Benjamin Sandler

Dr. Sandler was warm and direct about our test results and gave us a clear plan moving forward. He answered all of our questions and did not make us feel rushed in our initial appointment. We have had a difficult time getting in touch with him due to Covid, but the staff at RMA have been very responsive and communicate between us and Dr. Sandler when we need more information about something.

Give as much background information as you can (how long you’ve been trying to conceive, what you’ve tried, tests you’ve had, etc.)

After 9 months of trying to conceive naturally, try three rounds of IUI. This includes day 3 labs, letrozole for days 5-10 of the cycle, mid-cycle ultrasound in preparation for ovulation, ovidrel trigger shot, sperm wash, IUI in office. Discuss next steps if three rounds of IUI does not work.

Have not yet received bill from insurance company, but up to 6 rounds of IUI are covered.

N/a

Dr. Sandler is an expert in this field, but lacks the human touch that people who must rely to IVF want to see in a doctor. He did not respect my feelings nor my time as a patient. The first round of IVF was very much of a trial with a limited number of eggs retrieved and transferred before reaching the blastocyst stage. As I agreed to do PGS for the second round, I received much more attention and information by dr. Sandler although he was never so positive it would work (while it did).

If you are looking for an empathetic doctor who is willing and able to listen, explore other options.

Monitoring rooms and machines were clean and well functioning. The main negative side was the lengthy wait, not only due to the number of people ahead of me, but due to dr. Sandler having one on one discussions with his fellows during monitoring hours which in one occasion resulted in making me (and other patients) wait 1.5 hrs.

I have a lifetime coverage that was used fully for 2 rounds of IVF. My extras included about 7000+ for medication, 2000 for freezing, and 3000 PGS.

Since I have not seen another doctor is hard to compare. Dr. Sandler to another one. He is very busy yet always professional, he will explain procedures in technical details if you ask or care, and answer your questions in a satisfactory manner, he is very straight forward and not "a warm" person but that didn't bother me. What did bother me is that he only changed treatment once and it didn't work as well (not his fault) and the fact that he did not consider that other results maybe possible to attain due to my age. I am seeing another doctor for a second consult, but I do believe that Sandler and RMA do things by "the book", especially for AMA /DOR and don't like to take risks, or try new things. He is knowledgeable and will make decisions based on facts (ie blood tests to confirm if ovidrel shot is needed and such) but that is also a very cookie-cutter approach, one size fits all. Not sure if the results would have differed if one of the variables were changed, since that didn't happen. I wish he was more open to trying new things or Ill ask if he has a reason for sticking to the method he thinks works best (which is the medically expected program for DOR). My advice is to not be intimidated and ask as many questions along the way as you need.

see previous, ask questions, ask why not.

I've done the standard DOR antagonist protocol, gonal f 300, menopur 2 vials for 4 days than increased to 3, with ganirelix once the leading follicle reached 16 mm, and ovidrel shot- Once we tried luptondown regulator that suppressed me too much so went back to antagonist with no birth control. out of 4 cycles, we are left with 2 pgs normal out of a total 12 embroys in 4 cycles. no changes to regimen was based on the fact that antagonist works best for DOR, estrogen has risen, and follicles were produced, yet the low results are to be expected due to aging

efficient, busy, could be really bad on the weekends- they are open almost 360 days out of 365 so thats a plus, but they are busy. location super convenient for me, and staff is helpful but busy

insurance paid some costs, and I ended up with most of it. it averages to $11-$12K when self pay and all included (isci,pgs etc)

RMA only does ESet for ama

Dr. Sandler seems to be very knowledgeable about his field and really cares about his patients. But his communication skills are a bit lacking. He seems to run the appointments with a clear formula in mind, most prominently considering what he thinks you need rather than answer your questions or listening to what your concerns are. We wouldn’t focus on the things that I wanted to talk about or I was concerned with but rather the things he thought we should be discussing.

Do research on your own and come with specific questions you want answered, and don’t be shy to jump in and ask them. Otherwise he will just do his spiel. Don’t expect to see him more than once or twice, but the whole team at RMA is nice and supportive so you’re in good hands!

We did six IUI cycles over all. The first one was unmedicated and failed. The second one was unmedicated with the ovidrel trigger shot and failed. The third through sixth attempts were medicated with letrozole and ovidrel trigger shot, all of which failed as well. We are now in conversation about moving to IVF. Dr Sandler has suggested not doing PGT testing since he doesn’t think I’ll have enough embryos given my low AMH level.

I paid out of pocket because I don’t have coverage (really, because my insurance plan is homophobic!). I paid $305 for each IUI and sonograms and bloodwork was additional but my insurance covered those. Medications were not covered (about $60/month) and neither was donor sperm ($950/vial). We are now discussing costs of IVF.

I did not do IVF yet.

Dr. Sandler always explains me for everything. And to the point. I get the result with satisfaction. Couple times he did ultrasound for me due to my poor egg quality, so he can decide that time what next step. For me it’s good, he take care of patient as a human. He can answer all my questions. I always happy with his answer.

Joan straight to the point

1st cycle , I took gonal F , menopur for morning and night. The day 2 showed up 4 eggs but in the day 5 all gone. And we canceled the treatment. 2nd cycle , Gonal F and menopur higher doses and not worked either. We had to cancel it again. My poor eeg quality didn’t respond to medication.

For the whole treatment around $11,000 not including the medication from the beginning to beta test. Unfortunately the refund my money since we canceled my cycle due to my egg not respond to medication.

I haven’t go through to retrieve yet. So I can’t comment anything. But from the beginning. He would do 2 embryos transfer not more than that.

I came with questions and he answered all of them. But I had very little interaction with Dr Sandler - except for my first consultation and retrieval. He seemed to have little time for me and didn't answer my questions. I went to him because an acquaintance recommended him, but I would not have chosen him on my own - I should have listened to my gut.

Don't go to him if you're older and have poor egg quality. He is of the philosophy that the more medicine, the better.

It was very cookie cutter Gonal F and Menopur, with higher and higher doses as my body didn't react well. There was no preparation of my body for the IVF, no estrogen patch. In fact, my FSH was very high during the cycle. So high that I told the nurse this seems wrong, but they insisted everything was fine.

It was a cattle call line, but I rarely waited more than 15 minutes. I was one of the first to enter, though.

My insurance covered most of the costs, except for a small co-pay.

N/A

Dr. Sandler is very frank and honest about his anxieties, which is wonderful but also doesn’t help a patient stay positive when we may already be feeling despondent. However, he knows his stuff and takes very seriously his duty to get women pregnant. I trustes he was doing his best. When his business office completely miscommunicated what the cost of our experiences would be, he gave us ‘professional courtesy’ (my husband was a PGY1 in the Mount Sinai system and had gotten an MD/PhD at Mount Sinai as I well), generously taking care of basically one frozen transfer cycle. He was adamant that he didn’t want the unclear finances to be the stressor. I will never forget that.

Ask questions and ask him to slow down if he is speaking too quickly.

I had good ovarian reserve and was 30, almost 31 years old, so we began with med to make me get a period, then letrozole with monitoeing, a trigger shot and timed intercourse. Because I had previously had a miscarriage at 10.5 weeks, he thought I could get pregnant again on my own. Letrozole was because it has less risk of multiples and less hormonal side effects. I got pregnant on our second round - a blighted ovum that we terminated with cytotec at 8 weeks. Because of this second loss, he suggested we do a immunology work up and we found that I heterozygous for factor v lieden with positive antibodies. I wish he could have recommended a hematologist who took insurance but he couldn’t. I found one and she was fine though didn’t think I needed blood thinners. I appreciated that Dr. Sandler insisted. We did an egg harvest, genetic testing, and FET to control as many variables as possible. I loved that he insisted the progesterone suppositories were just as effective and less stressful, and so I used those and estrace of course. First fet was a chemical positive. Second resulted in our daughter! I used blood thinners the entire pregnancy and will again next time as well. Folgard too!

Monitoring hours were 7-8:30am, I believe. They were first-come, first-served. During the week I would arrive at 6:45 and never waited longer than 45 min. Weekends would be a longer wait because I would get there between 7:30-8. I was usually out by 9 or 9:30, though.

Insurance covered most of us so I’m not sure. When they didn’t communicate clearly what our insurance would cover, we went directly to Dr. Sandler who provided us with a one-time ‘professional courtesy’ (my husband is also an MD) because he didn’t want stress over financials to deter us from focusing on the positive of a successful fet.

Given my age and history; Sandler recommended single embryo transfer. I am an identical twin and my mother was in the hospital for months with high blood pressure while pregnant. I 100% was thankful for Sandler’s honesty, thought, and opinion.

Dr. Sandler is a wonderful physician who really cares about his patients. I loved that he adjusted my treatment plan and when things weren't working out with one medication, we switched it. Dr. Sandler is proactive, not just reactive, which is extremely important in the course of fertility treatment. Although RMA is very busy and truly runs a large-scale operation, I found them to be extremely sensitive, considerate, and reachable. Dr. Sandler is an amazing physician but he is not exactly "warm and fuzzy," so I would keep that in mind if you are someone who needs a doctor who is more laid back. I found Dr. Sandler to be completely honest about expectations, while also maintaining a level of reassurance to me given my age and medical history.

If you see that the treatment is not going as planned, schedule a conversation with Dr. Sandler to discuss alternative options.

I have excellent insurance, so I usually had a $40 co-pay when I would go to RMA, but otherwise all of the procedures/blood work was covered. For the shots prior to the IUI, they were $60 each month (my insurance covered the bulk of it), and the medication Clomid/Letrozole varied between $5-$10 (my insurance covered most of it)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Sandler was mostly straightforward during my treatment. I did feel that there were times he overexplained things and didn't focus on the details I wanted to hear. However he answered all of my questions as they arose, and I did feel confident he had my best interest in mind. My treatments were a success with Dr. Sandler, and after 2 rounds of IUI and 2 rounds of full IVF, I am currently 18 weeks pregnant.

You will not be handheld, and you may have to ask for specifics at some points, but feel confident that he will get the job done.

We started with 2 IUI rounds on clomid. After no success, my FSH rose to 16 and Dr. Sandler explained it was time to move to IVF and be aggressive. First IVF cycle was the antagonist protocol and I retrieved 8 eggs, 4 were mature, and 3 fertilized. 2 made it to Day 5 and both were transferred, but they appeared to be of abnormal quality. I had a chemical positive that progressed no further. Second IVF cycle, I used the Lupron flare protocol. Dr. Sandler believed that I may have egg quality issues, so I took DHEA supplements on my own after asking him about it for 3.5 months first. Then I started the flare protocol, but only retrieved 5 eggs, and produced 1 embryo. However, that embryo was the "most beautiful embryo the clinic had seen all week" and they thought it to be of high quality. I am currently 18 weeks pregnant with a healthy baby girl.

First come, first served, from 7--830. There were always tons of women there, but only a couple instances where it wasn't moving efficiently enough.

Fortunately, insurance helped out greatly with my expenses. I still paid several thousand dollars out of pocket (maybe $10K).

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

Don't expect warm and fuzzy.

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

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

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

He is obviously a brilliant dude, but there were times I felt like he spoke down to me, as if I couldn't possibly understand the intricacies of ART treatments, when in reality I was reading academic journal articles regularly to try to know as much as possible.

Don't be afraid to ask questions because he will answer them.

1 Clomid cycle with IUI, 3 letrozole cycles with IUI, and 1 last letrozole cycle with TI (because I felt that we were headed for IVF anyway and didn't want to waste money on another IUI). Then, IVF/ICSI with PGS on antagonist protocol (preceded by 10-14 days of OCP), using max dosage of stims because -- as it turned out -- I have DOR! This was never verbalized to me until after the first cycle failed. Good thing I read all those journal articles because I had figured that out myself. The next cycle was supposed to be micro dose Lupron flare protocol preceded by OCP again.

I covered this earlier -- it is very busy during morning monitoring but they have so many phlebotomists that it takes no time to get blood draws done. Sometimes there is a minor wait to get twanded but I was never there more than an hour. Just don't expect to ask questions or get much information during the monitoring ultrasounds because they have to see a million patients in a row before and after you.

This is important -- they bill your insurance for a complete cycle, so if you don't make it to transfer, it is still billed as a complete cycle. I don't know if it is different for self-pay people. All told, we used up 8750 of our 10K insurance limit, plus another 4500 out of pocket for PGS, freezing (even though there was nothing to freeze), anesthesia, and extra meds beyond what our insurance was willing to cover ( I was on very high doses).

he was pushy and didn't listen. he made up his mind early and never made eye contact I never knew what to expect. when i finally got him to actually call me back he rushed me and treated me like i was an idiot. When i ovulated thru the stims he blamed me instead of the fact the monitoring doctor's should have caught the LH spike. A horrible experience.

change doctors. he's set in his ways and impersonal.

he used a standard antagonist high dose with no priming. I have DOR and a low AFC but he never explained his rationale. I couldn't even find out which protocol I was on till a few days before the cycle - there was next to no communication. I only produced three follicles but again he never told me what to expect and i never saw the same doctor twice so being in the dark completely was a horrible feeling during this process.

my insurance covered a lifetime of 20k. they used all of it and i never got to egg retrieval. a waste.

He is a great doctor, really smart and knows what he is talking about. I know is difficult for me to get pregnant and that sometimes is difficult to talk about it but he manages to explain everything in a way he makes me feel confident but also down to earth. Is difficult to explain.

Trust him and ask him as many questions you have.

There are monitoring hours Monday-Sunday. You came at your convenience. First come first serve. You came to the reception area, write down your name and wait to be called first to take your blood test and then for the screening. Sometimes it could be really crowded but the staff make it that you wouldn’t spend a lot of time waiting

Retrieving and 1 transfer around 15,000 Egg freezing around 1,000 year Transfer from egg freeze around 3,000 Something like that

Because of the fibroids I have I am not a candidate for multiple embryo transfer. This is something we knew since day one.

I wish I had seen a different doctor at RMA or gone to a different clinic. While I did get 14 eggs, I don't feel Dr. Sandler really took the time to personalize my care. I believe that with more personalized attention I could have gotten more eggs. Every time I saw him he was extremely negative and patronizing. It was emotional draining.

Don't see him.

I don't remember.

Monitoring appointments went ok if you managed to get there right when they opened. You would say a range of doctors, which was ok, and get blood drawn by different lab nurses. But if you get there mid-morning, you would have to wait for hours and people were very grouchy.

Egg freezing with the medication was about $8,000.

I don't know

He's a great doctor. Even during my initial consultation with him, I felt confident in him as my doctor and knew I could trust him. He showed me different statistics, but also talked about how my personal conditions could influence results. He gave me options, talked about what he thought would work for me and advised on how he thought I should proceed.

Don't be afraid to ask as many questions as possible. He's a great doctor!

He right away told me that with my conditions (mostly PCOS but also unexplained infertility) he suggested we move straight to IVF to increase chances of getting pregnant. He also gave me the option of doing more IUI treatments, but didn't think they would work for me. I chose to move on to IVF with him and am happy I did so.

The clinic is very well run. Monitoring appointments are very convenient as the clinic opens up early. If I came by 7 am, I'd be out no later than 8 each time, which gave me plenty of time to get to work.

He suggested to transfer 1 embryo at a time given my age and medical history.

Dr. Sandler is an expert in the field. He is honest and compassionate and kept me informed every step of the way. It is a very stressful experience as a patient with difficulties trying to conceive. Dr. Sandler navigates the stress while providing realistic expectations.

Dr. Sandler is amazing. Be patient with the size of the practice. He is worth the wait.

Several years ago i froze my eggs. When I was ready to conceive I did two rounds of IVF and was not successful. I then thawed my eggs and that procedure was also unsuccessful. I took several months off to regroup and went the egg donor route. He explained the entire process, the statistics and the risks. I now have a beautiful healthy daughter.

The window was convenient but it was terribly busy. Often times I waited an hour or more.

I paid for egg freezing ($10,000), IVF ($10,000 each time). Insurance covered $10,000 of embryo transfer with donor egg (which total cost was $23,000)

dr. Sandler was pretty insistent on implanting a single embryo.

I think Dr. Sandler was a very smart doctor who handled a pretty textbook case of diagnosed infertility very well. I was a VERY nervous patient, and he handled me well, was very honest and practical, and got me to where I needed to be. Sometimes I wanted more compassion, but also understood our goals were aligned, and he was doing everything he could to get me to where I wanted to be,

He is not going to hold your hand, but he will do whatever he can to get the best otucome.

Horrible. Very long waits unless there right when the doors opened. VERY long

Dr. Sandler made himself accessible for questions and to discuss changes in course of treatment, but did not present option other than injectables. Also, there was no sense of urgency in how I was treated or real discussion about the effects of time and delay.

Be proactive and push communication

Standard IVF with injectable medication because of age and ovarian reserve. One cycle was converted to an IUI due to minimal response to medication and overall coverage limitations of insurance.

Monitoring hours were a zoo

approximately $25,000

Dr. Sandler is very experienced. Because he sees so many patients for procedures, if you don't talk with him about everything you know and understand, he will start at the beginning to describe your issues. He tries to be realistic, yet hopeful, that you will get pregnant, but will also explain when there are problems.

Communicate often with the nurse coordinators because they are the ones who will answer your questions directly. If you're not getting the answers you want to hear, you'll have to press hard to speak with the doctor. Or else make an appointment to see him for a face to face consultation.

RMA-NY Shared Donor Oocytes with Cryo of embryos, including ICSI and embryology biopsy fee = $23,880. Additional $2000 for PGD/PGS lab screening. Subsequent FET cycle = $3450 ea. Medications extra.

dr Sandler is very direct, has an incredible human kindness never found in other infertility specialists; some times I did not like what I hear but he kept focusing me in the right direction we even decided to take a six month break that gave us the chance to come back with a successful treatment. he even gave me his cell number to make sure I could call whenever I wanted

He is very direct, and may not hold your hand as others, being a foreign physician (he was born out of the country) may have a different cultural background but showed genuine concern and has been known for not taking money out of people who have no chance to get pregnant.

he used a Pergonal Protocol, and then HCG on the day of ovulation, followed by retrieval and transfer

dont remember but considered fair and successful

He gave me a hope that we have age on my side I will def get pregnant. But then I didnt get pregnant and then had a chemical.he told me the changes that will happen in a new cycle.he had alot of information

Hes very scientific he gives you his opinion and what he chooses for you.

I had antagonist protocol I had 300 gonal f n 3 powders of menupor and then centrotide and my trigger was ovidrel my cycle lasted 11 day

It was fast your get in btwn 7 and 8 am and would do bloods then get placed in a room for ultrasound

I had a grant

I only saw him twice, once to know him and then at transfer, they prepared my cycle in Mexico (because I liver there) they have this great doctors Martha Luna and Enrique Cervantes they prepare you end then when you are ready yo go tu NYC to do the transfer. The doctors that really treated me and where in contact with me where Martha and Enrique in Mexico. Sandler was nice and he explained everything very well, even though we had no luck in both our treatments with him (one miscarriage and one negative test with donors eggs), I really really like the structure/administration they have at the clinic, they say they will call at 5 with results and the really do. They work by the book and i like that very much.

I think he is very good at what he does, he is very busy and has a lot of patients.

Shared donnor egg : 21,000 usd Not shared donor egg: 35,000 usd Plus medication and testing

I met with Dr Sandler after a natural miscarriage, at first he did a sonogram, didn't suspect any issues there, ordered me a HSG and day 3 blood work and said since I am young he's pretty sure there's nothing to worry about. after my day 3 bloodwork he had a nurse tell me that I have diminished ovarian reserve and shes so sorry. i had to wait 3 weeks until he would see me to discuss options. at 28 he basically said my body is a 40+ year old woman and it would be difficult to get me pregnant, but no big deal, i could use donor eggs. No compassion. As i sat there crying he kept saying donor eggs are a great option.

he was going to do a long antagonist protocol. i didnt move forward with him.

Dr. Sandler was very knowledgeable and kind. In the beginning he explained everything to us almost like a high school health class, making sure we undertood everything. The doctors at RMA work as a team and we liked all of them.

Know that you will be working with the whole team of doctors and you won't know who will be doing what procedure.

We were lucky to have insurance cover 1 cycle