Paula Brady

My husband and I had a very positive experience at CUFC. We first met with Dr. Brady in January 2019. I was so comforted by her demeanor and the space she made for all our questions. I was so impressed that all her answers included both the scientific evidence and her professional experience. Another couple of friends had recommended Dr. Brady to us and we are eternally grateful that we started with her and that we didn’t have to go other places. She supported our decisions about how long to try IUI and when to move on to IVF. She was amazing at responding to our questions via email. You won’t always see your specific doctor at every monitoring appointment. You will go in so often and the doctors take turns covering morning monitoring. All the doctors and all the sono techs were wonderful. This practice also has lots (a majority I believe) of female doctors if that is important to you. A friend who went to a different nyc fertility practice, said female doctors were rare at her practice. I also appreciated that the office has their OR on site where all the surgical procedures are done (I had a termination for medical reason, a polyp removal, two egg retrievals and a frozen embryo transfer). The office itself is convenient, clean, nicely designed and took covid precautions very seriously. We are so grateful to Dr. Brady and the team for every way they have guided and helped us through the infertility process. It made something that is so challenging a lot easier. We are very hopeful to meet our IVF baby next year. If you are looking for a fertility practice that has your best interests at the forefront and is connected to a medical and educational establishment (versus a private business) I heartily encourage you to go to CUFC. I have already referred friends there. We are lucky in New York City to even have options of fertility practices, but based on everything I have heard about other places, this was the absolute best fit and decision we made.

We have unexplained infertility and so Dr. Brady was always game to try IUI (which worked once, but resulted in a missed miscarriage) but also let us know when/if we were ready for IVF, we would be able to learn more about my egg quality/maturity and our fertilization. I am so grateful she would outline our options with also being aware and respectful that we were paying out of pocket. She supported our choice of trying to bank more embryos by doing a second egg retrieval. Her level of care was one of the best I have ever experienced. She is down to earth and supportive. I am so grateful we worked with her.

We did not have insurance coverage for infertility. I estimate we spent around $25k for 5 IUIs, 2 egg retrievals, 1 frozen embryo transfer, medications and monitoring appts.

Since day one Dr Brady demonstrated the great doctor she is as well as her kind human side. She always explained my husband and I in a clear way and with so much patience. We had 3 IVF (only 1 IVF full cycle). Throughout the journey we literally bombarded her with questions. All of them were answered in details and in a timely manner. Something to highlight is that we always had direct contact with her. It made me feel that there wasn’t any missing information at any time. We left Columbia Fertility Center in October 2020 as the only embryo transfer we had, got implanted. Now we are in hands of the Columbia Obstetrics and Gynecology but we still have contact with Dr Brady.

An advice for any patient would be to expect the worst but hope for the best. Before starting our first IVF, my husband and I were checked/tested for almost everything and all the results showed that there wasn’t any specific problem for a pregnancy. Unfortunately, our first IVF resulted in abnormal embryos and that was shocking because that result we were not expecting at all.

We had 3 IVF, all of them with embryo genetic testing (PGT-A). The first IVF resulted in abnormal embryos. The second IVF resulted in only 1 normal embryo. Because my husband and I always wanted at least 2 babies, we decided to go for a third IVF that resulted in many normal embryos. Dr Brady performed our first embryo transfer and it worked, so in fact, we had only 1 full cycle of IVF. Dr Brady explained us that with each IVF they gather more information about how my body reacts to the medications so the protocolos are customized. The outcome can be clearly seen in my case.

My insurance covered part of the first IVF. The second and third IVF were completely out of pocket. Taking account 2 times monitoring mornings, 2 times all the medication for IVF, 3 times anesthesia, 2 times eggs retrieval, around 12 embryos were genetically tested and 1 embryo transfer, we would say that we spent around $50’000.

Dr Brady explained us from the beginning the policy of implanting one embryo at the time for the safety of the baby and the mother.

I did not get Dr. Brady for many of my monitoring scans especially in between cycles but I did manage to get pregnant twice. Once we confirmed the pregnancy, Dr. Brady was more engaged and involved. She personally did my 6-8 week scans. Unfortunately my first pregnancy ended in loss and she did not perform my D&C but she did continuously provide support and guidance throughout. We continued treatments with Dr. Brady and chose IUI as our next step, Dr. Brady also did not perform the actual IUI but once again was actively engaged and involved once the 2nd pregnancy was confirmed. She again performed my 6-9 week scans. During each of these visits and scans, it felt as if she knew us personally and was very open and honest with any and all information she had to give.

Adjust your expectations that you will not see Dr. Brady at every visit especially during monitoring scans or bloodwork appts, etc. However, once you do get any news whether pregnancy or miscarriage, Dr. Brady is extremely active, present, and attentive. In the meantime, her team is fantastic and supportive. They are always in communication and never did I feel like there was any miscommunication between her and her team.

At the first initial consult, Dr. Brady took an extensive amount of time understanding our existing health, asked about medical history, and we did genetic screening prior to starting treatments. She helped diagnose me with PCOS based on my medical history and monitoring and sat us down to talk about our specific course of action. She discussed that we should start with the most minimally invasive methods given that we are young and healthy and not in a rush. Also she was confident that getting my PCOS in check would priority. We started with timed intercourse cycles with letrozole and ovidrel. It took a couple cycles to get the dosage and timing right but after about 4 cycles, I was pregnant. Dr. Brady was incredibly engaged once the pregnancy was confirmed and even delicately informed that our baby no longer had a heartbeat. She talked us through next steps, and options and explained what happened and why it happens. She was incredibly kind and took the responsibility of delivering this news to us to heart. She encouraged us that the upcoming cycles after a miscarriage typically yields good chances of getting pregnant again. So with her advice, we did 3 more rounds of timed intercourse until she suggested if we want, we can move onto IUI. We decided for the 4th cycle, we will attempt IUI and we got pregnant again. Once again, Dr. Brady was incredibly engaged once the pregnancy was confirmed up until we graduated from the center at 9 weeks.

The clinic was extremely adept at billing and costs. The only costs I have had to pay were my copays. I had 1-2 occasions where they forgot to bill insurance for a couple items but those got cleared up quickly. If anything was not covered by insurance they were upfront and clear about costs.

We did not reach this stage of treatments. I was able to get pregnant with an IUI.

She is knowledgeable and answered any questions or concerns that my husband I had during treatments. Even though some of the procedures were performed by other doctors, Dr. Brady ensured that I was in good hands and followed up with me after each procedure. I was extremely nervous on the day of the egg retrieval and it meant a lot to me that Dr. Brady stopped by the procedure room to make sure that I was fine even though the procedure was assigned to the other doctor.

Ask any questions or concerns, and she will make sure that you are comfortable with treatment options. She is also clear about what may or may not work, but always explains all the available options for you to ultimately decide.

After five cycles of IUI resulted negative, Dr. Brady advised us to move to IVF which gave us a positive result on the first trial.

We paid copays, and the treatment costs were mostly covered by our insurance. My financial coordinator was helpful in answering any billing questions.

Dr. Brady suggested a single embryo transfer in our case.

Dr. Brady had a very good bed side manner, she always took time to explain things to me and put my worries at ease. Infertility is not so black and white, so while doctors cant tell you exactly how things will turn out, she was always optimistic, which helped me stay optimistic. She was always quick to answer my questions.

Dr. Brady is great and you will love her! Just understand for monitoring hours you often won't see her. My one regret is not asking more questions early on about the actual process day by day, and having an understanding that for morning monitoring you don't always see your doctor. You see whomever is covering morning monitoring that day.

We did gonal, menapur and cetratide injections. We did PGS testing. Both of my retrievals yielded a very similar results based on my dosage.

It was very efficient and I barely ever had a wait time. It was very well managed.

Out of pocket a FET cycle is around $14K, but ideally insurance covers some of that. A transfer on its own is about $2600. PGS testing is not covered by insurance and is around 4K (which from what I understand is a fairly decent price compared to other clinics)

We never wanted to do multiple embryo transfer, so it was never a real issue. I think Dr. Brady agreed eSET was the way to go.

I had no idea what to expect when I started IVF. I had people tell me I had to travel to other states with the best stats in order to get the results I wanted. Paula Brady was the first fertility doctor I saw and when we sat down for our initial visit, I immediately felt confident that we were in great hands. She is so caring and extremely intelligent and up to date with all the latest fertility info. It is so obvious she loves what she does and that absolutely reflects in her wonderful bedside manner and dedication towards her patients.

Book an appointment with her if you are struggling to conceive!

I am relatively young (34 years old) with no major issues aside from a bit of PCOS, so we started off with a few cycles of timed intercourse- mostly with letrezole, but tried clomid once. We did 5 cycles of this and then were supposed to move on to IUI, however due to work reasons, we decided to wait unitl Jan 2020 when my new insurance would cover IVF. We had one cycle of stims with gonalF and menopur and triggered with ovidrel for our retrieval. We did then decided to wait for the next cycle to do a frozen transfer so we could do PGS and also provide for optimal lining. For our FET next month, I was started on estradiol, then began progesterone in oil 6 days prior to my transfer, which worked!! I'm now 9 weeks pregnant with a little girl!

Morning monitoring was extremely smooth. I rarely waited more than 10 minutes. The appointments are in the morning (from 7-9:30AM) so I could fit them in despite having to work a full day.

My insurance covered a large majority of the costs, so I just had a $35 copay for each visit.

My experience with Dr. Brady couldn’t have been more positive. From my personalized care team, her quick response time to inquiries, and Zen office environment at Columbia, I had a seamless, stress free embryo transfer that resulted in a healthy pregnancy. I always knew I could reach her and she was always prompt for appointments. She has a very warm bedside manner and likeable personality.

Relax. She will take care of you.

My embryo harvest was conducted with a previous doctor but the best advice I got was to use PGD/PGS testing on our 5 day old blastocysts. Once we knew which ones were healthy - two total, we were able to proceed with more confidence in both the success of the transfer and health of the baby. Both embryo transfers were successful, so I had a 100% success rate. The 2nd egg, that Dr. Brady transferred is still cooking, but all tests have come back normal. Lastly, Dr. Brady recommended using progesterone shots vs. suppositories on this transfer and I experienced zero bleeding during the 1st trimester. The suppositories I used for my first pregnancy were irritating and caused mild bleeding throughout the first 10 weeks.

All expenses were paid out of pocket. My 1st transfer, which included the cost of the embryo harvest and PGS/PGD testing came to a combined total of $18,000. This was in 2017 and I believe they adjusted their out- of-pocket pricing since that time. My 2nd embryo transfer was $4,000.

I recommend that everyone do PGD/PGS testing for a higher success rate of implantation and greater peace of mind the health of the baby. A single transfer is best.

I would absolutely recommend Dr. Brady as a doctor. She is extremely professional and caring. I felt like she was invested in our success as much as we were. Even during hard times, she built our trust and confidence so we always felt that we were under the best care.

Be patient, have realistic expectations, you’ll get there, it just takes time.

2 egg retrieval’s- menopur and gonal f, ICSI, PGS testing, 4 frozen transfers and progesterone oil shot and estradiol 3x/day until week 10. Levothyroxine ongoing.

After 3 transfers (1 miscarriage at week 7, 1 chemical and 1 failed transfer), we elected to go with a multiple transfer, resulting in 1 successful implantation.

While Dr. Brady's empathy and compassion were evident in her interactions with me, she was also a smart doctor who uses evidence and research to make treatment decisions. After 3 prior failed IVFs with another doctor, I was at the end of my rope and ready to explore egg donors. She encouraged another try to at least attempt a fresh transfer, which hadn't been suggested to me before. That one embryo, a day 3 transfer, is now my 4 month old son.

Ultimately you need to control and make the final decisions regarding your own treatment. She will lay everything out for you and make her recommendation(s), but you can decide what is comfortable for you. By the point I was at in my treatment, I was glad to feel that it was a collaboration based on my past experience.

OOP cost for anesthesia. Everything else covered by my insurance, which had some lifetime maximum limits that I barely missed hitting.

I think she would have transferred multiple embryos if we had requested, but we were not given the choice since we only had one healthy embryo to transfer.

Doctor Brady was great. From the first visit to the follow-ups, I felt as though she was incredibly knowledgeable and data-driven. Her responses often started with "recent research suggests..." or "based on multiple studies"....things like that. For me, this was really helpful because it showed she knew a lot and also kept up-to-date on the latest information out there. The clinic I went to at Columbia had rotating doctors, but I thought it was so caring that she was specifically there for my first ultrasound and my last one where I "graduated" to a regular OB. I also thought she was always great via email, which was my preferred communication when not in the office. I also shared with her that my friends/family made comments that I was maybe too stressed or not eating right (even though I am generally pretty healthy) and she was quick to dismiss those comments and assure me that I was fine. I needed that sort of support at the time.

Listen to her! She definitely knows what she's talking about!

Dr. Brady first started me with Metformin to let my body adjust to it. She wanted to see if that was enough to get my ovulation started regularly. She told me we would try that for a few months and if that didn't work on it's own, we would try a round of timed intercourse - which would involve Letrozole and a trigger shot. She told me that timed intercourse usually works within the first 4 tries and after 6, we would talk about other methods (i.e., IUI, IVF, etc.) I was very, very lucky that the timed intercourse worked for me on my 4th try.

I was fortunate that most of my costs were covered by insurance. I don't remember the exact costs, but I believe they are comparable to other facilities that would have been in-network for me.

Dr. Brady was very matter of fact and straightforward but had a great bedside manner once we reached the stage of doing the procedures. I always felt like I was in good hands with her. She's very intelligent and caring and kindly answered every question I had in a very prompt manner.

The protocols were not explained to me (wish they had been) and the reasoning for using one drug over another was not explained to me. One downside of the this clinic and doctor. I started the stim cycle with 150 Menopur and 200 Follistim then added 250 Ganirelix on the 5th day, with Lupron trigger 2 days before retrieval. After transfer, I was on 1 ml of progesterone in oil and estradiol 2x daily. I knew I had a high AMH and produced a large number of eggs. I ended up with 4 embryos sent for testing and 2 genetically normal embryos.

Appointments were always scheduled before 9am weekdays and weekends. The waiting room was always absolutely packed but it was run pretty efficiently. I never had to wait too long past my appointment time and was in and out quickly.

I was lucky that my insurance covered the vast majority of the IVF procedure. I had to pay about $5000 out of pocket which included the ICSI procedure, genetic testing and embryo freezing.

My very strong preference was for a single embryo transfer, and my doctor agreed with that approach given my age.

Dr. Brady is a doctor that genuinely cares and is passionate about what she does. Coming from a different clinic where I felt like a number on a conveyor belt being shuffled around, I felt a sense of calm and trust as soon as I met Dr. Brady. She took the time to listen to my concerns and provided me with innovative approaches that were not offered to me in the first clinic I went to. Dr. Brady's calming and caring personality combined with her up-to-date knowledge and innovative approaches truly set her apart. I strongly feel that being under her care and feeling that trust was a key factor in successful treatment.

Trust her!

Our case was not that involved. I have Pcos and responded well to clomid but did not conceive after 4 cycles of clomid/ovadril. My previous doctor was ready to move on to IVF as she felt that iui would be ineffective for us and that it was too dangerous to try as I responded with a large number of follicles to stimulation. Coming to Dr. Brady, I was fearfully expecting that ivf would be our only option. Dr. Brady not only dispelled that myth, but provided me with an alternate treatment approach. She recommended letrazol/ovadril as research has come out that it is more effective for PCOS patients. Furthermore she projected a plan to try at least 8-12 cycles with oral medication, possibly adding iui at some point before jumping to IVF as we had only tried 4 cycles of medication and it can take people even without any fertility complications more than four cycles of trying to conceive. We are happy to report that are first letrazol/ovadril cycle was successful.

Dr. Brady is an amazingly bright doctor who always keeps her patient's interests/desires in mind. She strives to keep her patients informed and always responds very promptly to any questions that I had throughout this wild IVF process. If Dr. Brady is unable to respond she ensures her nurse communicators or other staff relay important information in a timely manner. She is so encouraging and uplifting which are essential qualities when dealing with the ups and downs of infertility. She makes her patients feel confident that every choice she is making is the right one because she is so savvy about the world of infertility.

Listen to any and all advice Dr. Brady has for you. Even if your timeline of becoming a parent gets thrown off for some reason, you can wholeheartedly trust what she decides to do because she always has your best interest in mind and she also considers all possibilities to ensure you will successfully become a parent one day.

Dr. Brady adjusted the meds I had been taking during my egg retrieval based on how effective they were. I ended up having a retrieval after about a week on the injections which I was thankful for because it was nice to stop those sooner than later (even though I understand how they act differently on different people). Dr. Brady has ensured that our healthy embryos have successfully frozen so she is now trying to navigate when the best time would be for the embryo transfer so that my body and the embryo are in the best conditions for a smooth transfer.

With my insurance, I had $30 copay every visit. I have not completed the entire cycle yet so I am unsure how much the whole IVF will cost. It did cost us $4000 to have our embryos analyzed though.

Dr. Brady encouraged us to do chromosomal testing through Igenomix, which we did. From our 8 embryo samples sent to their lab, we learned 6 of our embryos were healthy. Dr. Brady asked us if we'd like to choose a sex but we are confident in her knowledge and asked that she select the embryo that seemed like the healthiest regardless of its sex.

Dr. Brady was extremely supportive on what is a very emotional journey. Her communication via email exceeded any other doctor I’ve been to. She is extremely knowledgeable and patient, and every time I spoke with her on the phone (if needed) I would feel reassured. Having her there for my successful transfer warmed my heart. She is an incredible doctor.

Feel free to ask questions, the process is confusing and complicated, get the support you need!

First cycle was “natural” and was unsuccessful likely because I had a uterine infection. Second cycle was fully medicated and successful.

A lot were covered by insurance.

I couldn’t have imagined a better Dr. to be my (our) partner through this process. I loved being in her care and was actually sad when I graduated to my regular OB! I know that when it comes time for baby #2, I’ll be in the best hands with Dr. Brady.

Dr. Brady is so knowledgeable and a wonderful resource. Be sure to come with all of your questions. Google and listen to all the podcasts you want but she’s an industry leader and you have the opportunity to ask her anything so use those opportunities.

One of the things I loved about working with Dr. Brady is that she took everything into consideration when developing protocols and adjusting them. It wasn’t just the numbers she looked she looked at. We talked about everything before and after and I very much felt like an informed participant rather than just someone who was told what was going to happen.

Dr. Brady is a well-trained, expert doctor who will treat you like a person. She has a demeanor that balances kindness, compassion and brass-tacks best practices. She is remarkably thorough, reasonable and patient in navigating the entire process with you.

Trust that you are in expert, compassionate care, and ask all the questions you need to.

Dr. Brady is knowledgeable, thoughtful, and communicative. She has a cool confidence that is very reassuring. Her warmth really comes out during set backs. I trust her and highly recommend her to friends.

Ask to have procedures with her if that’s important to you. She is very responsive by email.

Covered by Progyny insurance - copay for meds and egg retrieval ended up being $3000?

Dr. Brady was thorough in examining my medical history and bloodwork, detailed in explaining the course of treatment, and compassionate when I suffered a chemical pregnancy. She set expectations in a realistic way and seemed to share in our joy when we had that positive pregnancy test result.

Feel free to ask any questions you have. Dr. Brady is so knowledgeable and, importantly, able to distill that knowledge in an understandable way for non-doctors.

We tried three timed intercourse cycles with letrozole and ovidrel. The second cycle resulted in a chemical pregnancy but, because everything seemed to be working as it should, we did not adjust the medications. The third cycle was successful.

I believe each cycle was approximately $1,500 after insurance adjustments.

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Dr.Brady is incredibly patient and makes you feel relaxed right away. When you leave a visit you feel like all your questions were answered. I appreciate her honesty and she's clearly very knowledgable.

You should feel comfortable and be open. Ask anything that's on your mind

She had us get a bunch of testing at first (blood test, genetics, STDS). When everything came back normal, we started the IUI process. I was told to take Clomid for 5 days and then inject myself with Ovedril one time. This didn't work the first month, so she doubled my intake of Clomid for the second cycle, and then again I had to inject myself with Ovedril. Giving myself an injection was terrifying. I don't like needles. But I'm pregnant now so I guess it was worth it.

Dr. Brady was kind, caring and at the same time up to the point. I got into the IVF world with no knowledge about it and she patiently explained everything to me. She is very calm, always smiling and ready to answer questions. When the COVID pandemic started she called us herself to explain the situation and help us understand what to expect.

Ask all your questions clearly and don't expect her to explain everything to you without asking. And that's stating the obvious because doctors can't guess what you know or you don't.

I don't clearly remember. I just remember that I was a bit nervous about how to inject myself and their trainings really helped me.

I really don't remember. It was not cheap but definitely not mind-blowing as well.

From the very beginning Dr. Brady was optimistic but realistic about my goals and what to expect. She was very thorough in explaining the entire IVF process for me. Dr Brady often listened to my concerns and offered me alternatives. When she wasn’t available Dr Brady ensured that the provider in charge was fully up to date with treatment plans and history. She has great bedside manner and was very warm with me during my interactions with her.

Don’t feel shy to ask questions if you aren’t sure or confused about the process!

I did two transfers, one natural and one medicated. The medicated included lupron, estrogen and progesterone injections.

Transfer retrieval medication costs

Dr Brady transferred one embryo at a time.

Dr. Brady is an awesome doctor, and we are very happy we saw her for our fertility journey. She is quick to communicate reasonable plans of action, and she always takes the time to explain the science and reasoning behind her suggestions.

Just be informed that you will not always see Dr. Brady at appointments.

Mostly covered by insurance and paid only a few grand OOP.

Dr. Brady suggested eSET and we agreed. It resulted in the successful birth of my son.

Dr. Brady was communicative and patient, and also direct and candid. When my first transfer failed, she immediately provided a possible solution in order to enhance the chances of transfer success. She was proactive and effective in her handling of each step and addressing issues when they arise.

Do homework and research about the IVF process and ask more question if you can.

After the first transfer cycle failed, Dr. Brady suggested going through a test called ERA, and I believe it was helpful in deciding the precise implantation window.

Dr. Brady believes in eSET and I think she only operates on that basis.

Dr Brady was very good. At first I was a bit hesitant simply because she seemed young. But she is really competent and explains everything. She doesn't rush you through. She gives you the time you need while answering each question clearly and directly. I couldn't have had a better experience with Dr Brady.

Don't hesitate. Go for her!

Total cost for entire treatment- Retrieval of Eggs, Fertilization and Transfer of one Embryo ran up to about 13-14 thousand, besides 2-3 thousand in medication costs. It was about what we expected.

In my particular situation especially, Dr Brady did not want to try more than one transfer, as it still wasn't entirely clear what may have been causing the infertility. Therefore, so as not to waste precious embryos, Dr Brady advised against multiple transfers.

Dr. Brady is one of the kindest and most forthright doctors I've ever worked with. She was transparent and direct, providing transparent information about all my options, the risks and the underlying statistics. She was patient, direct and honest. I recommend her wholeheartedly.

Egg retrieval, IVF and embryo transfer. We had to do 2 cycles. And we did planned IVF transfer.

Monitoring was generally a well oiled machine. Things generally ran promptly and efficiently.

Costs were minimal. Mostly everything was covered by my insurance.