James Grifo

Dr. Grifo is all about numbers. He is extremely smart, continues to do research and I find him to be candid and honest with me. After three transfers and no successful pregnancy, he is not only encouraging me to continue but ensures me that this process will result in a baby it is just a matter of time and numbers (at some point it will work). He understands how frustrating that is and is constantly encouraging me and letting me know how well I'm doing despite the anxiety, fear, pain, discomfort and hormonal roller coaster. I find him open to working with other doctors (even when he doesn't agree with their ideology), he is willing to try different things than what his normal protocol allows for. He is open to my suggestions and patiently answers pages and pages worth of prepared questions I have presented him with after doing my own research. In dealing with autoimmune issues he has been particularly accommodating and his ongoing work on Chronic Endometritis has been extremely informative.

Don't be overwhelmed by the size of the office or the staff.

First retrieval cycle we did 150 Follistim, 150 Menopur. I had 13 eggs, 11 fertilized with ICSI. Did a fresh transfer and PGS tested the balance. Got 2 PGS normal embryos and 1 Mosaic. After failed fresh transfer we did an endometrial biopsy that was positive for Chronic Endometritis. Took months to treat that, once it cleared I did two frozen transfers that both resulted in chemical pregnancies. The first frozen transfer was done with Estrace and an autoimmune protocol that included Prednisone, Plaquenil and IVIG. The second FET was a natural cycle transfer with autoimmune protocol as well. This current retrieval cycle I am doing 300 Follistim, 150 Menopur and Letrozol.

A lot of women in the waiting room, if you show up at the very end of monitoring hours you will wait for sure. But once you put your name into the system that you arrived, you will be called in turn (usually within 20 minutes at the very longest) and from there it is a well oiled machine. You get to know all the doctors and PA's that are doing the sonograms and you know all the nurses drawing blood.

For a self-pay full cycle, with PGS testing, transfer and medications the OVERALL cost (everything included) is approximately $24,000.

Dr. Grifo does not endorse multiple embryo transfer but is willing to do so at the patient's request or insistence.

Dr. Grifo does a great job about running through the statistical odds of pregnancy success while also maintaining a level of compassion / acted as a quasi therapist during my treatments. He is well respected in the industry and I feel comfortable in his care.

Stay organized and don’t be afraid to speak up if you want to try something and ask for his honest opinion on it. While doctors can do their best to give their most educated advice, they are not psychics and part of figuring out which treatment to move forward with is in part a personal choice.

We have done 4 IUI cycles which included clomid for 5 days, a ovidrel trigger shot and a IUI.

All IUI costs were covered by insurance

Dr. grifo strongly urges for a single embryo transfer

Dr. Grifo is very straight forward with his communication. He is blunt when delivering statistics and probabilities. However, he has his own story of infertility with his wife and children and he has compassion for what his patients are going through. He is invested in figuring out why things aren't working and provides comfort and hope when needed. He is extremely knowledgeable and respected in this industry.

Have all of your questions prepared before seeing him or getting him on the phone. He's willing to spend time with you answering them, but is quick and succinct, so be prepared. He is not overly warm, but after completing several cycles with him, I can attest he is a compassionate doctor. He's not the doctor you go to for a close Dr./Patient relationship. You go to him for his expertise and experience.

I did a cycle at RMA where I was on 150 of Gonal F and 150 of Menopur. Dr. Grifo studied my results and ordered me to double that protocol and do 300 of each. He also added Clomid to my protocol. These changes helped me produce more eggs.

Often long waits, but the clinic was very efficient getting people in and out as quick as possible.

$20K+

He prefers to only transfer one PGS tested embryo. He says there are too many risks to the mother and baby with Multiples. I don't know if he would agree to transfer multiple. I did not press him on this because his argument makes a lot of sense.

Dr. Grifo was recommended to us by a very close family friend. After starting our journey with another doctor, when IVF became the best next step, we had to switch for insurance purposes. Our first visit with Dr. Grifo was comprehensive and very informative. He asked us a tone of questions, talked us through the science of the process in ways that we could understand and was sure to create space and time for any questions that we might have. My husband and I felt very comfortable with him and were eager to get started. Throughout my treatment, I was fortunate to visit the clinic on his "days" which always made me feel better. He was always very thorough and would talk us through the implications of anything that was going on, offering encouragement and support. When our first transfer failed, it was very evident that Dr. Grifo was upset for us. He called us and scheduled a face to face to talk through options and next steps. He assured us it wasn't our fault and that there was hope in terms of next steps both traditional and more innovative, and even offered ideas based on his latest research. He suggested further testing to help inform the course of action. I saw him for a biopsy, which was uncomfortable, but I always appreciated how Dr. Grifo would talk me through the procedure to help pacify any fears or discomfort. Lastly, we were very fortunate that Dr. Grifo was able to transfer our second embryo, which was successful! It was so great to have him there, and provide us with the confidence and calm that we needed. He told us it was his birthday, and that he had a good feeling about it! When we saw him at one of the first ultra sounds after being pregnant, it was clear how thrilled he was for us. He expressed his joy and confidence in us as parents, and allowed us to hear the heart beat as many times as we wanted! We simply could not have done this without him and we are so thankful for his knowledge and expertise.

To be patient, and to understand that as much as you'd like to see Dr. Grifo every time you are there, there are doctors of the day for a reason. Trust that he is very informed of your journey, and is always available if you want to schedule a call or email.

We used a series of injections to stimulate egg production/growth. I was then monitored regularly to ensure the right dose/frequency and monitor progress. These injections included daily doses of gonal, a few of lupron, and then an ovulation stimulator to ensure ovulation occurred. I was also put on estragen to help encourage a healthy uterine lining for the transfer. During the retrieval process, we retrieved 28 eggs, however, the nurse suggested we use ICSI, to help ensure fertilization given my husbands sperm numbers, were just slightly under the amount they wanted. After the transfer, I was put on progesterone and estrogen to help support the pregnancy. When our first transfer failed, Dr. Grifo suggested a biopsy of my uterine lining to test for bacteria which could have influenced the transfer. It came back negative so he told us to move forward with another transfer. This time around, Dr. Grifo suggested that we might want to try something different just for our peace of mind. So we tried a natural cycle without the use of estrogen and just the use of letrazole. However, after my first visit, Dr. Grifo didn't really like that I wasn't progressing and decided to put me back on the same cycle we tried before as it seemed to work better. It did, and that is what got us to our second transfer with Dr. Grifo! After that transfer, he put me back on the progesterone shots and estrogen, however, after I told him that the shots were making me really sore, he offered my progesterone inserts to help alleviate some of the shots.

I provided some of my thoughts on a previous question.

I fortunately had good insurance which covered most of the costs of our first cycle with frozen embryo transfer. We did however, have to pay out of pocket for the PGS testing, about $7000, and then we had to pay out of pocket for the second transfer as it put us over my lifetime max. That was $4000.

Dr. Grifo shared his concerns about transferring one PGS normal embryo at a time. Given our embryos were normal, he was pretty adamant about his thoughts on transferring one at a time to reduce risks. However, he ultimately said that he'd do whatever we wanted.

He is just wonderful. I had an experience with one other doctor as a consult and another for treatments, Dr. Grifo was the first to treat me like a human. He adjusted my plans accordingly. He was compassionate and empathatic and while I didn't see him often, he called and we spoke on the phone as long as I needed to to feel comfortable. He also shared tips outside of the treatment protocol to help give us the best chances possible.

Go to him!! And trust him and his experience and judgement.

Dr Grifo learned from my past protocol with someone else that I needed an adjustment to my protocols. In addition to menopur and gonal F we added Clomid. In my prior cycle with another dr just menopur and gonal f resulted in a cancelled cycle. Dr. Grifo adding the clomid resulted in retrieving 5 eggs, which was more than even when I did a stimulation round several years ago when I was younger.

I felt this was a very efficient process. Obviously there was some waiting on some days, but nothing significant.

Medications out of pocket were about 7K, insurance covered IVF I beleive the cost was about 8K, PGS testing was $5,100 upfront for related costs but receive refund for embryos not able to be tested

Our takeaway was that had ICSI been performed at the outset we would have had a successful experience. We were told NYU waits 24 hours to determine whether it's necessary "to save costs" - at $40k / IVF pop I'm pretty much all in already . . . trying to do everything possible to achieve a successful outcome and wish I'd been educated further upfront and been allowed to make my own cost/benefit analysis. Instead, we were left with "try again and go ahead and do ICSI upfront, sure" or "go somewhere else" or "give up" - not ideal choices but then again nothing about this process is ideal. Punchline - I liked Dr. Grifo but didn't think he "dug in" the first round to maximize its success so couldn't recommend him to anyone. Perhaps upon further tries it would become a more tailored, personal process but we won't try there again - felt factory-like.

Ask him if he does his best the first try to maximize results or does a one-size-fits-all approach the first time assuming you'll have to do multiple rounds and at that point he starts to focus on tailoring approaches.

despite having to "pay upfront" . . . I'm still getting bills a year later . .. . all in probably $40k with medicines

They won't transfer multiple - against policy.

Spotting Grifo in the clinic is like spotting a celebrity. You see him once in a while in the corridors, and if you are lucky, he'll see you for 1 ultrasound out of 15. When you catch him, in your first appointment or a consultation call post PGS results, he is indeed a star. He will give you his full attention, the full truth, and will be blunt about your chances, which I appreciate, but I can see some women not being a fan of. He knows his numbers inside out, which is great, but that in itself can make you feel like another number compounding that average, that median, and keep you on your tip toes secretly hoping for the moment he will pull you aside and say "look, I followed your case day by day, I know a lot about you now, and you are not part of this statistic anymore... you are you and this is what I think!" It's not going to happen, but emotionally I'm in that phase now, as I wait for for my 2nd IVF cycle yet (I'm banking after 1 PGS-tested euploid embryo already frozen). The retrieval is performed by the doctor in attendance that day, so if Grifo is there 1 out of 5 days, your chances of seeing him are 20%. I just went through the embryo transfer course from Fertility IQ and am now freaking out about the performance variances across different doctors within the same clinic. Looking forward to touching base with Grifo to know his POV on this.

Try to take your emotions out of the equation as much as possible. Convince yourself you are making the best possible choice by enduring IVF: 1) you are maximizing your chances, 2) you are controlling the outcome (if you are doing PGS you are screening the best quality embryos in advance, and you are lowering your miscarriage chances to lower rates than mother nature), 3) you are taking an expensive, emotionally tolling, short-cut to starting a family, if time is of the essence for you. Personally, IVF me dread every evening of treatment, but I took one day at a time, and even tried to enjoy the fact that I was taking control over my destiny (vs. years worth of trying, especially if you are retrieving a high number of eggs per cycle --imagine the monthly disappointments, or even mourning a miscarriage (which happened to be in the recent past). Grifo is a matter-of-the-fact person, so if you are able to rationalize all the facts above, he is the doctor for you. He can be personable, funny, and charmingly smart.

Gonal F, Menopur, Cetrotide and Lupron + HCG triggers. My body responded very well to drug stimulation, and all along, doses of Gonal F and Menopur were being adjusted by doctors so my follicles had time to mature appropriately. Cetrotide was taken to prevent early ovulation, and my triggers consisted of 2 days of Lupron and 1 day of HCG, at 36 and 24hrs prior to retrieval. Triggers are to be shot at specific times, so that generates a little anxiety, especially if you have to excuse yourself from a client meeting for a few minutes :( My 1st cycle produced 20+ eggs and 2nd cycle 20+ eggs again. Quality is very different from quantity, so if you can, PGS will give you a good reality check and ensure a lower miscarriage/bad surprises rate. I don't have final results yet as I'm still waiting on 2nd cycle results (1st one yielded 1 euploid embryo that is currently frozen).

Efficient well-oiled machine. Nurses are very personable despite the scale of the clinic. Well-mannered, up beat, rain or shine, as early as 7.30 on a holiday. They are GREAT!

Depends. If insurance covers, the value per IVF cycle charged is lower (about $7,500), if you are paying OOP the iVF cycle is about $10,200. Retrieval anesthesia, cryo, transfer, PGS costs, drugs are all separate. I don't have all the info yet because of insurance processing delays, but if you are doing all OOP, costs are as follow (approx. total $: 24,000) - $15,300 retrieval + cryo + PGS - $1,000 retrieval anesthesia - $2,500 PGS lab testing (minimum fee, pending # of biopsied embryos) - $5,000 drugs Insurance scam I leaned about after many hours on the phone amidst my full time job: my Express Scripts insurance drug coverage gives me a lifetime max coverage of $4,000. If I process through insurance 1 pen of Gonal F 900 units, the cost is of $1,900. If I pay OOP, the cost is of $850 through the same pharmacy. So.... with my insurance I was hoping to cover at least 80% of the drugs I needed for 1 cylce, and with 2 pens of Gonal F (approx. 10% of the drugs I actually needed) my life time max was done! Appalling... specially when you read Australian blogs in which women go through 10 cycles of IVF for free...

Not discussed with Grifo yet, but my philosophy is to take as little drugs as possible, especially after the recent bombarding I did to my body, and the fact that I have no issues ovulating and a well functioning endometrium.

My husband and I went to Dr. Grifo for an initial consultation. He spoke to us for about an hour without focusing on our case - he just kept referring to statistics, graphs, and numbers. We told him that we had a fertility doctor who had already done all the standard tests on us, but that we had decided to also meet with him to be confident that we were comfortable with our decision. We couldn't have been clearer that we were there to gather information. He then proceeded to show me to a room and asked me to put on a robe so that he would examine me. Not understanding at all why this would be part of an initial consultation, and even though I asked him repeatedly about it, in an effort to do everything I could to have a baby, I ended up submitting myself to an ultrasound and a swab. I was confused, felt completely taken advantage of, and left that place feeling like a machine. A few weeks later, I received a bill, as my insurance was not covering the tests he did on me that day, something I have no doubt he knew. So I ended up having to pay for those completely unnecessary tests that I had never asked for.

Do NOT chose him as your doctor.

Dr. Grifo is very straight forward and says it like it is. He is very into his statistics and its all about the numbers. He provides you with the different options for you to make the decision. To me he basically admitted that he has no idea why I am not conceiving and said its a luck game. He even said "If you tried naturally for 5 years you would probably get pregnant". He said if I want to rush he would do IVF(which is costly) but then also suggested I try 3 letrizole IUI cycle after having 3 failed clomid IUI cycles. With Dr. Grifo I tried 1 letrizole cycle which unfortunately failed. I suggested to try an injectable IUI cycle as I wanted to try something new; however, he did not agree with that and said that he would want to do IVF instead of injectables. I did not understand from him or his nurses why it is a problem to try injectables before IVF. Also I have an autoimmune condition; however, he does not believe it affects my infertility; however, he was open to me being on certain medications such as blood thinners if needed during a cycle. But they would have to be prescribed by another Dr. such as hematologist, rheumatologist , RI. Right now I put a hold on treatment as i am moving apartments, i am looking into a Dr. who will try an injectable IUI

Dr. Grifo may come off as cold and standoffish; however, you should not be afraid to ask any questions. I would encourage to ask as many questions as possible and pick his very knowledgeable brain. Be your own advocate!

I did 1 Letrizole IUI cycle with ovadril, I produced 2 follicles 1 large the other smaller. Unfortunately it resulted in a negative pregnancy test. He used Letrizole to try something different because I had 3 failed clomid IUI. He also re-tested my platelet count because they appeared to be slightly below the norm. I was very happy they caught the low platelet count because when I was at RMA they missed it. His nurses were reviewing my records from RMA and noticed this low platelet count. I went to a hematologist and turned out to be the platelets were not such a big issue.

My IUI was covered by insurance; however, I had to pay for the Ovardril approximately $75 and ultra sounds were applied to my deductible which was about a total of $198

I did not do embryo transfers but in my initial consult Dr. Grifo strongly disagrees with transferring more than one embryo.

I am so happy I saw Dr. Grifo as my first fertility doctor as he was so great at explaining everything. He explained the science and numbers but in a compassionate way. He's clearly seen it all and would give advice, but also understands that every experience is individual and personal and deserves that attention. My only complaint is that I would have preferred to have seen him in person during my iui's

Make sure you request phone calls with him since you won't see him in person (if doing an IUI). But he is very responsive and receptive on the phone.

We did 3 IUIs. Each time I took clomid and went in for monitoring. Trigger shot and then the next day came in for the IUI (done by a nurse). My husband gave a fresh sperm sample.

My insurance did not cover IUI so I think we paid between 1-2K per cycle

Dr Grifo was transparent from the get go about our chances of success. He used data regularly to supplement his commentary. He was so, so human and made us feel like heroes for undertaking IVF, as opposed to failures who couldn't conceive. He shared his own story of infertility and all of the associated feelings. I felt so comfortable from that first visit; I was depressed, angry and confused, and Dr Grifo was understanding of each of these emotions and offered suggestions to help. He never made me feel like just a number. He was patient in person and by phone, always answering our questions and personalizing his advice.

Go sooner rather than later.

While at first my protocol looked similar to the prior clinic we'd used for 3 rounds of eggs retrievals (all unsuccessful), I quickly saw that NYU was different. The nurses and Drs were constantly evaluating and tweaking my dosage. I took clomid pills, menapur injections, ganerilex injections and double trigger shots. For the transfer there was vaginal and oral estogren pills, as well as other injections. I produced 21 eggs for retrieval, 3 survived until day 5 and 2 tested normal w/ PGS. We transferred 1 embryo and I'm due to have a baby in less than 6 weeks.

Dr Grifo did not accept my primary insurance (Cigna) but did take my secondary (UHC). Many things were covered, but this was our fourth egg retrieval in 1 calendar year so we didn't have a lot of coverage left. Out of pocket was ICSI and PGS, and they charged you in advance and refunded the difference (if fewer embryos made/tested).

We had 2 PGS tested embryos at the end of the retrieval and asked Dr Grifo his thoughts on transferring both. He strongly preferred transferring one, saying odds for pregnancy wouldn't increase w/ 2 and given my age (39) why risk both taking and having an even higher risk pregnancy. His rationale was, would you be more upset to not have a 3rd child or lose both and not get the 2nd you've been trying for all this time.

Dr. Grifo's strengths: his success rate, his expertise, his compassion. The only weakness is that it's hard to get in touch with him directly and sometimes his assistant does not respond for a few days.

Ask as many questions as you need to. Tell him how important it is for you that HE himself monitors your daily appointments. Listen to his advice, whether good or bad. He does not say things just to be nice, if he thinks you are progressively positiviely, you are!

I cannot recall the medications I took, but I did do an endometrial scratch and we did do PGS.

My job and home schedule is flexible. I found the monitoring hours (early morning) totally manageable. Weekends were more crowded, but sometimes I was seen right away. I was fine with it.

We loved Dr Grifo. He was upfront with us and extremely empathetic abut our case. He knows what he is doing and is confident in his approach, which turned out to be the right one for us-- we got pregnant on the first try. He made sure we were fully educated every step of the way. He was understanding and supportive of my anxieties in the operating room at the hospital and during treatments at the fertility center.

He's a busy doctor. It's not always easy to speak to him right away, but he will see you or set up time to talk to you if you are willing to wait a week or so. When I had a question that was easily answered by email, he answered through his assistant quickly. But when I needed treatment, he was right on it. When I needed minor surgery, he scheduled me for surgery two days after diagnosis and he did the surgery himself.

Gonadotropin antagonist protocol using Gonal F, Menopour and Ganirelix with a Lupron trigger mixed with A small amount of HCG. 22 eggs retrieved, 16 embryos created, 11 at day 6. 3 PGS normal. One transfered. Positive.

Extremely efficient. The only time I had to wait longer than 5 minutes was the day after a big snowstorm. Otherwise, i was always in and out within 15-20 minutes. they do rely on the fellows a lot though. During my IUIs, I was only monitored once by an attending and during IVF monitoring, I'd say it was 50/50. But the fellows took more time with me and were more thorough in answering my questions.

With in-network insurance, IVF plus frozen transfer was around 10 and PGS was about 2-3k additional. (Not including the PGS lab)

I came to Dr. Grifo after having a bad experience at another, very highly renowned practice in NYC. I felt like a number in that office, from the way the billing office and office managers dealt with me, to the nurses whom I saw each morning and even my own doctor. I felt that my doctor had a terrible bedside manner and moved me very quickly through the process with little regard to my feelings or what I was ready for. When I came to Dr. Grifo, I was upset and confused, and he very clearly communicated to me my situation, how difficult it is for anyone (not just the 'infertile') to get pregnant, and how it is important to give it time, but also to be smart about it and maximize your chances for a healthy pregnancy, using all of the available data that we have. My other doctor had seen me through one chemical pregnancy, one frozen embryo transfer which failed, and suggested that I seek surrogacy options immediately. I felt as though she was speaking more to her numbers than me as a patient, and a person.

Make an appointment as early as possible! It can take a few months to get a new patient appointment.

Day 2 starter - Follistim (start w 300 units) / menopur (start w 150 units) with daily blood tests and ultrasound HCG ovulation trigger The first cycle with Dr. Grifo was a success.

Visit windows were 7 - 9 am, so convenient for me. If you needed to get in quickly, you could arrive before 7 am and be seen very soon. Not too crowded, efficient process.

10 - 15k

Experience was very satisfactory. Staff was very professional and attentive, very keen for detail and always took care of any issues and addressed any concerns right away. I was surprises to learn that my phone calls can be answered so quickly. Very efficient communication between staff, any issue or questions raised with one staff, always been addressed and responded by appropriate party without initiating same concern twice. I was very impressed with the efficiency and precision NYU Firtility clinic ran. I never had to wait for longer than few minutes to be seem, despite the large volume of patients treated by this facility. I have ben seen by different Providers during my monitoring cycle, yet the communication between all staff was superb. They knew exactly where we left off and where to pick-up and where to go next. Very impressed. No regrets. Only wish it would be cheaper procedure. My results were not as great as I expected, however in the process I found out that I have a medical condition that would make it hard for me to conceive naturally and egg Freezing was a great decision on my part. Hopefully some day it will be worth all the expenses.

I don't think I can think of any at this time.

IT ran very efficiently and quick. Due to my work, I was the one frequently being tardy for my blood work and US-monitoring, yet I never felt uncomfortable for creating inconvenience to the rest of staff. Always been treated kindly, with respect and well taken care of. Not once anyone made me feel guilty for running late, yet I never had to wait for more then few minutes to be seen.

Please see previous description. During the procedure it felt like a mill - there were back to back appointments - I felt that I received great treatment.

You're an adult. He will treat you like one. You can get compassion from your husband and your friends... Grifo will give you numbers, data, statistics. He'll also temper your expectations which I appreciated. Then when I received 20 eggs, it was like Christmas.

Honestly, I was SO focused on this, but since it was 2 years ago, I'd prefer not to. I really don't recall. I do think I was overstimulated given my age. I really truly don't think I needed all the drugs they gave me. They were very surprised that I produced so many eggs mid-way through and reduced my dosage of stims. I could barely walk my ovaries were so full! Seriously. It was brutal as was the recovery.

Totally well-oiled machine but definitely packed. Never had a problem though and nurses were great at blood taking which is a huge pain.

15K?

You don't see him often during your treatment, but he's always happy to get on the phone with you to answer any questions. Thoughtful, informed, and open to collaboration (we tried a med recommendation I'd found in a recent study for PCOS patients that his team hadn't done before: it worked to get me to ovulate but unfortunately did not result in pregnancy.)

Don't be afraid of being proactive: and be specific with questions to take advantage of his knowledge.

Tried clomid + letrozole together for IUI cycle which first time resulted in dominant follicle and ovulation with trigger shot but did not result in pregnancy. Trying again next cycle did not produce a follicle, neither did just a higher dose of letrozole. Currently preparing for IVF

IUI not covered: $2K. Monitoring and visits covered by insurance.

n/a

Dr. Grifo is a truly caring doctor, and it is clear how much pride he takes in being able to help so many couples conceive. He's one of the pioneers of IVF in the U.S. and his expertise is apparent. He has a very warm bedside manner, while remaining candid in his explanations.

Come prepared with as many questions as you can. You will have ample time to ask, so take notes!

I have not yet started my protocol (we are waiting on my husband to have another surgery in a few months) but I will be going through a cycle of IVF to do egg retrieval and freezing, then when the other doctor does my husband's surgery, if they find sperm (fingers crossed!) then they'll thaw and fertilize my eggs.

I haven't gotten there yet...

Dr. Grifo is not a proponent of multiple embryo transfer because he feels it puts the mother at risk unnecessarily.

He's extremely knowledgeable. He's honest. He always told me all the pros and cons to each option and there was never any pressure. He pretty much lets you decide how you want to go. And he has an excellent personal manner. I definitely would recommend him to a friend.

Make your appointment ASAP. The wait for a first appointment is like 2 months.

My workup was paid for by insurance. My IUI was supposed to be covered by insurance but the insurance said my numbers were low, and they refused to cover IUI without drugs, so I paid for it myself rather than use drugs I didn't think I needed. I got pregnant on the first try. :)

He is very hard to reach and you barely ever see him. Having said that, his assistants are incredibly responsive. During our first consultation I felt he had all the time in the works for us and was going to do all he could. He also responded to us on an emotional level in a way that deeply resonated with me - something our previous doctor could not do.

Don’t expect to see him often. If you need to speak, his assistants will give you a small window in which he will call you.

High doses of stims- it worked because I got 30 eggs (which is May more than my previous 5 retrievals).

Between $15-20 for retreival and $2k for transfer

Strongly emphasizes transferring one embryo and warns against risk of multiples.

Dr. Grifo provided excellent care and clearly made us aware of the process and managed expectations appropriately. He made himself available for phone consultations during each step of the process.

Ensure to keep track of your own records of hormones, blood tests etc.

Dr. Grifo followed a medium aggressive drug plan for me. I do not recall the exact protocol, but I did not respond as expected and only ended up having one ovary really respond and 3 eggs retrieved. Luckily, we had one healthy blastocyst that resulted in a healthy pregnancy.

Very efficient and the Dr's were mostly great to work with.

17,500 for retrieval. Total after implantation and drugs was close to ~25k

I very much agreed with Dr. Grifo's approach of only implanting one embryo and doing genetic testing. He stressed the importance of having a healthy pregnancy - considering the risks to the mother, instead of just focusing on getting pregnant and risking multiples.

Dr. Grifo is a very knowledgeable doctor. My experience overall with NYU was positive, as far as it went. The process itself was straightforward. However, it was unclear at the end of it whether I had enough eggs to be a true insurance policy. Additionally the hormone dose used was higher than at other clinics, where my results were similar.

Ask his thought process behind the hormone doses he chooses. Also ask his viewpoint on whether eggs or embryos makes more sense, given your age and goals.

300 follistim, 300 menopur, 5 days clomid, ganirelex

Efficient and not unpleasant, although assembly line

$9200 per egg freeze cycle, $1000 for anesthesia. Med costs were separate and above this

Grifo is a straight-forward communicator, meeting with my husband and I a few times to talk about options and setting up a treatment plan. I felt he was doing evidence-based (rather than anecdote-based) medicine, and I got great results.

Take advantage of his expertise, and don't hesitate to ask questions.

Very easy, usually a wait of less than 20 minutes.

Unexplained fertility on our part, so we tried 4 IUI's (1 natural, 3 with clomid) which all failed. This time around we are doing our first IVF with frozen transfer, and I was put on follistim, menopur and cetrotide with lupron trigger. I was responding very well to the medications (estradiol to ~5,000), so the dosage was taken down over the stimulation period.

The costs quickly add up; estimate ~$25-30K for first cycle (including PGS, meds, anaesthesia), that doesn't include the $4K per transfer after the initial.