estradiol to improve my lining, starting when my follicles were >14mm. In that final cycle I never ovulated and she recommended I consider IVF. None resulted in pregnancy.

About $3500 for an IUI cycle. $4500 for my failed cycle with extra monitoring.

From the get go I felt like Dr. Brauer was the right doctor for me. Everyone in my life tried to get me to go to NYC but my gut (which is very accurate) always felt confident in Dr. Brauer's care. Her personality made me want to grab a cup of coffee with her yet her brilliance was evident. Dr. Brauer called me personally for my exciting positive pregnancy test and my disappointing news of a chemical pregnancy. Both times she shared in the emotion of the call, super excited for the good news and leaving me with a positive outlook after the bad. I have trusted Dr. Brauer's game plan implicitly and have complete faith she will get me pregnant. I have and will continue to refer Dr. Brauer to anyone who is looking for a doctor with the total package, great personality and brilliant.

Be present through the fertility journey ..take one day at a time

So far I have done 3 iui. Each with clomid and ovidrel trigger shot. I usually have about 3 mature follicles. One IUI resulted in a chemical pregnancy.

So far my appointments were mostly co pay only with the exception of the actual IUI which I believe was $725...IVF is $10,500

I really felt that Dr Brauer was personally invested in getting me pregnant. She hugged me before the retrieval and again after the positive pregnancy test. She shared details of her own story that put me at ease and allayed my fears. We had a very straight forward and successful IVF, but her upbeat attitude told me that even if we had a setback she'd have a plan b and another path to success.

Working with her office means taking some appointments with other doctors in the practice and they do not all have her bedside manner.

I had a 100% tubal blockage after a ruptured appendix and subsequent abdominal infection. There was no discussion of IUI or other treatment options. I began with 10ish days of birth control, then began a stimulation cycle of gonal and medipure. I had an hcg trigger, a successful retrieval of 11 eggs, which developed into 9 initial embroys and four 5 day embryos. We transferred one fresh embryo and froze the other 3 for the future. The transfer was successful and i am now 9 weeks pregnant.

The office feels very private. There were rarely more than 1 or 2 other people in the waiting room when I was there. I rarely waited more than 10 minutes to be seen and once they called me to say the Dr. was running behind and to come later. They didn't want me to sit in the waiting room for an hour so they let me reschedule for later the same day which I really appreciated. Monitoring was fast and I expected it to be a bigger time burden than it really was.

I believe the total cost was close to $20,000 (including drugs, copays, egg storage, etc), but fortunately our insurance coverage was substantial and our out of pocket was less than $5,000.

Absolutely loved Dr. Brauer and I've already recommended 4 friends to her who are currently undergoing or starting treatment. I am a very busy career lady myself as is Dr. Brauer so I really appreciated how she is no-BS and very direct. Loved her honesty throughout the whole process. I was over the moon at the results at the end which in part was because she managed my expectations the entire way through. She really does care and when I freaked out right before the retrieval she was concerned and took time to calm me down. All in all a very positive experience with great results for my elective embryo freezing!

Go to her! I started out at another popular clinic with a different doctor and did not like their energy. Made the switch right before injections and SO happy I did!

Costs for treatment and procedure, anesthesia, medicine at outside pharmacy (this was the big one - about $22k since I went through insurance), PGS genetic testing and storage.

Dr Brauer didn't make me feel valid in my concerns or disappointment. Seemed solely focused on pushing additional cycles without explaining my current protocol. Often felt I had to chase the clinic for additional details and never felt certain who i was supposed to direct my questions to.

If you're looking for someone to sit with you and champion your journey, would not expect this here.

Did not include cost for storage/medications

When I first went to Dr. Brauer I wasn't sure exactly what I needed but I just had had a miscarriage and wanted to know all my options. She was extremely friendly and walked my through all of my options. She was supportive and friendly throughout everything.

I had 1 medicated cycle of clomid

insurance covered the majority.

Dr. Brauer made the experience of starting our family an amazing journey. She was compassionate about our "two mommy" home and supportive of our journey. She always answered our questions, big or small. In addition, she was available as our cheerleader and supporter, as well as the person to guide the whole process. When we found out we were pregnant, we were emotional that Dr. Brauer would not be part of the rest of journey but grateful that she made our dreams come true.

Paid majority out of pocket for the IUI process; was able to use insurance coverage for basic office visits and coverages.

Dr. Brauer has a great bedside manner. She is always on time and, I’m my opinion, was aggressive in her persute of treatment (in the best way). She explains each step and lays out all of the options available. She seems to really focus on individualize care and not just applying the status quo

Be ready to jump right in!

The first cycle was fully monitored. After that, we moved on to 5mg of Letrozole days 3-7. During the Letrozole cycle, we found out that my husband has a robertsonian translocation. Dr. Brauer left it up to us if we wanted to continue with the cycle naturally. Ultimately we decided to move forward and pursue IVF if this does not work.

So far, we have paid $715

She did many of my ultrasounds herself when she was in office, and always made me feel so comfortable. Specifically, before going into each retrieval surgery, she always put a warmed blanket over me and made me feel so safe and cozy during such a vulnerable moment. It’s details like that (just one among many) that make her stand out as a truly incredible human and doctor.

Trust her, she’s wonderful.

I was on Cetritide, menopur and gonal F. I also did BCP priming before my cycles and before transfer.

she is very clear with her explanations of what to expect and we worked as a team to come up with a plan that everyone was comfortable with. I cannot think of anything negative to say about her. I thought she was so great that we went to her again for baby #2

Ask questions!

I only had to pay a deductible and copays. The rest was covered by insurance.

She definitely preferred to transfer one embryo vs 2 but due to my quality she was comfortable transferring two.

She was the most kind doctor I have ever been to. I can't say enough good things about her and my experience. She held my hand throughout the entire experience and made me feel so safe. She was always available to speak with me and make me about anything at any time. Dr. Brauer is my most favorite doctor I have ever had and I’m so thankful to have met her.

Go to Dr. Brauer, she's the best!!

The billing department was very helpful and straightforward and worked with my insurance.

Dr. Brauer is an empathetic, kind and knowledgeable physician. She cares deeply about her patients and wants the best for them. While she has strong opinions about certain aspects of ART, she was open to my input as a patient and allowed me to weigh in on the course of treatment at certain points, which I appreciated.

Ask a lot of questions and don't be afraid to offer a counterpoint if you don't feel comfortable with what she is recommending for any reason.

I went through several medicated IVF cycles using my own eggs, but we never wound up with any normal embryos to transfer. We then moved on to donor IVF, undergoing a fresh cycle and then FET with one of the embryos that resulted from that cycle. This transfer was fortunately successful.

My insurance denied coverage for IVF with my own eggs, so we paid for a package of two cycles for about $35,000. We then enrolled in the shared risk donor IVF program (with FET) which cost $41,000.

To my knowledge I don't believe Shady Grove Fertility allows for multiple embryo transfer. I don't have a problem with this because I know multiple pregnancies are inherently high risk.

Again, Dr. Brauer was a caring and warm provider. I always felt like she was invested in what we were doing and in my results. She always took the time to answer my questions and clarify any confusion. She provided positive support while not giving unrealistic expectations.

I don't remember these details. I do know that she adjusted my protocol from cycle to cycle, and even within a cycle if it seemed necessary.

For four egg retrievals and one embryo transfer, we paid about $60,000. I believe $20,000 of this was for medication. It should be noted that this was with insurance coverage for the first two cycles, and one cycle where I spent significantly less than otherwise on medication because I had access to leftover medication from someone else.

This wasn't something we discussed. I had two viable embryos after 4 retrievals, and wouldn't have wanted to implant both even if she'd supported it. I do know that I'm already a high risk pregnancy so I don't expect that any doctor would have supported that choice.

Dr Brauer is one of a kind. She is a RE nerd, who genuinely enjoys the work and research she’s involved in. Upbeat and energetic, she carried me through some tough moments. Either Dr B or the doctor on call (Singer or later Setton) completed every single one of my ultrasounds. She called when she said she would and was easy to make an appointment with if I had a question during off times. Over 7 cycles, she learned my body, understood my reactions and adjusted to ensure we stayed on track. When she couldn’t be there, she gave specific directions to the supporting doctors and made sure my journey was always a priority.

Be clear with her about your fertility background, express yourself goals and ask her for her honest assessment. She’ll give it to you straight and base her guidance on science and research.

Antagonist approach. Some with estrogen priming (patch) and most without, once she realized my body responded similarly under both conditions. I started with lower meds (300 Gonal/ 150 Menapur) and finished my last 4 cycle with 300 Gonal/ 300 Menapur due to age and DOR. I produced more eggs than normal for my age but struggled with egg quality. She encouraged PGS due to age and insurance coverage and I trusted her the entire way. I completed 3 saline sonograms, one ERA and PGS testing on all 5 day embryos because she knew I trusted science.

I was covered primarily by insurance- both services and medication.

Due to PGS testing, we only transferred one euploid 5 day embryo

I have had an extremely positive patient experience with Dr. Brauer for the last 4 years. When I first came to Dr. Brauer I had experienced years of infertility including multiple failed medicated IUI procedures. Since my diagnosis has been unexplained infertility it was very difficult for me to grasp what could possibly be wrong. From the very beginning Dr. Brauer explained various options open to my husband and I, and thoroughly answered all of our questions and eased all of our concerns. She is very clinically knowledgeable, but also has a way to make you feel as if you are lifelong friends and put your worried mind at ease right away. I always felt very comfortable going to her with any concerns and she took the time to ensure I was comfortable with every step of our fertility journey. I completely trust all of her medical decisions and felt at ease during the medication process and procedures, outside of the normal nerves that follow any fertility treatment plan. I would highly recommend Dr. Brauer to anyone seeking fertility advice or treatment.

I would advise them to trust Dr. Brauer and keep an open mind during the entire journey. Fertility treatments come with a lot of emotion and its important to have 100% trust in your medical team.

Dr. Brauer is friendly and warm without ever being condescending or sugar coating. She takes a straightforward approach to getting the results but always listens to your concerns and adjusts as needed to suit you. She’s kind and always upbeat and never lets you get discouraged.

Choose Dr. Brauer. You seriously won’t find a better doctor or practice.

We did a standard egg retrieval and IVF from frozen embryo. We had planned to do a fresh transfer but Dr. Brauer saw that my hormone levels were not ideal so we delayed to a frozen transfer. She was very cautious with making sure everything was perfect for the embryo.

Treatment was covered by my insurance.

Due to my age and health she advised us to do a single transfer which made sense to us.

Dr Brauer is extremely caring, thorough, and patient. I trusted her medical advice and appreciated the personal connection and empathy that came with it throughout my journey. Dr Brauer always made sure my questions were answered and that we had spent time discussing options and next steps.

Not knowing what to expect when we set out on our fertility journey and being nervous and naive about what lie in store for us, Dr. Brauer took our hands and walked with us as we took our first steps towards parenthood. IVF can be an emotional journey full of ups and downs. Ours certainly was. But Dr. B served as a constant in our process, someone who fueled our hopes and helped us set realistic expectations. Part doctor, part counselor, part realist, and part fun aunt, Dr. Brauer was always what we needed her to be. Ultimately we couldn't have asked for a better reproductive endocrinologist. Now 16 weeks expecting, we're excited to meet our baby girl this summer. One day, we hope she'll get to meet Dr. B to celebrate the wonders of science and get to know the passionate professional who helped bring her into this world.

Antagonist Protocol [three rounds of IVF, typically between 13-16 days] Pre stimulations Estradiol patch Gonal-F 300 Menopur 150-300 Cetrotide 0.25 HCG 10,000 *Clomid in the last round

We switched to Shady Grove/Dr Brauer after a few unsuccessful attempts and we got a positive result after the first try! She is enthusiastic, smart, and caring. Her whole team was a pleasure to work with and I thought the office was also very modern, clean, warm and welcoming. Never waited long and they had effective communication either over the phone or through their portal. A great experience all around!

There was never more than 5 other women waiting for appts and the women who did my blood work were all very helpful and comforting and nice.