Ellen Goldstein

Dr. Goldstein is a caring and skilled doctor and I felt like I was in great hands every step of the way. She is clearly very intelligent and well educated, which made me feel comfortable that she was up to date on the latest scientific research and protocols. What I also really appreciated about her is her bedside manner, and her obvious care for her patients. Fertility treatment is a very emotional, challenging process with lots of ups and downs, and I felt like Dr. Goldstein was very present with me throughout the whole experience. I also appreciated that when it came down to the science, she was very straightforward and didn't sugarcoat things, but communicated it in an empathic, caring way. This was helpful for me because it allowed me to really trust her and know that she wasn't going to try and spin things to sound positive just to make me happy, but that she would be fully honest with me. I really felt like I needed an attentive doctor who would sort of hold my hand through the process, but also be very skilled as a doctor and Dr. Goldstein is the perfect combination of both these qualities.

I have DOR, so Dr. Goldstein had me start with estrogen priming for both my retrievals. She then had me on 150iu of Menopur, 225iu of Gonal-F for stimulation of the ovaries. She then prescribed Ganirelix for the last 5 days prior to the trigger shot. She utilized an HcG trigger. This was the same protocol for both my egg retrievals.

Insurance covered my first egg retrieval cycle, medications, PGS testing, and FET in full. We paid for the second IVF cycle (including egg retrieval & FET) out-of-pocket, which was $13,350 plus the cost of medications. We ended up paying about $2000 for PGS testing in addition, plus some smaller fees for anesthesia and cryopreservation of embryos. Then once pregnant I paid $250 per ultrasound for OB care since they were not in-network with my new insurance at that point. IVF treatment is expensive, but it's all pretty on-par with other similar clinics in the area.

Dr. Goldstein is an ideal human and physician. She's kind, patient, empathetic, friendly, and humanistic. She's a great listener and humanistic. She is generous with her time, and available no matter what. Dr. Goldstein did what was best for us every step of the way. She came in when she was sick, when her kid was in the hospital and her husband was out of town. She treated us like giving us the thing we wanted so badly was the only thing in the world that she wanted. She explains everything so clearly. Her vibe is so comforting in an otherwise anxiety-provoking time. She answers all your questions so well. She's a master of her craft. I can go on writing this for days. Words can never suffice, she's really plain incredible.

Absolutely positively go to her, don't waste your time looking anywhere else. Trust her and embrace her, and she'll work miracles for you. Going to her is the best decision you'll ever make in your life.

Dr. Goldstein used the best IVF regimen for my wife's body to help maximize our chances of a healthy baby. She never cut corners or did what would be fastest to get us through the clinic, or make the most money off of us. She used Follistim and Menpour prior to egg retrival, then the following month, timed the embryo transfer to mimic the natural time fertilization and implantation would occur.

I won't get into specifics, but Dr. Goldstein's pricing is very competitive. They walk you through all the numbers in a dedicated financing session, which is really helpful. Worth every single cent.

Dr. Goldstein was so confident in her work, and she deserves to be. Based on our genetic testing, she said our success rate would be high, therefore since we strongly wanted to avoid the chance of multiples, we transferred a single embryo. Dr. Goldstein always does what you want and what's in your best interest. For us, that was a single baby, and that's what she made happen.

A woman in this field who is as humble, caring, brilliant and amazing as Dr. Goldstein is something I didn’t know existed. She is confident in her skills and puts it all out there for her patients. She also specializes in natural transfers which was a GOD SEND. After all the injections of the retrieval, the last thing I wanted to do was inject myself with an intramuscular needle for weeks. You will also always see her at your appointments (minus blood draw appointments). She is your person so there’s no way your information gets lost or miscommunicated. It’s also nice when you’re in such a vulnerable place to be able to see the same friendly face at each visit and not just feel like you don’t know who will be doing procedures that truly emphasize the vulnerability factor of infertility. As I may have stated in another section, Dr. Goldstein’s communication and ability to give a response in a timely matter is top notch. I emailed her at 7 pm one night during my nightly suppository because I had minor spotting and there was an email response within 10 minutes. Any time anything fell through with her nurses, she would just handle it herself. No question was ever too silly, no concern was ever too petty. She addressed all and any questions or concerns I had throughout the entirety of our treatment with compassion and fact based information. I never felt like she didn’t have my back.

Trust her. She will not give you the runaround or try to squeeze you for extra services. She’s the real deal and has your best interest at heart.

I was on Gonal-F, Menopur and then eventually Centrotide for my egg retrieval stims. I used Lupron for my trigger shot. Dr. Goldstein was able to retrieve 31 eggs. Throughout the lab insemination process, the embryologist and Dr. Goldstein diagnosed me with low egg quality. We had already committed to PGS testing on the embryos so in the end 8 went in for testing and 4 came back as normal. For my FET I did a natural transfer cycle so the only meds I was on were Endometrin suppositories a little bit before the transfer. The natural transfer cycle did mean that I had to go into the office considerably more often, sometimes 3-4 times a week, to get my blood drawn and levels checked. Blood draws had to be done in the AM so results would be in same day. FET was normal but a bit uncomfortable due to the full bladder. Transfer went smoothly and now I am pregnant with our first IVF baby.

Dr. Goldstein knew all the verbiage surrounding treatment of members of the LGBTQ community. She always treated me and my partner with respect and love. She also let us know certain extra legal steps we might want to take advantage of since both of our genetic material would not be used during our treatment.

A complete IVF cycle totaled $20,175. That included her professional fee, Anesthesia, Operating room, ICSI, Assisted Hatching, Embryo biopsy, PGT test on up to 8 embryos, Cryopreservation (freeze) for any remaining embryos, Embryo thaw, and Frozen embryo transfer cycle.

I could not recommend Dr. Goldstein highly enough. I had a rough start to my fertility journey after finding out that a previous ovarian cyst removal caused significantly diminished AMH levels (<0.2 for early 30s) and a very low follicle count. I was at a different fertility clinic (large franchise) and both the level of care and bedside manner was terrible - wanted me to do IVF ASAP and told me my poor test results over a voicemail and the first appointment was weeks later before I could discuss with this doctor. I'm so glad I found FertilityIQ and actually shopped around for the right doctor for my needs. When I met Dr. Goldstein, it was a complete 180. When I told her of my unique situation, she explained the treatment options and how she would recommend a tailored approach, which was to actually start with IUI vs IVF, given my low follicle count. She gave me a sense of comfort and confidence in my fertility journey. When we started the IUI cycle, I would email her whenever I had a question and she or her nurse would respond within the day. Dr. Goldstein was there for every one of our appointments and explained what was happening very clearly. We were very fortunate that our first IUI cycle worked and could not thank her enough.

Trust in Dr. Goldstein's advice and recommendations. She truly cares about her patients and takes the time and effort to provide them with personalized care.

I had a very low AMH (<0.2) and follicle count (4) for my age (33). I started taking levothyroxine 25mg to bring my TSH below 2.5 (something my previous doctor never noted). For my IUI, I was taking Letrozole 2.5 MG and Gonal. Dr. Goldstein and I spoke about doing a double IUI since I had 3 follicles with eggs so we did one in the afternoon and one the next morning. Luckily, we were successful with 1 baby (due in a month)!

Dr Goldstein is the most caring, personal, patient, flexible, and understanding doctor I have met. My husband and I tried 2 IVF doctors before coming to her. Our experience with our previous doctors wasn’t bad in terms of succeeding in the IVF (Although ended in a miscarriage). However, our main struggle with the previous clinics was that the doctors weren't often present and we felt abounded at times during the treatment. I was so impressed and amazed by how available Dr Goldstein was for us during or outside of our clinical visits. She performed all my ultrasounds herself (I find this to be uncommon in other clinics!) and being able to see her on each visit and ask questions in person made a huge difference for us. I see IVF to be physically exhausting but more so, mentally challenging. She took the time to learn our history and made a personalized plan for us. She was so patient when we had thousands of questions and concerns towards the treatment and she knew exactly how to answer all of them with reasons. We definitely felt we were in good hands with her. She is just incredible.

Don’t waste your time searching for anywhere else like I did. Dr Goldstein is like no other doctor. Have your questions ready, and trust her if you decide to go with her.

Our case is little bit complicated… With infertility related issues, no one can tell you exactly what the problem is. With our case, we knew one of the problems was a high fragmentation with the sperm. Dr Goldstein had mentioned this to us and gave us an option to use donor sperm (she never forces you to do anything, she gives you an option), but my husband and I really wanted to try with our own egg and sperm. We moved forward with it on our first round of IVF with Dr Goldstein in January 2023. However, it didn’t succeed. Next month, we shipped our embryos (of our own eggs and sperm) that we froze last year in another country to Dr Goldstein’s office and did a transfer. This didn’t succeed either. We took a little break after that to take care of our health and in April, we listened to Dr Goldstein’s suggestion and decided to do another round with donor sperm this time and then that worked! There is more to our story, but I am gonna keep it short. All I want to say is that Dr Goldstein would only give you advice and options that best suit you and all you have to do is trust her. Looking back, she was paying such close attention to the doses of my meds, when to take a break, when to transfer and how many we transfer and every detail. She made me feel like I really mattered. Because she made me feel so special, I often felt like maybe I was a special case!, but I know she puts the same effort into every case. She is beyond.

As someone who is 35 single and working on my career, the pressure of aging eggs started to stress me out a bit and wanted to freeze my eggs while I was still young. Pro: I got to see Dr. Goldstein on every visit, office is really clean and easy to find. All the nurses were very helpful and staff was very kind to me. The location was perfect for anyone living in the Beverly Hills/ century city location. I was initially told I would have a good egg count, but I was shocked at how great my result were. I was extremely pleased. They were very honest about the cost and timing of the process. Also they help sign up for discounts on the medication as well. Cons: I never paid the parking structure but I know it’s a bit pricey but there are places to park on the street with meters. I’d give yourself 45-1 hr per appt just cause I knew it took about 10 mins to be called after my appointment set time, but once I was called it moves quickly. Overall I had a great experience and would totally recommend going or at least making a visit for consultation.

Don’t hesitate to ask any questions, she will answer you questions or find the answer for you.

For the egg freezing process I went through the following: 21 days of birth control and started other meds 4 days later. I took 1 oral medication Provera, 1 injection of Follistim and 1 injection of Menopur for 11 nights. They provided a walk through on how to do the medication but there is a video as well they provide and available to FaceTime if needed. After the 11 nights I did 1 trigger shot at the exact time needed and did the procedure the day after. The procedure is very quick and recovery was easy for me.

Cost for 1 egg freezing process: 1 consultation, labs, pelvic ultra sound, medication, anesthesia, 1 year of storage and the procedure cost about $12,000.

Dr. Goldstein was very hands on and spent a lot of time with us. She is very experienced and her recommendations and treatment plan made sense to us. Ultimately, we got the results that we wanted which was our top priority so we would continue to see Dr. Goldstein in the future and we'd highly recommend her to our close friends and family. The only weaknesses of the clinic were that sometimes they were over-scheduled with long wait times, and at first, Dr. Goldstein wasn't as detailed in explaining the treatment and outcomes as I preferred but after I asked her to be more detailed she was.

Have your questions prepared for the visits

At first we tried a natural cycle protocol that didn't work that well for me, so Dr. Goldstein quickly adjusted to a birth control lead-in with stimulation/Lupron which worked better. I had also consulted a physician in India who suggested certain dosing of the stimulation drugs and Dr. Goldstein was willing to try it - to combination of achieving synchronization and more stimulation worked well for us. For the transfer we agreed to start with natural cycle transfer and avoid progesterone shots, and it worked for us and we are currently pregnant.

Depending on the treatment, $10-15K per cycle not including embryo testing, anesthesia, embryo cryopreservation.

Dr. Goldstein is very experienced and able to try various protocols with comfort and she does spend time presenting options and answering questions so that it can be a shared decision.

Dr Goldstein is extremely unique in the way that she does every single ultrasound and procedures. As a result, she is very closely attuned with the individualized cases of each of her patients. I have a higher AMH and was at an increased risk of OHSS from egg retrieval because of the number of eggs retrieved. Dr Goldstein assured me that she would make sure I did not get OHSS and she was very confident about it. She monitored me using both ultrasounds and labs and adjusted medications to make sure I had the best results without developing any issues. My surgery went very smoothly and I was fully recovered within a week. Dr Goldstein also suggested a natural frozen embryo transfer (FET) for us which meant I did not have to take the dreaded PIO shots. I was nervous about an unmedicated cycle because I didn't trust my body could do it but I feel grateful that Dr G trusted me and saved us so much money along the way because I ended up getting pregnant the very first cycle without medications. Throughout the whole process it felt like Dr Goldstein was part of our team, rooting for us, doing her very best constantly to ensure we get the best outcome and she made it happen.

To trust her judgement and advice. She really knows what she is doing and even if there are small road bumps along the way, she is gathering all the data and fine tuning the next step and its best to just trust her completely. She will not lead you astray.

For my egg retrieval cycle I used Menopur and Follistism and the dose needed to be adjusted once based on how my body was responding to the medications. I also took Ganirelix towards the end to prevent premature ovulation. Finally, I took 2 Lupron trigger shots 12 hours apart before the egg retrieval surgery. Dr Goldstein recommended a natural frozen embryo transfer cycle so the only medication I took during that time is Endometrin progesterone suppositories for about 12 weeks.

We were opposed to the idea of twins and Dr Goldstein was in alignment and preferred for us to have a single embryo transfer to avoid any unnecessary risks or complications.

I initially came across Dr. Goldstein on a virtual appointment with Maven. She is well-informed, knowledgeable about the latest statistics and studies, honest about the available paths forward and their risks, compassionate, and incredibly caring. I set another appointment where my husband and I could align on a path forward with her insight. We were so impressed with how caring she was that we transferred all of my frozen eggs from one of the most well-renowned doctors in our state to her. This was not a light decision because the previous doctor was in-network with our insurance and Dr. Goldstein was out of network. We thought this through and decided that it was worth spending our savings on going through this process while under Dr. Goldstein's care. We are both glad we made the switch. This has been one of the most uncertain and emotional processes we've been through. Her in-depth knowledge, care, compassion, and generosity with her time all helped us through this process. I wish this level of care for anyone else going through this uncertain process.

Instead of spending days and weeks with your worries and feeling alone in this process, reach out to Dr. Goldstein. She made me feel fully supported through this process and the path forward was not as grim as my fears would make me believe.

We thawed my frozen eggs, created embryos, performed genetic testing on all, and proceeded with transferring one of the embryos with the best chance of live births. I am currently (happily) pregnant.

I greatly appreciate that she worked with my natural cycle to reduce unnecessary medications. She also explained the advantages of moving forward with a single embryo transfer (i.e. reduced risk of premature birth as well as many other possible complications). This was consistent with what my Ob from years ago had taught me. The choice was clear.

I loved Dr. Goldstein. I originally found her from this website and had to come back and review her because she really made a difficult experience for me, as painless as possible. I have PCOS and was worried I would have to go through intense treatments to get pregnant. Dr. Goldstein got me pregnant with Letrozole, and throughout each round she was so gentle, honest, caring, responsive, and positive. I got pregnant within 3 months of seeing her, and couldn't be more grateful for her care and compassion. Highly recommend.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. I know it is nerve wracking to begin this process, but take care of yourself along the way and remember we all have our journeys.

We did 3 rounds of Letrozole for my PCOS to help my body ovulate. On the first round, I had unexpected bleeding, so we assumed that round didn't work. I got pregnant two rounds later.

Not completely sure

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I love Ellen and everything she has created for people like me at Beverly Hills Fertility. She represents everything that for me was missing from such vulnerable treatments around fertility. Ellen spent an hour with me during my initial consultation listening to me and my concerns and desires and never pitching me or selling me. She was equally as proficient in her medical expertise as she was in the more emotional vulnerable aspect of the process. I didn’t come back to start the process until months later and she never doubted why I took time to decide or pushed me to do it before i was ready. She ALWAYS replies to emails personally and/or calls if you need something. I always felt cared for and taken care of in every single visit, and even in every email and communication. She is a true, honest, straightforward yet warm doctor who is extremely knowledgeable in her field and I trust her 100%

Once you communicate what is important to you and share what you need from the process, let go and trust her in all of her guidance (even if it is different from what other doctors have said or you have read online). Just let go and trust that she makes special protocols for YOU with everything you have come with in mind and her team will take care of you

I shared the last 2 protocols i had with other doctors with Ellen including the results from both. We discussed them and what we thought could improve from the other cycles. She then decided to give me estrogen pills before the cycle which i had never tried before, given my eggs had grown to very different sizes in other cycles. She then had me on 20 units of Lupron morning and night as well as 150 IU menopur in mornings and 300 units or gonal at nights. My eggs grew to much more similar sizes so her hypothesis was correct.

The egg freezing cycle was $8000 which included all of the ultrasounds, blood drawn during monitoring, visits and procedure. The $300 consultation fee i don’t recall if it goes towards that… if it does I didn’t get the credit because I forgot to ask. The medication was probably $4000 more for me.

Dr. G was the only doctor who met with me in person, although in a post Covid world, it seemed important to me that the doctor would want to talk to me face to face as well as perform their own ultrasound for a proper assessment to base their plans on. Where the other doctors once again pushed for IVF and donor eggs, Dr. G took a piece of paper and mapped out her plan for me and explained why she would not go the IVF route based on my entire fertility picture. Dr. G makes herself available via email to the patient and never let more than an hour elapsed before responding to any concern or test result, which was so comforting when you are going through this journey. She is truly dedicated to her patients, coming in on a Saturday or Sunday if that’s the day that is best for the patient’s procedure. Alondra, my clinical coordinator, was so kind, empathetic and knowledgeable in guiding me through the day to day of each cycle and in coordinating all my medications. The entire staff, including Erica, someone I saw a lot, were so supportive in my 3 cycles of IUI. They were all so genuine in hoping each cycle was the one. Dr. G was very attentive with each scan, making small changes to meds to achieve the best outcome. She was also very mindful of cost, and always looked for ways to save me money with medications or treatments which I appreciated in an expensive venture. I can’t say enough kind words about this practice, I felt truly cared for. I can see that each person who works there wants success for every patient, and they take the time to talk when a cycle doesn’t work out or the journey gets difficult.

Know that Dr.G will always be honest and work with you to achieve your goal in the way she thinks you can actually get to the goal.

Dr. Goldstein is something else. She is heaven sent for anyone going through infertility. She made us feel seen, she gave us her time, took the time to answer our 1 million questions, was willing to do what we were comfortable with without any judgement. She made herself available to answer my 1000 million questions, even when I would sent silly questions late at night she responded in 5 minutes. She cares. She would see me happy and get happy, she would see me nervous and reassure me. She would see my excited and set my expectations realistically. She took the best care of us, all while keeping us realistically hopeful the entire process. I couldn't rave enough.

I would say to trust Dr. Goldstein. She really knows what she's talking about and what she's doing, trust her. I'm very into research myself, and would go research the advice or things she'd tell me and see that she really knows what she's talking about.

My husband and I didn't want to do IUI. The low success rate didn't feel like something we could handle, and she was supportive of our decision without pushing in any direction. We did a relatively normal IVF cycle, where she kept close track of my ovulation to determine the length of time to do the stims, and under ordered my medication so I wouldn't have to pay more than necessary. She ended up saving me so much money, because my stims were relatively short. We did the transfer in the next cycle with minimal hormonal intervention which was refreshing, no trigger shot or anything (which was great because that first trigger was so hard on my body). I got pregnant the first round of IVF thanks to Dr. Goldstein's magic.

They had to be within a certain time frame when blood work was involved, in order to get results back that day. But if it was just an ultrasound, the timing was more flexible than that

I think the treatment was around 14k for IVF, and an addition 4500 for genetic testing. I could be wrong, don't quote me.

I was strongly against having twins ( I don't think I can handle two at once, but more power to those who can). She was supportive of my decision, and instructed us when to use protection to prevent twins as well as only impanting one embryo.

Dr. Goldstein is a true girl boss – fabulous, knowledgeable, down to earth, has an amazing team, and most importantly, she balances reality with optimism. I always felt that I was in such great hands, and as someone who likes to do her research, I could then just clarify or validate things with her or her team at any time. This also allowed me to just focus on myself and the journey towards egg freezing. She’s also extremely research, fact, and digitally minded, so I personally felt like all decisions were up to date and never needed a second opinion.

Figure out what you want to do, why things have or have not worked, and come prepared with any questions (you also don’t need to have any). I saw all this because once you’re in, the clinic is such a well-oiled machine that things can happen on Day 1! It’s incredibly exciting, and so if you need more time to think, do your research prior and learn as much as you can. Also, depending on what your purpose of visit is, find the 3-4 attributes that you’re looking for in a doctor / clinic. Once I identified mine, I only chose Dr. Goldstein (vs. talking to a few doctors), and I already knew that I wanted to work with her after doing my research, and I’ve never looked back.

I had an ultrasound and bloodwork as an initial step for follicle count and other important baseline measures. Based on those results, you get a rough schedule about your personalized plan. Once we had my target start date, I ordered my medicines, and you get an onboarding of the medication. Throughout the days you’re on medication, you have ultrasounds, bloodwork, and then once ready, you have your trigger shot (36H prior to retrieval). Then, I had my retrieval. It took a few days to recover and about two weeks to fully feel back to normal. It was a success!

My total costs for egg freezing were about $13K. Costs are basically divided into two main buckets: (1) procedure-related fees and (2) medicines. (1) is the clinic’s fixed fee and (2) depends on how your ultrasounds go. Regardless, Dr. Goldstein is very intentional about not over-ordering for medicines, minimizing any unnecessary costs and medicine waste. My insurance paid for a little more than 50%. It’s important to set a budget for the total costs and confirm things with your own employer / insurance so you know what you’re in for. Dr. Goldstein’s team does an amazing financial onboarding session, which happens right before finalizing everything. If you’re reading this far, just go for it. The entire process is life-changing, and I will forever be grateful for Dr. Goldstein and her team!

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Dr. Goldstein is a wonderful doctor and human. This was my second round of egg freezing and some things stood out about my experience with her: 1. She saw me at every visit (as opposed to another clinic where I only saw my doctor for the consultation and retrieval). 2. She gave me realistic expectations and checked those with every visit as the process progressed. 3. She sincerely cared about how much money I spent on meds. She timed everything perfectly so I wouldn't have extra meds but also recommended upping the dose when it made sense. 4. She let me know from day one that she was available to answer any question as it came up and not to hesitate to reach out. Emailing her, even late at night, received a speedy response.

Be honest and upfront with your questions. Do research so you know which questions to ask. She'll answer them and give you all the information you need to make personal decisions.

I started with estrogen pills 7 days after ovulation. Days 1-4: 225 follistim, 150 menopur Days 5-11: upped to 300 follistim Days 8-12: ganirelix Day 12: trigger shot + what was left of follistim (about 275) Day 14: retrieval 13 eggs retrieved, 10 mature

$8000 for doctor visits and procedure $500 for anesthesia $4000 (approx) for meds (I believe the range is 3-5k) 1st year of storage is included

Dr. Goldstein is an exceptional doctor that is very knowledgeable and confident in what she does. As a patient, I never questioned her judgement and always felt safe and secure in her decisions for our course of treatment. She is responsive and easy to get ahold of if I ever had/have any questions. I never doubted for a minute that with her by our side during this process, we would absolutely achieve the family my husband and I always dreamed of.

Trust in her experience and knowledge! The infertility process can have ups and downs and unforeseen twists. And if something is not going as planned, she undoubtedly will adapt and problem solve in a way that will be best for you in the long run. I never doubted anything she recommended during our journey for a minute.

For our transfer, we decided to do frozen and attempt a natural cycle. Through consistent daily blood work, she discovered that my hormones were out of whack and made the decision to cancel the cycle. For the next cycle, she recommended a medicated cycle with estrace and PIO shots. This would guarantee more control over my levels. It proved true, as I am currently pregnant!

I was always able to schedule my monitoring appointments with no problem. Dr. Goldstein worked around my work schedule to avoid me having to miss too many days. They were amazing at fitting me in during times that were more convenient for me.

Dr. Goldstein is absolutely amazing and I would highly recommend her to anyone struggling with fertility. She took time to answer questions and evaluate treatment options. We would not be pregnant now without her assistance. Overall it took 4 months - 2 months with IUI then a cyst occurred we needed to take a break. We had 1 more IUI after and now have a successful pregnancy! Dr. Goldstein took into consideration our goals and finances and worked with us to find a treatment plan that was perfect for our needs. Dr. Goldstein also was always available between visits by email or a phone call. I feel completely comfortable in her care and know that anyone going to her is in good hands.

I would recommend lots of open communication. The more you communicate the better Dr. Goldstein knows you and gets a feel for your needs. Be open and honest with her.

The first 2 treatments we used letrozole and IUI. The last (successful( IUI we used a combination of letrozole and gonal F.

Dr. Goldstein was the second doctor I went to in my fertility journey, and the experience was night and day different. She was kind, took time to explain everything and set realistic expectations given my body's limitations, and always answered questions quickly via email. I'm so sad it took me 3 cycles to find her - always go with your gut, and find another doctor if you don't feel like your first one cares enough!

No advice

I have diminished ovarian reserve, so we started hormone treatment on the first day of my period, after I came in for an ultrasound. The first cycle was cancelled due to a cyst, but it was gone the next month. I did 11 days of 150 iu Gonal-F plus 2 powder vials of Menopur per day, 4 days of Cetrotide at the end of the cycle to slow the bigger eggs, and got 10 eggs retrieved (9 frozen). The previous two cycles, I got 6 and 3, respectively, so this was a much better response.

$5800 for the retrieval and ultrasound appts; $3000 for the drugs, and still waiting on the anesthesia/procedure clinic bill. My insurance didn't cover this round at all.

Dr. Goldstein stays on top of the latest scientific research, which is always changing in the field of ART, thus something I find valuable. When I asked about supplements or various treatments I had read about, she would answer honestly as to whether or not she felt data on that particular topic was persuasive or not. She is highly attentive to patient results as they unfold, conducted all ultrasounds directly, and called me with bloodwork results herself. I feel very much that she cares sincerely about her patients' outcomes, and prides herself in providing excellent care. It is clear she is rooting for each individual to have ideal outcomes (given the realities of the data). While it is a plus to have a female RE, there were other female RE's that I did not want to work with, based on reviews. Dr. Goldstein's reviews are stellar, and were ultimately the reason I switched RE's just before starting ER 1. I had already done my AMH and Consult with another clinic (with good reviews), but my gut said to go with Dr. Goldstein. My first ER (of 2 planned) began with a sub-optimal reaction to one part of the protocol. I decided to continue forward and Dr. Goldstein was supportive of the decision. She ultimately left it up to me since there were upsides/downsides to canceling vs. continuing. Since your first Cycle always has a Diagnostic element to it, I chalked it up to "this is all part of it", and continued with Stims, hoping for the best.

Definitely meet with her. Do your research and interview several RE's, but she is worthy of your shortlist! If you have underlying health issues that affect fertility, be forthcoming, as well as reading about your individual circumstances. Your consult is a great place to get a feel for how your questions, concerns, treatment, and interactions will continue. Do your homework, then go with your gut. Good luck!

First ER: Microdose Leuprolide Protocol, Gonal-F (or Follistim, same thing), Menopur. Pregnyl 10000 Trigger shot. Additionally, we discussed BCP or Estrace priming to line up the follicles. I went with Estrace, because it tends to suppress for fewer patients. Second ER m: same, minus Estrace, as I happen to have a sensitive system, and Estrace did not work well for me compared to most patients. We also discussed alternately trying Antagonist protocol, but since the initial protocol seemed to prompt a good response (minus Estrace) and minimal side effects for my body, we will likely repeat same with the one omission. Additionally (*not per her protocol*), I chose to do Acupuncture 1x/week in the 5 weeks leading up to ER, and 1x/month prior to that for about 6-months. I started supplements about 6-months before (not rigorously, but occasionally, and at lower doses early on). Then upped to daily supplements in the 5 weeks leading up to ER. Most of the supplements came from "It Starts with the Egg" or lists I read about from similar recommendations, forums, or friends' RE's. Per Dr. Goldstein, CoQ10 is the one that is most impactful (and if you do a lot of reading, that is the one that has the clearest science), so she said whatever I wanted to take outside of that was up to me.

I paid upfront Professional Fees for 2 ER cycles, which was discounted more than paying for 2 Single ER Cycles separately. This part of the fee was comparable to other LA clinics. Surgery/Anesthesia/Storage line items higher than other LA clinics I compared with. Cancellation of Cycle Fees more strict than some other Clinics I compared to. Fees for everything *after* Egg Retrieval (ICSI, PGT, Thawing, Assisted Hatching, Implantation) higher than the other clinics I compared to, but my upfront Egg Retrieval seemed slightly lower if I paid for 2 cycles. Long term, I will end up paying more than the other 2 clinics I narrowed to, but my upfront costs for 2 ER retrievals were comparable, so I am kind of caught in the middle, as you generally are safer staying with same clinic for thawing, embryos, PGT, and implantation, but I noticed that the Lab fees, Storage, and all individual line items AFTER ER are higher. Everything except the initial professional fees run a bit higher. One surprise cost was that the Lab (where surgery is done) charges another $750 ($712.50 on auto-pay)/ year, beyond the $1200 fee that is already listed in the line items for the ER. That said, I think they are comparable with many well-rated LA clinics. Not necessarily the highest end of the spectrum, but within the mid-to-above middle range. The tough thing about fees for Fertility Services, is you don't really get a full menu of rates for everything you need (until the very end of the line) from any clinic. Rare exceptions to this rule are CNY (obviously a budget place), and maybe KindBody who seems to be more upfront about pricing. I noticed friends who did this procedure in NY city had lower costs, but maybe IVF/Egg Freezing just costs more in LA than NY (rare for most costs).

We haven't gotten that far yet, but I believe I have read here that she believes in single embryo transfer. Again, I have not had this discussion with her, just what I believe I read online, so please verify yourself directly.

Dr Goldstein is the perfect balance of optimism and realism - I am someone who needs the facts and needs to understand exactly what is going on with me, and Dr Goldstein encouraged my questions (and after hours emails!) at all times. I truly believe she accurately predicated why I was having fertility issues and was able to resolve them ON THE FIRST TRY. Appointments with Dr Goldstein are on time, not too long, not too short and always a pleasure. We always have a laugh.

Book now. Do not delay. Trust her advice and list of practitioners (especially for the HSG test which can be painful but was made a good experience due to her thoughtful referrals) and you're set. Don't wait. Do it now. Fertility is a very tenuous thing, and I wish I had of seen Dr Goldstein years earlier.

1. Blood tests for genetics diseases and STI's for both me and hubby 2. HSG dye test at referred clinic (thank god I went there - this procedure can be overly drawn out and painful but the Dr was amazing and we were done in minutes.) 3. Monitoring of egg production via ultrasound while on clomid for 5 days 4. Ultrasound before insemination reveals clomid produced eggs but thinned out my uterus, Dr Goldstein was very honest in saying this round might not be optimal, BUT if we do get pregnant it would not impact the pregnancy. Told me that next round we can use different drugs so left feeling hopeful and not defeated. 5. Arrived for sperm collection and IUI. Clinic saw us on a Saturday which was AMAZING! Dr again stressed that this could be a practice round - very good job managing my expectations 6. Blood test to check pregnancy two weeks later 7. PREGNANT! Dr Goldstein shared my joy 8. First scan - TWINS! Over the moon. She made a dream come true for us. Little heartbeats present.

Totally covered by insurance AND the patient coordinator made the call to check this for me, AND got it in writing from my insurance, so when the insurance tried to charge me for labs, I had the email and BOOM charges gone. I only pay a co pay for any additional appointments not related to IUI and even then it's only $35 a pop. Ultrasounds free under insurance.

I did not do this procedure

Dr. Goldstein is extremely knowledgeable, friendly, and very easy to talk to. We never felt pressured into one treatment or another; she made it very clear she was there to support whatever we needed. When we had questions we could email or call her, and we received responses usually within an hour, and this was even after hours. We could not have been more happy with our choice of doctor.

Go with Dr. Goldstein. She was fantastic and very willing to answer all questions we had. It is extremely obvious she valued us as people, not just as a source of income.

The primary issue we had with getting pregnant was male factor infertility. Dr. Goldstein's examination of my wife showed no problems on her side, and that we were ideal candidates for IVF (while my sperm count was a bit low, it was well over what was needed for IVF). She offered IUI, but given our ages we opted for the highest chance of success with IVF. She used a natural cycle approach, so we timed the medication the injectable medication in accordance to when her last cycle was. While taking the full round of injections we visited Dr. Goldstein at least twice a week for ultrasounds (which she herself conducted) and blood testing. At all times we could tell how the eggs were growing where she was. After the "trigger shot", there was the egg retrieval, which again was done by Dr. Goldstein. The eggs were fertilized and frozen in preparation for my wife's next cycle (again, in accordance with her natural cycle approach). A couple weeks (I believe) after the next cycle, we went back in for the transfer. Again, Dr. Goldstein did this. I was able to join my wife in the room while this happened, and she even provided us a picture of the embryo prior to implantation. After the transfer, we continued following up with Dr. Goldstein, and we were scheduled to come back into the office to test and see if the transfer was successful. My wife and I were very excited though so we took at home test -- success. We emailed Dr. Goldstein, and she replied within a few minutes (which was typical for her) with a very excited email and we moved up the visit to confirm. The first ultrasound that occurred after this period we were in for a surprise. Though Dr. Goldstein had implanted only one embryo, there were now two babies growing. Dr. Goldstein had been very clear that there was an increased chance for this to happen prior to the beginning of treatment due to "assisted hatching". Throughout the first 10 weeks after implantation Dr. Goldstein continued to have us come in weekly to check on their growth As we continued through the 10 weeks, we also did a genetic screening test using my wife's blood (non-invasive for the babies) and the results came back that they were genetically normal and that they were identical baby boys. Dr. Goldstein was always careful to check with us before she told us the sex to ensure we wanted to know. After the 10 weeks, we transferred to the OB doctor who will be delivering the twins.

I believe it was about $20K for the full freeze / transfer cycle and associated medications. However, I had an absolutely amazing fertility benefit called Progyny so my portion was only around $2K.

Dr. Goldstein had all the embryos tested and ranked according to how well developed they were. Her strong opinion was that we start out with only one embryo transfer, and so this is what we did. The embryo that we chose was the "healthiest" one available.

Dr. Goldstein took a thorough history for both me and my husband, and explained well to us what could be contributing to our recurrent miscarriages. She ran tests on what she thought were all necessary rule outs (noting that the likelihood was simply poor egg quality, but testing for other possibilities) without testing for things that she thought were frivolous--though I got the impression that she would run other tests if I requested them. We made the decision to do IVF with eggs I had frozen a few years ago, and she explained what that process and all the risks would be for that. However, during the process of getting started with those eggs, I got pregnant again. I emailed her on a Sunday to tell her--but I was not hopeful at all given our history. She was immediately responsive, and positive but not annoyingly so given my emotional state. I asked her if I should use progesterone supplements because I'd read about that for women with recurrent miscarriages. She said she did not think there was evidence that I needed it yet and I should get tested for HCG/progesterone the next day, but offered to write the prescription anyway if it would help me feel better because it wouldn't hurt. I've never experienced that from a doctor before--I've been told no each time I asked an OB. I took her up on the offer and started the sups, and did HCG beta testing the next day. She called me personally with results as soon as they came in. Because the pregnancy seems viable so far, we paused on the process for IVF but are keeping the door open. I didn't feel any pressure from her to press forward with the embryo making...I've felt supported the whole way, and if this doesn't go positively, she is someone I would feel incredibly safe doing the next step of this process with.

Dr Goldstein is attentive to every detail. She is careful and calculated and I trust her medical decisions completely. She carefully monitored and titrated my medications throughout my more complicated IVF cycle to ensure that I did not get PCOS. She called and checked in on my multiple times throughout the process. Any concerns and she made the time to talk it through with me. She was always professional and pleasant at each appointment. Dr Goldstein is always available and I didn’t need to search google for answers because she was always right there with the answer and a return email was often received faster than any google search would have even answered it! She really cares about me as a person and I feel deeply connected. She is part of my team, rooting for me and working with me step by step in this emotional journey. I couldn’t have done this without her (she was the 3rd provider I tried) and thankfully I found her! Every practice has its strengths and I feel that Dr Ellen is the perfect mix of all! Superb medical knowledge and understanding of statistics mixed with the human and faith aspect of knowing that we will do all we can and hope is never lost as it will only take one embryo to have your miracle. And she really gave me hope and continues to. Hopefully we will have our baby soon.

Dr Goldstein was so supportive of me and my husband and gave us all the time in the world that we needed in our initial consultation - highly recommend that you meet with her for an in person consultation! She also is careful about how much of each medication she orders and she watches her spending carefully so that you pay the minimum needed for a successful IVF cycle. If anything comes up, email has been the easiest way for us to reach Dr Goldstein and also by far the fastest.

Dr Goldstein used as little medication as possible and worked to meet my timing needs for the IVF cycle and retrieval. She also was able to meet my needs and special accommodations due to my anxiety and PTSD.

~$21,000 for IVF cycle Not sure of the IUI but it was about 175 for ultrasound and consultation

Haven’t had this as part of my treatment

Dr. Goldstein's communication and bedside manner are unmatched. She has this way of putting you at ease. She has genuine care and compassion and adjusts treatment based on what's best for you, understanding it's not always the outcome or information you want to hear. In my first cycle, I was not responding to the medication as we had anticipated. At my consult, I had I believe 17 follicles showing. On day 5, I had only 9 follicles and they were all growing very small. She expressed I might be a rare case that she might recommend cancelling. Because finances were not an issue for me regarding medication, she encouraged us to wait two more days to see the results and for me to de-stress as much as possible. I did and when I came back, my numbers had made a pretty significant rebound. We did have to adjust my number of days of stimulation but we ultimately ended up with 12 frozen eggs. Going from a potential cancellation to 12 eggs was just incredible and I'm thankful for her expertise and glad we held out. I wanted to do two back to back cycles but my numbers just weren't looking great so while we could have in theory proceeded, she advised me to wait and give myself a break. While disappointing, I appreciated her advice and the second cycle eventually occurred with another round of success.

Come prepared with your questions, but don't stress if you don't know what to ask. She will educate you every step of the way and you can trust she's not out to just get money. She will always recommend what's best for you, but also understands this is a physical, mental, and financially tolling process. Based on your needs in each of those spaces, she will tailor her approach to how you address if things don't go as planned. I no longer live in LA but would happily fly back if I do another round or need to go through IVF in the future - she's that good.

First round: Birth Control Menopur Gonal F Cetrotide Novarel Second round (I think this is what I took - might be off on one of these): No birth control (it suppressed my ovaries too much) Menopur Gonal F Lupron Pregnyl Rationale for changing up the second round is that the birth control seemed to suppress my ovaries and my eggs were not all grow at the same size (there was one too large from very early on). The second round, all my eggs grew at the appropriate sizes and together. We suspect the stress of Covid, BLM, and having to start/stop treatment and unknowns related to covid played a factor in my slightly lower than expected numbers (when I destressed, numbers went up). She also recommended some great therapists to speak with since I was suddenly alone, in lockdown, doing this challenging alone. I found an incredible and experienced fertility therapist who really helped as well.

Single egg freezing treatment: $5100 Anesthesia: $500 Operating Room Fee: $1500 Cryopreservation of egg: $1200 Per cycle

My husband and I sought treatment from Dr. Goldstein after experiencing our third consecutive miscarriage. We were heartbroken, exhausted, anxious - all the feelings that accompany loss of this magnitude. Dr. Goldstein gave us hope, and helped me to find the courage necessary to continue our journey. I am so deeply thankful to have found her, and cannot emphasize enough how comfortable I was throughout my IVF journey thanks to her outstanding care. First and foremost, Dr. Goldstein took the time to ensure that my husband and I were active participants in our care. She completed a very thorough diagnostic workup that covered all bases. She discovered a small amount of scar tissue in my uterus, and recommended a hysteroscopy to remove it. My husband and felt comfortable and confident going into the surgery, and it went beautifully. After the hysteroscopy, we decided we wanted to pursue IVF, and Dr. Goldstein walked us through what the process would look like. She provided expert medical recommendations, but never pushed us in a specific direction. Instead she made sure we had the knowledge we needed to determine what course of action we were comfortable with, and supported us in our decision. Throughout the entire process, Dr. Goldstein was very hands-on. I saw her for every one of my appointments, and she preformed all my procedures. Her communication was exemplary; far above and beyond that of any other physician I’ve had. Dr. Goldstein personally responded to all inquiries quickly, including those I had on evenings and weekends. She also proactively reached out with frequent updates so we were always very well informed about where we were in the process. Dr. Goldstein and her office were also flexible, and I was always able to find an appointment time that worked well with my schedule. Our IVF cycle was very successful, and thanks to Dr. Goldstein’s communication and compassion, I felt at ease and comfortable throughout the entire process. I always knew what to expect, and as a result the stress level was very low. We are incredibly grateful to have 11 beautiful, genetically normal embryos.