Samantha Pfeifer

I was very happy with Dr. Pfeiffer until for one cycle, when we were setting up the IUI appointment she said “remind me for next cycle that you ovulate early” and it just showed me she did not have faith that this cycle would work. I already felt like it was a waste of time. At my consultation, one of the recommendations was laparoscopy and when I went in to try that as an option, she said if I was open to IVF then that would be the better option. However, when she discussed the IUI, I felt like she just felt that IVF was going to be what I did and was dismissive of other options. I thought she was a great doctor, and very thoughtful and compassionate, but I did feel like what she truly believed was not what she wanted me to do. It was as though I was rushing through the IUI’s so that I could be eligible for IVF. Also, there was only one cycle of the 4 cycles I was there that I saw her throughout the entire process. I really wanted her to be my doctor but she was often out of the office.

Be mindful that she is not always available and you will need to see other doctors quite often

Her bedside manner was great. She was really good at listening to me and not telling me only what she knew.

First cycle was clomid 50mg only but no timed intercourse or IUI. My husband had a viral infection and Dr. Pfeiffer was not sure if his sperm would be okay to use for the IUI. Second cycle was clomid 50mg again with an IUI (this is the cycle I saw Dr. Pfeiffer throughout). Third cycle was clomid 50mg with an IUI. My follicles were very small and I was already surging when I was told to go in for my IUI the next day. Fourth cycle was clomid 100mg with timed intercourse because the IUI was not scheduled on time. The two follicles were small (13-14) and I was again already surging when I was to schedule the IUI the following day. All four cycles resulted in negative pregnancy tests.

The nursing staff was always patient, answered all my questions, and very compassionate. I once met Crystal, and she was very kind and always explained things very well to me.

The clinic at Tribeca is filled with the nicest people I have ever met. However, because of the volume at their other office at York, the same treatment is not found there. And as a patient, you will need to visit both offices. At York, the woman at the front speaks too fast and seems uninterested in speaking with others. She called me on the day that should have been my third IUI at 10:40 AM claiming that she called me and left a message at 8 AM and if I was still coming in. I never got any missed call or message (because I was hoping the clinic would call me back in time and had my phone on my person all morning) but once 9AM hit, I told my husband to just go to work because we couldn’t wait all day, plus the follicles were very small and the doctor (Dr. Reichmann) when he did my ultrasound, had no impression that I would be ready for an IUI. I was annoyed that the woman was more interested in proving she was right than realizing that I missed my third IUI. I did not express that to her, but just said that my husband had to go to work and we would not be coming in that day. I have not gone back for treatments at Weill Cornell, or any clinic for that matter, because this very last experience left me discouraged and very stressed. This is pretty much the experience I have had at every ob/gyn before switching over to a fertility clinic. I will try another fertility clinic when I am ready again in a few months, but I think all the heavy lifting needs to be done by the patient.

All costs were paid by my insurance except some medication and copays. I paid for Clomid, Sperm wash, and IUI through insurance.

N/a

Dr. Pfeifer always had a positive attitude and disposition. She explained what she was looking for and what she found. With tough news she was always the one to personally call whether from the office or her personal phone. Her attention to detail with my personal life made it lovely to connect with her at each visit.

Know that you get the facts along with a person who genuinely cares about your success. Dr. Pfeifer is easy to talk with, ask questions and she volunteers information.

Dr. Pfeifer always took time to speak to me about the course of action, when results weren’t good she always made sure we spoke and reviewed next steps. She connected as a person not just about the care.

When we first started together I had already been diagnosed with PCOS. The treatment was timed intercourse with Clomid, which we did 2 cycles and then moved to Clomid with IUI for 2 cycles and 1 with Letrozole. After 3 failed IUIs, Dr. Pfeifer moved us quickly to an IVF protocol controlling the start date with BC then started with Follistim (started with 150, reduced to 125, and fluctuated based on BW), added in Menopur and Cetrotide on day 5 of the shots. Trigger used was Lupron and HCG. We got 4 embryos from this cycle, 12 eggs retrieved, fertilization rate not ideal. We did a day 5 fresh transfer with 1 embryo and froze the other 3. The fresh transfer didn’t take, so we moved to transfer 1 frozen, this also didn’t work. Based on the results from IVF round 1 and the transfers, the recommendation was to try and bank more embryos, Dr. Pfeifer moved us to an increased dose of Gonal-F 225 adding in Menopur and Cetrotide on day 4, Lupron and HCG trigger on day 9. We got 26 eggs, 14 mature but 0 fertilizer and I had OHS. We regrouped after I recovered and decided to transfer both of my remaining embryos via a programmed cycle (using estrogen patches and adding progesterone shots). I did get pregnant with one baby from this cycle, but lost the baby at 8 weeks after hearing the heart beat at 7weeks. We took a 4 month break after that and started again with a cycle ( 75 Gonal and menopur at the same time, adding Cetrotide on day 5) Trigger on day 10 with Lupron and HCG. We got 10 eggs, 4 mature one day 5 embryo which we genetically tested. Recommend for testing came from the miscarriage and the lack of fertilization in the previous cycles. The embryo was not recommended for transfer.

The majority of my interactions at the office and via phone we great. The team remembered me absent my name at each visit .Willing to review care and dosage, answer questions etc. Christine was assigned to me for my third round as I had a bad interaction with someone on a follow up call after my miscarriage.

The technology and equipment at Cornell Tribeca is state of the art all brand new. The front desk team is lovely, energetic and kind. For a smaller office the waiting area is often packed. Most days moved pretty quickly, but others I waited 45min just for blood. Communication via email or the portal could be better. Most of the time I received phone calls.

It was a combination of efficiency and a ton of women just waiting. Some days you would have a scheduled time, other was “just come between 7-830”. Weekend at the uptown office were always packed. Earlier the better!

At first , I had no coverage and monitoring appointments ran about $450 each time. My husbands insurance added some coverage during our rounds which helped but everything, especially the medicine and retrieval were expensive.

Dr. Pfeifer cares so much for her patients that she overall preferred to transfer single embryos. We spoke several times about risks with multiples and weighed the options very carefully before putting my 2 embryos back.

Dr. Pfeifer was/is excellent. She was compassionate and caring and very knowledgeable--but still blunt enough so that you know to expect realistically. She keeps up-to-date with emerging studies surrounding IVF and doesn't just jump on the bandwagon of extras unless she truly thinks they could help. I love that she takes your thoughts and opinions and concerns but at the end of the day she is the doctor and I can trust her to make the best decisions for my protocols.

Feel free to ask questions. If you aren't getting helpful enough information from the nurses, you can call Dr. Pfeifer's assistant for an appointment with her. I have never walked away from a consultation wondering what to do or what was going on.

With Dr. Pfeifer, I absolutely felt like a human 100%. She was kind, caring, and remembered many details about us and our situation without staring at a file. The nurses for my first 2 transfers were great, but my last transfer it seemed like the nurse changed every time I called and they seem to go really quickly and don't really like questions.

For us, our infertility was male factor with no issues on my side. Because of this, and my risk of OHSS, Dr. Pfeifer took a more conservative approach to the stim meds. I never did more than 150 units of follistim per day, and then I also had menopur and cetrotide. And then progesterone in oil going into transfer. They retrieved 13 eggs, 9 mature, 8 fertilized. By Day 3, they were concerned none would make it to day 5 in the lab so we transferred fresh at day 3. Neither took. I had 2 embryos make it to freeze. The first transfer was positive but ended in miscarriage. Second transfer was positive but ended as a chemical pregnancy. We will be going for a 2nd egg retrieval in 2019 and I know she is going to up the meds a bit to try to get more eggs. We will do a day 5 fresh transfer (my decision, not the doctor's) and then PGS test the rest of the embryos that make it to freeze.

My nurses for my retrieval and first two transfers were great. Compassionate and happy to answer questions. With my last transfer, it seemed like I had a different nurse every time I called or was called back. And none of them were the same as my first transfers. That just meant that I felt like I was being passed off. Crystal was always good, but I think they switched her off my care at some point and I got people who didn't always seem to know what they were doing.

This clinic runs like a well-oiled machine. They know what they are doing and do it well. The morning bloodwork feels a bit number like--but they have a massive amount of people to get through in a short time. Tribeca is definitely better about being more human and caring than the main office in the upper east side--and it's so much more peaceful and quiet. Be aware that your doctor will not necessarily be the one doing your procedures. Each clinic's doctor is assigned to a specific day since there is only one surgical room. The doctors I've had though for retrieval and transfer have been great. Also know that your ultrasounds will not necessarily be with your doctor. And on retrieval and transfer day...you will wait. Last time I was told to be there at the earliest time, but was the last one to go in about 3 hours later. Super annoying watching people that arrived an hour after you go in an hour before you.

Not a cattle call. It was a well-oiled machine. You walk in, sign in, and then sit down until they call you back. Honestly, I was almost always out of there within 20 minutes. The only time I wasn't was when my veins were not cooperating and it would take a couple people to find a vein.

IVF with ICSI including fresh transfer was just under $12,000. Medications were about $6,000-8,000. Hotel for 3 weeks was about $6,000. FETs were about $4,000 plus medication and hotel.

Dr. Pfeifer is very smart about it. She prefers to transfer just one, but will allow 2 if you really want. She moreso bases it on age and circumstances. I'm under 35 so I only transfer 1. At 35, 2 would be okay. I'm not sure, but I believe she does not recommend more than 2.

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

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

Dr. Pfeifer is a kind and compassionate doctor.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dr. Pfeifer was kind in how she explained my results and what we'd try next. After a few losses when trying naturally she seemed to be in my corner and wanted to see me pregnant. She didn't perform my IUI but saw me for my ultrasounds (except for weekend monitoring.)

While some of the nurses treated me like a number, Dr Pfeifer treated me like an individual. She was kind, straightforward, remembered my case,in most cases performed my sonograms and often called me with results (though not regular monitoring for IUI.)

She had me take 100 mgs of clomid on cycle days 4-8, trigger shot on day 12 and IUI on day 13. I will take progesterone suppositories day 17 until negative pregnancy test (or continue on progesterone if pregnant.) Currently waiting for the results.

Crystal and Rosie, Dr. Pfeifer's nurses are kind, responsive, and well-organized as is Hiral, her medical secretary. The nurses who called with my daily monitoring weren't as compassionate and I literally had to beg them to stay on the phone with me to answer a few basic questions about the timing of my first IUI.

Love having the Tribeca office available for most appointments but going to the UES location for weekend monitoring early in the morning and for the IUI was much less convenient. The UES office also doesn't really explain what you need to do and where you need to go for IUI - for example, sign in on 6th floor, then wait on 7th floor for husband's sample to be prepared, then carry it back down to 6th floor and check back in. That said, blood tests always seem to go quickly and waits are not long for AM monitoring.

My insurance covers most testing and the IUI. I've paid $30 copays for some visits and for some of the drugs. I think I also paid for the trigger shot.

Dr. Pfeifer was always very positive and encouraging in regards to treatments, medications, etc. The clinic was always very busy, so her time during morning monitoring appointments was rather limited, so those appointments were quick and to the point. When an issue did arise with one of her nurses, she was nice enough to offer that we should contact her directly.

Be patient and make sure you have questions ready when you do meet with her.

Dr. Pfeiffer was always very kind and honest when we had our one on one time. The morning monitoring hours were always very compact/rushed due, so it was always brief and to the point, while always remaining positive and encouraging.

She diagnosed me as a having a "smidge of PCOS" as well as unexplained infertility. I did appreciate she taking all precautions before going through with any treatments (in my case there was some suspicion that my uterus bicornuate uterus so she recommended I go through an MRI to confirm. Also when I reported feeling extremely emotional when she prescribed clomid she switched me over to letrozole, which worked much better. She listed to my life situation and recommended an altered plan to proceed with IVF while my life (work and school responsibilities) got sorted out. My only kind of negative comment about the treatment strategy would be her lack of enthusiasm towards supplements. After doing some additional research I asked her thoughts on adding CoQ10, she was very unenthusiastic and said it couldn't hurt, but she also said that the vitamin/supplement industry is a multi-million dollar industry, etc. when I inquired about vitamin E and melatonin. I was a little taken aback, but respect her feelings.

The front desk/reception staff (who also helped with insurance follow-up) was direct, but overall ok. I quickly learned it was a busy clinic and they did the best they could. There was a Practice Specialist, who was very personable and a good listener when the issue with the assigned nurse arose. The nurse I was assigned to, however, was very curt on the phone and insisted on phone only follow-up, even though email was preferred for my partner and me. After a mandatory IVF orientation class, when my partner asked a question, she laughed at him (there were other couples there too) and as she apologized after seeing our faces she laughed through her apology. I did not want to jeopardize our treatment and did not bring it up with the staff or doctor. I inquired about being switched to another nurse coordinator but was told that they were short staffed and we'd have to continue working with this particular nurse. From here the issues with follow-up got a bit delayed and unacceptable to the point that we decided to put our IVF on hold due to communication issues between the insurance/billing office and our insurance. I would say that a patient has to do all the legwork between the insurance and the clinic, and it can get quite complicated and unfortunately, the clinic does not offer too much guidance, so you are really on your own.

Strengths: the clinic is clean, presentable, state of the art, accessible. They do have really good doctors that listen and seem to care when you are with them (time is limited however as they all seem to have a heavy caseload). The front desk/reception is friendly and helpful once you get to know them. They offer genetic counseling (we took advantage of it and the counselor was very informative and helpful, glad we did this). Weakness: when it comes to billing and insurance the patient is left on their own to tackle. When we first joined we could communicate with the clinic via email (where we could email in questions, paperwork, etc.) however in the past year they switch out to everything being handled via phone. The assigned nurse we got also refused to communicate via email preferring to do so via phone. This did not work for us due to work/school commitments, so having email communication was preferred. Another weakness would have to be that information (in our case insurance pre-requirements for IVF) never got to the right person in time, so the patient was left to do multiple follow-ups with several people about the same thing. I wish the office would be better coordinated.

Luckily all of our IUI's were covered by my insurance. We did not proceed with IVF due to the issues we encountered, so we don't know what that would have cost us out of pocket.

Dr. Pfeifer gave me every confidence that she was dialed in to what I needed for my personal treatment success and I'm very glad I chose her to guide me through this process. I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking to have a great working relationship with their doctor and be treated as an individual, even within a very large practice.

Understand that despite the fact that Dr. Pfeifer is very personally invested in her patients, it is still up to you to be your own advocate as a patient, especially in a large practice like Cornell--ask questions, follow up with your nursing team and question things that just don't seem 'right' until you feel comfortable.

Dr. Pfeifer has great bedside manner and made me feel like a patient who deserved to be informed and educated throughout the process, but did not sugar coat things either and gave me straightforward information and assessments of my diagnosis and treatment.

Gonal-F, Menopur and Cetrotide with an HcG trigger-- close monitoring to guard against the onset of OHSS.

The nursing staff is good, but you have to really be your own advocate as a patient as it is a big clinic and they are managing a LOT of patients. You almost always have to leave messages, so it is up to you to be on top of questions to give them ample time to get back to you.

Weill Cornell is well organized "factory" for IVF-- this didn't bother me much because most of the tip clinics in NYC are this way, and the quality of the lab/embryologist and doctors is what you are going there for. That being said, you do have to be very on top of your own treatment to ensure you get what you need.

The monitoring hours are very efficient, although the later you come, the longer you will wait-- so if you wanted to be seen quickly, it required that you come earlier. Even during peak times, the longest I was in the clinic during monitoring was probably half an hour.

I have insurance coverage for infertility procedures, so I only paid my insurance deductible and, in some cases, co-payments, as well as PGS testing fees and embryo storage fees.

Initially I came to Dr. Pfeifer after a referral from Dr. Peter Schlegel during treatment for male infertility. I was an out-of-town patient which made communication and remote testing complicated at times. That said, Dr. Pfeifer had at one point provided me her cell number and has since allowed me to text her- though I try to respect her privacy and do so sparingly. I did, however, find this to be especially helpful at times when I needed something urgent, or in the event I was unable to get through to her via e-mail or get through to one of the nurses or on-call physicians (weekends, nights, etc.) The shear fact that she trusted me with giving me her cell number shows how much she cared for me as her patient. We had success after a frozen blastocyst transfer in June of this year, after a failed fresh 3-day transfer in March (2nd IVF cycle), and failed TESE/initial IVF cycle with a frozen embryo transfer. Dr. Pfeifer is always very approachable with questions, but at times, it seems she struggles to keep up with her large patient load as it can take multiple attempts to get a hold of her. That said, she is always more than willing to help and listen when you do! It requires a lot of patience and persistence, but worth it when you do get through to her.

Persistence is key when getting through to her directly. Due to the high volume nature of the clinic, you really have to be your own advocate as everyone is vying for time with her. Being in high demand is not a bad problem to have, but wish that Cornell would hire more physicians to lower the patient to provider ratio.

Cornell in general is a high volume clinic so that alone can make you feel like you are a number, however, whenever I had 1:1 time with Dr. Pfeifer by phone or in person, she always made you feel important and valued.

The first IVF cycle, we used injectables (Follistim, Ganirelix, and Menopur). The second cycle we were able to use what we learned from a failed frozen cycle to modify my protocol to produce better results. During IVF round 2, we went with a lower initial dose and continued that dose for a majority of the time, which while it sounds counter-intuitive, produced almost double the number of eggs retrieved (16). It was somewhat discouraging to find out that only half of the eggs were "mature", but we had two 8 and 7 cell embryos transferred and another which made it to Day 5/6 to freeze, which ended up being the one that worked.

Evangeline was, for the most part, great to work with! I got to know her after our FOT cycle and continued working with her on our second IVF cycle. She was typically responsive to my calls and emails, more so than the first nurse I had been assigned with our TESE and first egg retrieval. She once called someone else and left them a message with my protocol, which was concerning. I addressed it with Dr. Pfeifer and she addressed it with her. During our 2nd IVF cycle, Dr. Pfeifer had made a last minute addition of Lupron to my protocol, and due to insurance and timing, I was going to have to pay out-of-pocket for it from a local pharmacy. Evangeline was able to locate some in storage at the clinic and provided it to me free of charge. One of the downsides of the nursing team is that they are all located at the Upper East Side location, so if you are seeing Dr. Pfeifer in Tribeca, you might not get to meet/see Evangeline in person.

Beautiful and comfortable state-of-the-art facilities. Tribeca is often a lot more efficient when it comes to bloodwork and ultrasound. Make sure you do your homework and get pre-certified if your insurance requires it. Sometimes you feel like a number during morning monitoring, but in my opinion, it also helps you feel reassured that you're going to a place where lots of others are trusting them with their care. Even if you don't get to see your doc. for monitoring, the other physicians I have also liked are Dr. Schattman, Dr. Kang and Dr. Melnick. Be advised that your physician likely won't do your egg retrieval or transfer as they all rotate OR days so it just depends which day you're ready and you'll get the doctor on-call.

Pretty painless at Tribeca office. Usually in and out in 30 mins. There was one day I waited over an hour for bloodwork, but I think this was due to a snowstorm that had impacted morning monitoring the day prior.

IVF w/ ICSI is about $13,000 + cost of medications which for me was about $2-3,000

In our case, she would have liked to have performed a day 5 transfer in March (IVF cycle #2), but wanted to wait and make the final decision once she saw what the embryos looked like on day 3. In the end, she ended up transferring two moderate quality embryos not knowing if the other six, slower developing embryos, would make it to Day 5. Only 1 of 6 was of good enough quality to freeze, so in hindsight was the right decision. Those two failed to implant, but we did an FET with our day 5 frozen embryo in June and that proved to be the lucky one!

So far my experiences have been very positive. Dr. Pfeifer takes the time to answer the questions I have and comes across as caring and thoughtful. She strikes a good balance of being honest and nurturing.

Be prepared with questions if you have them and if you are concerned about something, speak up.

I started seeing Dr. Pfeifer after my second miscarriage because my OB/GYN thought I may have more success if I try IVF with PGS testing. I appreciated that Dr. Pfeifer didn't just jump to IVF and instead ran tests to assess next steps. She ultimately suggested we try again on our own if we were up to it and once we were pregnant she would monitor us closely for the first 10 weeks. We ended up getting pregnant on our own but had another loss. She was very caring during the whole process and seemed invested in our success. We are now starting the IVF process with her.

I haven't yet started my IVF cycle but the protocol the Dr. is recommending is 225-400 FSH plus Menopur with Ganirelix.

So far my experience with my primary nurse, Evangeline and the nurse staff has been excellent. Yes, you have to be on standby if you are expecting a call from them but I think that is standard. When my nurse does call she takes the time to answer all of my questions.

I really like the Tribeca office. It is pretty easy to get an appointment and wait time for walk in blood work is reasonable. I also appreciate that you can go to the UES location on the weekends. For some appointments (IVF prep class, genetic counselor consultation, appointment prior to egg retrieval) you have to go to the UES location which is a little inconvenient for me but for the most part my care has been at Tribeca. Front desk staff is relatively easy to get in touch with and they are responsive via email and phone.

I am just starting IVF but I think the cost for IVF with PGS testing and meds without insurance is around 25K; our insurance will cover 10K for treatment and 4K for meds.

Based on our discussions and the fact that we are doing PGS testing, the current recommendation is to transfer one embryo.

Dr. Pfeifer was easy to work with and clear in her communications. I wouldn't say she is the most compassionate doctor - but I don't think you can expect that from most fertility clinics. She answered questions directly when I had the chance to ask them. The day of my egg retrieval even though she was not the doctor in the OR she called me to check in and let me know things had gone well. When I didn't answer the phone (napping) she took the time to call my husband which I really appreciated.

Write your questions down and ask them as she is doing the monitoring exams. Know as much as you can before you go in so you can play a more active role in deciding your treatment path.

The good part as others have said is she is at the monitoring appointments which is nice. If she is not there you will see the other doctor she shares the office with. Once we moved from IUI to IVF I felt more like a human - and more attention was paid to my case. The monitoring hours are very rushed and you don't have the chance to ask questions or get detailed answers from her - but you get a call from your nurse every day after blood work and ultrasound and they are great resources for questions.

We had unexplained infertility which is so vague and annoying that its even a "diagnosis". I did the HSG scan, blood work, genetic testing and my husband did seamen analysis - all came back good. We then did two rounds on clomid, with IUIs - one with trigger shot - and one round of letrezol with IUI. All were unsuccessful. I went for daily monitoring and blood during all three cycles. When we moved to IVF I had more ultrasounds, and then moved to injectables: Gonal F, Menapur, Gonarelex with a trigger shot. I also took some antibiotics. We opted for ICSI, and the embryos were transferred day 3.

The nurse was nice and called every day as expected. She always had the information I needed and would answer questions. The one major issue is you can almost never get her one the phone if you miss a call or have an adhoc question. You have to have your cell phone glued to your hip all afternoon. The nursing staff and techs were all nice and friendly.

The clinic is fine and they have two or 3 locations - none are convenient for me but they may be for others. The set times for monitoring are nice if you need to schedule but the walk in times are also good b/c you can get in early before work. On the weekends you have to go to the main building on the UES and it can be very crowded in there. If you do IVF they will give you a card to swipe in each time which is pre-loaded with your reason for visits - this is nice and prevents you from having to stand in line to check in.

I think each monitoring session was abut $40 and each IUI was about $70. The retrieval and transfer for IVF was about $12,000, the meds were covered by insurance (about $10,000) except for $750 that I paid out of pocket.

She was open to what we wanted and supported our decision to transfer two.

Dr. Pfeifer is very personable and knowledgeable, and is also a straight talker. She's also funny and warm, and made me feel like a person, not a number. However, it's difficult to get ahold of her on the phone, which can be frustrating.

Ask all your questions during your appointments, because you'll most likely speak to your nurse when you call, who will then have to call you back once she speaks to the doctor.

I speak to the same nurse whenever I have questions, and the doctor knows me and my history.

I had one unmedicated IUI, two medicated IUIs (with chlomid and an ovulation trigger), and then IVF using Follistim, Menopur, Ganirelyx, estrogen patches and progesterone.

I was lucky in that Evangeline was my nurse for both my IUI and IVF cycles, and got to know me throughout the process.

Strengths: Caring staff, smaller office, convenient location, easy walk-in process for monitoring appointments. Weaknesses: The billing department for the fertility clinic is terrible. The woman who works there is a nightmare. Can also be difficult to get ahold of the doctor - even when leaving a message, a nurse will call you back and you have to then put through another message that you want to speak to the doctor. Can be frustrating.

For the most part, it's an efficient system at the Tribeca office. There were some mornings when it would take a long time, but there was always a reason - they were short-staffed or the computers had gone down. If I had an appointment (which I recommend, even for monitoring hours), I was always seen quickly with no issues.

Each IUI cycle cost about $4k, for all the appointments, blood work, ultrasounds and medications. For IVF, the full cost was about $12k.

I felt that I was "told" how many embryos were being transferred, as opposed to having the option to disagree. This was my biggest issue with Weill Cornell.

Dr. Pfeifer established a plan for my treatment and explained it well. She was realistic yet encouraging. When my body responded in unexpected ways and we had to change the plan, she clearly communicated why. I trust her very much.

Go see her!

Dr Pfeiffer is warm, practical, and no-nonsense. In our initial session, she wanted to hear all about the life circumstances that had brought me to her clinic. We discussed how they had impacted by physical and reproductive health. She was realistic yet encouraging about my prospects.

First I was on estrodial and progesterone for a few months in an attempt to restart ovulation naturally. Then I tried clomid, but that didn't produce ovulation. Since I wasn't responding, we canceled that cycle and I took medicine to bring on a bleed so we could start again with the next cycle. Then I started taking the nightly hormone injections, and finally my hormone levels started to rise and my follicle started to grow. I went to the clinic every other day to keep an eye on its growth. When the time was right, I gave myself the trigger shot injection. Then we did an IUI.

I've never met my nurse Evangeline, but she's the one who calls me with results from the bloodwork and instructions. She's always very clear about next steps, and always has time to answer my questions.

The morning monitoring hours (between 7-8:30 I think) can be very crowded. I often have to wait more than 30 minutes even if I'm just doing a blood test that will take 2 minutes. But the overall clinic and staff is great. They're all very competent, organized, and friendly.

Because I was classified as infertile, almost all of my costs were covered by insurance. I purchased donor sperm myself.

Samantha Pfeifer was very polite, cheerful and had great bedside manners. Our meetings with her were precise; she had answers to all our questions; she never dismissed any of our concerns as silly or stupid. She constantly evaluated my health, and my fertility journey to modify the approach so as to achieve success in an optimum number of cycles.

Keep faith in the process and trust Dr Pfeifer's knowledge, expertise regarding the fertility treatment.

Dealing with infertility already comes with its own set of challenges. And if one comes across a doctor who gives you hope while being realistic is definitely a sign. I saw Dr Pfeifer in 2016 and there were so many small obstacles to jump before i could embark on a fertility treatment in 2018; I think she did a great job of being with me every step of the way.

I met Dr Pfeifer in 2016, and the first thing she wanted me to focus on reducing my pre-diabetic numbers to normal. I was suggested to go for additional help from a endocrinologist. Then in 2017, Dr Pfeifer discovered I had uterine polyps and asked me to go for a surgery. In 2018, I had my egg retrieval after my insulin numbers were stabilized and then in October 2018, I had my egg transfer. To sum up, Dr Pfeifer in the two years that I have known her, tried to remove every possible hurdle that would have prevented me from having a successful IVF cycle.

The nursing staff was polite, professional and friendly. They always greeted me with a smile; spoke encouragingly each time i had to go for my blood work and ultrasound.

Cornell has the benefit of some amazing doctors with experience and nursing staff; their hospital New York Presbyterian where we end up visiting for all procedures is well equipped with state of the art technology. All their offices have mostly helpful front staff. Only make sure your insurance has Weil Cornell has in network provider; a lot of times the doctors are part of the insurance, but the practice is not. The billing team doesn't efficiently communicate if your insurance does not accept the practice and then you are left paying some huge bills.

I could go in for monitoring in the mornings. The process was efficient. All I had to do was check in at the front office, and I would be called within 10 minutes. Cornell had also issued a card, which we could swipe to check in, and that was super easy.

The costs included all the monitoring done with bloodwork and ultrasounds, one cycle of IUI, egg retrieval procedure, PGD/PGS testing, ICSI, Embryo transfer.

Dr Pfeifer was very clear,because of my age, she would like to transfer a single embryo only. We agreed with this approach and are happy with the result

We went to a different clinic for our first child and wanted to try a different place for our second. Dr. Pfeifer sat with us at our initial consult and went through all of the medical records and discussed them. She was impressed with my knowledge of treatment and therefore didn't dumb things down for me. She was friendly and warm, but also had a plan of action that she was ready to put into motion immediately. I saw her at every monitoring appointment, and I always felt like she knew exactly what was going on with me. She also performed my tests and was really good about going over results.

If you've been to a previous doctor at a different clinic, make sure you bring your medical records with you. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

I saw Dr. Pfeifer every time I went in for tests or monitoring. She clearly remembered who I was from appointment to appointment, knew exactly what was going on and where I was in my cycle, and knew my name (and addressed me as such) without having to check the chart.

Because I had success at my old clinic with IUI, Dr. Pfeifer recommended that we try three cycles of IUI with medication and trigger shot before discussing IVF. She ran the IUI cycle concurrently with some tests I needed to have (a saline sonogram, AMH levels, day 4 bloods). I took 100 mg of Clomid from days 4-8, then went in for a saline sonogram (not the normal course of action in an IUI, but they had to make sure my uterus was clear of scar tissue from my previous c-section) on Day 10. At Day 10 they noted that my follicles were large, but my lining had some catching up to do. I went back in for monitoring on day 11, they drew blood, saw my lining had grown a bit more and my follicles had gotten bigger. I was called that day and directed to take an Ovidrel trigger shot on the evening of day 11. I had an IUI on the morning of day 13. Two weeks later, I had beta blood levels drawn and got a positive. Dr. Pfeifer had me come in for two ultrasounds - one to confirm an intrauterine pregnancy at 5 weeks, and another to confirm viability (fetal heartbeat) around 7 weeks.

Evangeline, or sometimes Devon, would call with any instructions or explanations and they were always very clear. A couple of times it required them calling a pharmacy more than once and they were always right on top of it. Very helpful.

The Tribeca office of Weill Cornell is small and very efficient. I was never made to wait more than 20 minutes (and that was an anomaly - even for morning monitoring I was usually called within 10 minutes).

Infertility testing and IUI is covered by my insurance, with Weill Cornell accepts. All money owed is because of deductibles/co-pays.

she was great- she was easy to talk to and was a good listener. she had a great energy about her and just pleasant to deal with. i sincerely felt she cared about me. and, i felt that she was experienced to make the right decisions. i would recommend her to anyone.

just be prepared to find a good OB as early as 8 weeks as unfortunately, she does not do deliveries!!

i thought she was just delightful and caring. i totally trusted her and thought she had good judgement.

Loved the Tribeca nursing staff- never had a problem with them paricularly with taking blood. they were so compassionate and optimistic. they had good energy. i was so happy to see any of them when i had to do the the York Avenue office because they definitely had a better attitude!

tribeca's office and staff were great- during holidays or weekends, all patients have to go to the Upper East Side office for daily monitoring or any procedures. the upper east side is a cornucopia of women of all sorts but they also include the really demanding types. sometimes the waiting room is so full that there aren't available seats!

Tribeca office was great- the York Ave office was a painful line. i think there is a window in June or July where they don't do IVF so it becomes packed with women squeezing in the last IVF before the doctor's and nurses go on vacation, i think...

Dr.Pfeifer did every ultrasound during IVF and my egg retrieval. While she has 100s of patients, I always felt like her only one. She explained everything in detail and always made me feel educated and comfortable every step of the process.

Dr.Pfeifer was very personable and always treated me like I was her only patient. She was never rushed and always spent lots of time with me. She and her team were very accessible to answer any calls or emails with questions.

The main office is crowded and lots going on because there are so many doctors and patients. People don’t give enough credit to the embryologists at clinics...I believe the best of the best are at Weill

Monitoring hours were very convenient and you can go to any location.

I have 0 fertility insurance

We discussed all the pros and cons of single or multiple embryo transfers and she made sure we had all our questions answered and help us make informed decisions