Zalman Levine

Overall I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Levine. IVF is a difficult journey - it's physically demanding, the uncertainty makes it emotionally challenging, and of course it's expensive. I appreciated that throughout my treatment Dr. Levine always talked about it in the context of helping my husband and me achieve our goal of having 2 kids. When we started treatment Dr. Levine said that our chances of being able to have two kids were excellent (close to 100%), that it wouldn't be easy, but that in the end we would have success - and that's exactly what happened. We did 3 rounds of egg retrievals. The first cycle, we got 7 eggs. Three of them survived to be day 5 embryos, and of those only one was chromosomally normal. The second round Dr. Levine put me on a higher dose of the medications. We got 9 eggs, 4 of them developed into day 5 embryos, but none of them were chromosomally normal. That was definitely a low point for us, but Dr. Levine recommended trying again. The third round, we got only 6 eggs, and only two become day-5 embryos. When I got this news I was ready to give up on my own eggs and look for a donor. But then we got great news that one of them was chromosomally normal! So this meant we had TWO normal, day-5 embryos, which meant we had a pretty good chance of being able to have two kids. We transferred the one embryo we got from the first cycle and I'm currently 12 weeks pregnant! Throughout my care I always felt like I was in great hands with Dr. Levine. He doesn't give more information than you need, but always answered my questions with compassion and in a way I understood.

Make a mental note of any questions you have before your monitoring sessions. You will only have a few minutes with Dr. Levine and he is very efficient and moves quickly to see patients. There were days when I would leave the office and realize I had a question and I'd missed my chance to ask.

I had insurance that covered 90% of the first two egg retrieval cycles. I think my out of pocket cost for those was about $1,200 each. For the third cycle we paid out of pocket. (If I had gone with a US-based pharmacy, it would have been about $10,000 for medications.) We ordered medications from an overseas pharmacy and it was about $5,000. The cost of the IVF cycle was about $17,000, plus $250 per embryo for genetic testing.

Dr. Levine asked us if we wanted to transfer a single embryo or multiples. We said we preferred a single and he was fine with that.

I will always be thankful that after my egg retrievals with Dr. Levine I always healed well. I just wish that the Doctor would be more open minded with me as his patient to consider a fresh transfer, or modifying my protocol, or explaining why other protocols can't be tried. Dr. Levine always said I responded well to the protocol I was on, but after my first IVF CP I wish he would of consider in my second IVF a different protocol for what I believe would be future pregnancy losses due to my medical history. I went in trusting his first protocol and advise in PGS testing due to my age because I believe in the Doctor and wanted to follow him faithfully. I initially had wanted to try Clomid, but in my consult with him he said that he wouldn't advise it because it would be frustrating for him meaning that I wouldn't be successful in conception because I believe in him and appreciated his honesty about the clomid I felt my treatment would have to be his way, but I don't understand why for the second IVF attempt he wouldn't consider as an option a fresh transfer. when I mentioned opting out of PGS testing he didn't seem supportive. When I asked after my egg retrieval how long I should wait for to attempt another protocol because my husband and I are hoping for at least two children the Doctor seemed dismissive of my question perhaps it was because I asked right after egg retrieval surgery, however he should of answered me. I believe he tries to be very positive in nature, but in my opinion after my second egg retrieval I would of wished he would of come with a bit more medical options. He is a by the book Doctor and while I realize i'm no experiment and I appreciate him for not pushing anything medical on me I felt like a failure for him constantly mentioning there were other options such as adoption, or egg donor; I should of caught on to that on my first consult with him. I came to see this Doctor to feel as if I could find someone that would be willing to fight with me in beating my odds in infertility based on my age. I think he is a wonderful Doctor,but perhaps he works best for women under 36 and younger. I leave this clinic broken hearted and not willing to go a third round because I feel Dr. Levine isn't open to any other options with me and perhaps it was my age and he knew best, but he didn't want to consider my options. I'm sure he is wonderful with other patients that could produce better results.

during your consult ask what would be the protocol he would put you on based on your age? and is the same for other women your age? is he open to other methods? Is PGS testing a must if you have no known genetic diseases? is he willing to do a fresh transfer based on your age?

First IVF got as far as transfer tested one PGS Normal (good quality) embryo- Gonal-F 450, Menopur 350, Ganarelix, estradiol, pio shots second IVF only egg retrieval- Gonal-F 450, Menopu 350, ganarelix - retrieved four embryos, but according to Doctor Levine on Day 5 they were abnormal (they stopped growing).

First IVF was expensive but included monitoring and blood work not medication, they do offer military discounts. Second IVF was the same but they were willing to work a price because it was my second. I think they try to work with you.

The clinic is specific only one single embryo transfer.

Dr. Levine was extremely caring, compassionate and patient. He called me personally with the results of each of my blood work pregnancy tests and you could hear the compassion in his voice. There was one time when I did get pregnant and then later miscarried. He knew how much pain I was in and followed up a second time just to check in! Can't recommend him enough!

No specific advice - I always try to come to any doctors appointment with a list of my questions . I will say though - that sometimes I would think of a question after I left the room - and ask the nurse if I could ask him one last thing (even if he had gone on to the next room already) and they would usually work out for me to ask him something between patients

I started with letrizol and my body reacted somewhat, but not as fast as it should have. Then I tried a cycle of clomid which my body reacted poorly to. I did 2 IUIs. The first did not work. The second I got pregnant but I miscarried. I started a 3rd IUI using injectable medication this time. I overstimulated and we were able to change the cycle to become an egg retrieval instead of an IUI. I had a hx of miscarriages so I had them PGS tested. The clinic gave me the option of picking genders, but I wanted them to pick. Then I did a frozen embryo transfer and transferred two embryos and had twins!

It was very easy. Hours were from 6-9 and I never had to wait very long!

Dr. Levine was open to transferring two embryos. He helped us understand the pros and cons of each option

Our experience with Dr. Levine was incredible. He is truly a unique individual. He is above all a very competent professional. At the same time he is caring, compassionate, warm and patient. We got the sense that I was the only patient he thinks about all day. He explained things clearly, did not raise false hopes and answered our questions with endless patience. He called in person to deliver all results and inquire about my well being on many occasions. This journey towards a positive pregnancy was truly a remarkable experience that was sweetened by his devotion and care.

Expect to be stunned! Just when you think this doctor cannot get any better than he already is - he will surprise you!

Around 30k

Dr. Levine did encourage a single embryo transfer.

He was always kind and compassionate. I would go to him again and again. He was thorough and knowledgable. They also helped me financially in any way they could. I eventually had my baby and I wouldn't have done it any other way.

Ask questions, stay informed.

The first two IUI's I used clomid, and then lectrozol because I did not react well with clomid. The fresh embryo transfer was unsuccessful but my second frozen one was great. I was closely monitored. The first few weeks were spent ruling out genetics and other issues. He understood my haste for wanting a baby but we were patient!

You could go in whenever was good for you from 6am -9 am. It was smooth and efficient.

20,000

As we did not test the eggs he let me place two eggs in each transfer which I greatly appreciated.

He is very caring and makes you feel important. Came highly recommended from friends who have had successful pregnancies. He made an awkward situation with a gestational carrier much easier, which is not an easy thing to do. When we had a miscarriage he was very compassionate.

Go see him right away!

A few weeks of estrogen for my carrier and then the injectables.

Very expensive because it is a gestational carrier but after our failed transfer they reduced the cost.

He is open to transferring 2 if need be which can be helpful to increase your odds of a successful pregnancy.

He is kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable. Excellent bedside manner, superb mastery of his medical specialty, overall amazing RE. Because of his patience and dedication, we have 3 amazing beautiful children.

Absolutely go with Dr. Levine. Having an amazing doctor how you trust is imperative.

Injections with induced ovulation, IVF with ICSI. 3 day transfer due to embryos declining in the lab

We used our insurance

Dr Levine is amazing! He explains things so clearly. He is understanding and was very positive.

To tell him everything that is going on and to explain everything.