Sinem Karipcin

After 2 failed embryo transfer of chromosomally normal embryos and a panic attack we met with Dr K. During our 1st consult she was very patient, professional and proactive- she took notes of my medical history, went through all my scan and reports, asked us abt our fertility goal ( which I had completely given up on), and also gave us an egg retrieval protocol. She knew exactly what I needed for good results. she was very positive abt my case and had a plan- we decided to do 2 egg retrievals as I have DOR and want 2 kids and she strongly suggested me to take Lupron for 2 cycles- due to endometriosis and adenomyosis- clearly it was long journey but she was totally on our side and knew how to get us the results. very next cycle we started ER protocol and despite low follicular count and DOR got 3 embryos. we took a break of 2 cycles, while we were figuring out a possible Infectious disease issue. Then we did 2nd ER and again got 3 embryos. the very same cycle I took first lupron shot. by then my endo pain was getting worse so we decided to diagnostic laparoscopy. Again Dr K helped us find the right surgeon and worked very closely with our surgeon to maximize our chances of successful transfer. Dr K was always more positive abt our case then us. She is very efficient and knows what she is doing. Every second I was in her care I was her number one priority. She decided to do a Mock transfer due to the position of my uterus and made a decision to do my transfer under anesthesia, by this point we trusted Dr K blindly and did what she said- we knew she would never take any shorts or do conventional practice, her plan was tailor only for me. I was vey nervous for the transfer but when I saw Dr K I could relax and calm down my nerves went in the transfer room the whole experience was very positive and I we got pregnant the same cycle. I know only Dr K could have got me pregnant because she understood how my case was different and was willing to think out of box.

plz trust her. she knows what she is doing. plz let her know your expectations and tell her how you feel abt your struggles. She will go out of her way to make your journey easy. Her positive vibes will make you believe in your dream to become a mother.

Dr K suggested Estrogen priming for my case she was right that cycle I did not get a lead follicle. For stimulation we used menopur and follistim. I think I took ovidrel for trigger shot. Although we got only 9 eggs( due to DOR) we got 3 embryos on day5. protocol was the same for both cycles and resulted in total 6 embryos. when I took lupron she strongly suggested me to take add back with it and that was blessing, without add back my lupron days were not livable. Infact with lupron + add back I was very energetic and productive. for transfer I took estrogen vaginally and progesteron in oil.

our first ER was covered by insurance 100%. 2nd ER was completely out of pocket- abt 10 k and transfer was covered by insurance.

she preferred single embryo transfer.

We have nothing but positive things to say about Dr. K. Not only is she an attentive and compassionate person but she is also extremely competent as a doctor. We never felt rushed during our appointments and she was responsive and thorough when we had questions. She knew our case inside and out. We ran into a variety of obstacles due to my diminished ovarian reserve and egg quality issues and she adjusted our protocol accordingly - at each stage we had better outcomes than the last. Throughout our travails, she was consistently positive/optimistic yet also realistic about the possible outcomes. If we decide to have more children in the future, we absolutely plan to continue on with Dr. K and in the interim we will highly recommend her to friends and family who encounter their own struggles with infertility.

Our advice is not anything specific about Dr. K - we would advise new patients that this process is very likely to take longer than you anticipate and to adjust your expectations accordingly.

We tried for 6 months before seeking out a reproductive endocrinologist (by that point I was age 36). During that period, I had two miscarriages. I was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve and Dr. K also suspected that I had some endometriosis. My husband had low sperm morphology (2%). Our sequence of treatments was in part based on our insurance coverage which required at least three rounds of IUI before moving on to IVF. As such, we did three IUI cycles – the first one natural (no additional drugs) and the second two medicated – one with clomid and one with letrazole. We had a chemical pregnancy with the first and the second two were unsuccessful. From there we moved on to IVF. Thankfully, our insurance covers three retrievals/transfers (what luck/privilege as we could not go forward otherwise). Because of my diminished ovarian reserve, we planned to do all three retrievals back to back for batching before moving on to a transfer. 1) First Cycle: Meds: 225 gonal; 225 menopur; cetrotide starting day 9 of treatment. Unfortunately, I was unresponsive. I only produced 2 follicles and Dr. K switched us to IUI instead of a retrieval. The IUI was unsuccessful. 2) Second Cycle: Meds: 150 gonal days 1-8 --> 225 gonal starting day 9; 150 menopur; clomid days 1-5; cetrotide starting day 7 of treatment. This cycle I produced more eggs and went forward with the retrieval. 8 were retrieved, 7 mature. Unfortunately, most of the eggs had empty zona pellucida (which is the outside shell). As such, only 1-2 were able to be fertilized with ICSI. None made it past day 3. 3) Third Cycle: Meds: 150 gonal days 1-5 --> 225 gonal days 6-8 --> 300 gonal days 9-11; 150 menopur; letrazole days 1-5; cetrotide starting day 9. This cycle 10 were retrieved, 7 were mature, and 5 were fertilized with ICSI. Of those, 2 became day 5 blastocysts and 3 became day 7 blastocysts. We sent them out for genetic testing and the first two tested normal. We planned to take a month off before our final retrieval and somehow, by some miracle, I got pregnant naturally and am just starting my second trimester (fingers crossed). We have one more retrieval covered by our insurance and tentatively plan to go forward in the future (with Dr. K). In the meantime, our two “good” blastocysts are on ice for the future.

We had incredible insurance coverage (IUIs and IVF meds were fully covered, IVF was covered at 75%). We are waiting on bills for our second IVF retrieval but I believe that we ended up paying $1,300 out of pocket for our first retrieval as well as a handful of $20 copays here and there. I believe we will be paying approximately $100/month for frozen embryo storage.

We have yet to get to the transfer phase with Dr. K.

Dr. K always welcomed me with a warm smile. She has a very strong bedside manner. In fact, I noticed that she greets everyone in the clinic by name when she comes in each morning. I felt like I was in excellent hands because she would tell me all of the statistics and even mentioned how some of the statistics were slightly different for African-American women (I'm African-American). At each appointment, Dr. Karipcin would explain next steps, remind me to stay optimistic. She didn't shy away from explaining potential complications that might arise due to my endometriosis and fibroids, but she would always remind me to focus on the positive and that we would deal with any complications as they might arise.

Be sure to share all of your concerns. Dr. Karipcin will address each and every one of them. At one of our first appointments, I came in with a list of questions and concerns. She didn't let me leave until I'd written down notes/answers to each one of them. At one particular appointment, I cried while waiting to get my blood drawn. Dr. Karipcin and Nurse Varda set with me to alleviate my fears while in between patients.

We did two round of IVF. Our regime consisted of was Gonal F, Menopur and then Centrotide. The trigger injection was Ovidrel and Lupron. Our first retrieval yielded about 8 eggs. The second retrieval yielded 15 eggs. Our IVF rounds were relatively close together (Oct/Nov 2019 & Dec 2019), the insurance company approved it and we wanted to complete them before Christmas. We did the recommended genetic testings for the embryos. So, now we have a total of 6 chromosomally strong embryos that can be transferred. Our original transfer date was postponed due to Covid. So, we did a transfer in May 2020. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant.

The morning monitoring hours worked well with my teaching schedule. It was very organized as well.

The majority of our treatment was covered by insurance. In fact, we didn't proceed until we knew it would be covered as "in-network." I usually only had to pay the co-payment. The cost of the IVF medications were not fully covered by insurance but they are now covered in New York State.

Columbia University Fertility does not do multiple embryo transfers. This is very clearly explained in the paperwork that you have to sign prior to embarking on the IVF journey. They are also clear to reiterate this around the retrieval dates. I agreed with Dr. K's approach. Due to my age at the time (36), fibroids and endometriosis, multiple embryo transfers were not recommended. Neither my OB/GYN, Fibroid surgeon, nor Dr. Karipcin recommended multiple embryo transfers.

Dr. Karpicin is the doctor you actually look forward to seeing, even though you would rather not be going through fertility issues. We initially saw another doctor where we felt like we didn't matter at all, and seeing Dr. Karipcin was a breath of fresh air - it was a huge difference. She is warm and caring but also extremely intelligent and informed. She has a wonderful bedside manner but is also straightforward.

Don't hesitate to see her if you are questioning your fertility. Write down your questions/concerns before going - she will answer them all.

We went straight to IVF due to my Diminished Ovarian Reserve. Dr. Karipcin said this would help us get the best results in the most time efficient manner (with DOR you don't want to waste time). I was nervous about the drugs and she took my concerns to heart, starting with low doses of most drugs and increasing only when necessary (with my approval). The first retrieval, we only got 1 truly good embryo (out of 13 eggs, using ICSI) which we fresh transferred on day 5 (resulting in a chemical pregnancy). A few months later we did another retrieval, slightly adjusting my medications so I would stimulate less but yield higher quality eggs hopefully - it seemed to work because we got 8 eggs but 5 were A and B quality (we did not use ICSI this time per the Dr's recommendation which paid off). Froze all. Transferred 1 A quality Day 5 embryo 3 months after retrieval. This embryo split and we saw 2 heartbeats, but about 7 weeks in, 1 failed. Currently 10+ weeks pregnant with surviving baby.

Monitoring appointments are scheduled for all patients from 8-10am. It was usually pretty busy and I would end up waiting or being in the office from 1-2 hours for ultrasound and blood draw. Some days were better than others. I would have loved a specific time to come in, but as mentioned before, once you saw the Dr and nurses, you felt like a VIP.

For 2 egg retrievals, we paid for a package that cost approximately $23,000. We also paid about $6,000 for a frozen transfer. Medications were separate.

Dr. Karipcin recommended only transferring 1 frozen embryo because the of splitting and miscarriage risk and we are glad we listened because it did split (but 1 failed so currently pregnant with the singleton).

My wife and I had a tough time at another clinic prior to finding Dr. K. Everything changed for us after meeting her. She is kind and compassionate, and an extremely intelligent and professional doctor. She not only made sure we understood her plan and reasoning, but it was clear that she understood the nuance of our case, listened to us made adjustments according to our goals and how my wife felt, and gave us sage advice. She even considered various ways to help us financially. The course wasn't easy, and we went through two retrievals and two implantations, but we had no hesitation ever, knowing that we were with the right doctor. She was with us every step of the way! Now we are expecting later this year. I would not hesitate to recommend Dr. K to anyone, and have recommended her to several friends and colleagues. We are lucky we found her.

Know you are in good hands! Don't hesitate to ask questions and make sure you are satisfied with your plan.

During the first round of stimulation, my wife was feeling the side effects of the medication. Dr. K made adjustments during the second round and the treatments were much easier to tolerate.

Went to Dr. K after two pregnancy losses, knowing that something did not feel right. She was very validating and took us seriously during the first appointment. She said she would do an RPL panel work up, including an HSG and ultrasound. I got pregnant naturally shortly after testing was completed. Dr. K insisted everything looked normal, even though I questioned some of the test results based on previous ultrasounds and testing. She breezed through the review of test results, and seemed annoyed when I asked her for weekly early pregnancy scans. Each scan was 3 minutes or less, Dr. K even telling me once that “I should be happy to get pregnant this way” as she walked out the door after a scan. She made me feel like my concerns and worries during the third pregnancy weren’t valid. I found out I lost that third pregnancy at 12 weeks. I met with her once afterward, for her to then suggest a couple additional tests? I was and still am furious those tests were not run to begin with as part of the RPL work up.

Don’t go to her unless you feel like you have no other option.

Recurrent pregnancy loss panel, suspected PCOS and endometriosis. Tested: AMH, check tubes are open (HSG), follicle count (ultrasound), STDs, glucose, insulin resistance, TSH, karyotyping, CBC. For some reason, Dr. K did not test for blood clotting disorders, endometritis, endometriosis (can be seen on an MRI with the right doctor or technician), full thyroid panel, other autoimmune disorders associated with loss. I have since learned many other doctors test for these in their RPL workups. In early pregnancy, Dr. K tested hcg, progesterone and TSH levels. I asked to be put on progesterone, and I was put on Synthroid for slightly elevated TSH during pregnancy. Pregnancy resulted in a loss, missed miscarriage at 12 weeks (fetus stopped growing at 10 wks)

Diagnostic testing (RPL panel), early pregnancy monitoring covered under my insurance. Paid for insurance co-pays. Some of the services were coded such that the diagnostic testing was put toward my insurance’s lifetime fertility benefits, definitely keep this in mind and see if the doctor can code such that insurance fertility benefits remain for actual fertility treatments rather than diagnostic testing.

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Dr. K is a super positive doctor, and she always has a smile. To be fair, we had a very easy time with IVF as a same sex couple with no infertility, but it’s still not a fun process. She answers emails quickly and is really good at listening to what you as the patient want, while also balancing her knowledge of what works. She’s willing to move as quickly as you want to, which was important to us

Just make sure you’re ok working with an optimist! If you’re someone who prefers a pessimist, she’s not your doc.

So we did RIVF. My wife’s egg retrieval was a pretty standard stim cycle of 150 menopur/150 follistim plus ganirilex. She stimmed for only 7 days at which point we got the ok to trigger! We got 25 eggs, all mature, 19 fertilized, and 12 great embryos! Dr. K did not recommend ICSI or PGT testing due to our background, and I really appreciate that decision (saved us money and wouldn’t have helped our success rates). For my first FET, we tried a medicated cycle due to my short luteal phase and that was unsuccessful. She immediately wanted to try a natural FET with PIO and that was the winning combination. I’m currently 11 weeks

Insurance covers very little for us (not infertile, just gay), so total out of pocket for the egg retrieval (including donor sperm) was around 15k. My two transfers were another 6k. Basic testing was another 5k.

Dr. K made it VERY clear from our consult that we would only do a single embryo transfer. She reiterated this at several points. We had no issue (no desire to risk twins).

Dr. K is very knowledgable and stays on top of the latest research and methods in the field. As I have thyroid problems, I appreciate her holistic, methodical approach. She has the right combination of scientific focus and care. While the visits were sometimes pretty quick, we could always follow up with questions. Dr. K provided detailed responses even on the weekends. The clinic scheduled another doctor to do our transfer, so we were particularly moved that Dr. K came in on her day off and did the transfer. Overall, Dr. K is very dedicated, and we felt we could trust her.

If you have any questions, no matter how small or silly, it's easy to go down the internet rabbit hole. Instead, don't be afraid to ask Dr. K. She is very steeped in all the latest trends and research. We had lots of questions, so we suggest compiling your questions vs sending many individual emails. Dr. K will respond providing a detailed answer(s) in a timely manner.

The clinic favors a protocol, but Dr. K made changes to it with each cycle. We did Clomid+an antagonist cycle adjusting meds each time. Two of our cycles were DuoStim.

Everything except the PGT-A tests ($2.5k) was covered through my insurance.

Our understanding is that the clinic does single embryo transfers only.

From the moment I stepped into the clinic, I felt reassured and supported, and that feeling persisted throughout both processes (successful IUI in 2020 and successful IVF in 2023). Dr. K' has the ability to listen attentively, address my concerns, and tailor a personalized treatment plan significantly contributed to the positive experience (i.e when to switch from IUI to IVF, or how to adjust the treatment for better results between retrievals/transfers).

Don't be afraid to ask Dr. K anything.

Baby 1: Diagnosis- PCOS Treatment- IUI Result - 1st IUI worked Baby 2: Diagnosis- Unexplained fertility (PCOS cycle was corrected following baby 1) Treatment- 1. Started with 3 unsuccessful IUI cycles. 2. First egg retrieval resulted in 3 embryos (1 good , 2 mosaic). 1 failed transfer 3. Second egg retrieval resulted in 8 embryos (5 good ,2 mosaic, 1 PGT positive) followed by a successful transfer. Note: Between 1st and 2nd eggs retrieval, Dr K adjusted the treatment which resulted in many more good embryos.

There is a flat cost for each retrieval if you do PGT-A and a per embryo cost for PGT-A paid to a 3rd party. Insurance covered everything else.

I was 31 years old at the time with no diagnosed issues (except PCOS), so the approach was 1 embryo per transfer.

Dr. Sinem Karipcin was a great choice for my fertility journey. I was referred to Dr. Karipcin by my regular gynecologist. She listened to all my concerns and answered all important questions that I had during my egg retrieval and embryo transfer procedures. I respected the compassion she shown to my husband and I during the office visits. I received timely responses via email from the doctor and her care team. Medications were sent to my pharmacy on time without any issues. I liked that she was caring and understanding of my fertility issues and suggested appropriate protocols to help me get pregnant. I felt comfortable with Dr. Karipcin as her patient.

Be patient through the entire process as you work side by side with Sinem Karipcin in your fertility journey. Share as many questions and concerns as possible. Make sure you have complete understanding of her recommended fertility treatment and protocols.

As a patient with severe endometriosis, the doctor suggested daily dosage of 225iu Gonal F and 1 powder vial of Menopur to stimulate eggs during embryo freeze all cycle. This resulted in 4 embryos making it to blast but only two embryos had a PGT tested normal result. For my embryo transfer cycle, the only fertility treatment used was daily estradiol and progesterone shots. This transfer resulted in my first current pregnancy.

Monitoring appointments were very quick and easy to schedule. The blood draws were very painful depending on the staff who was performing it. Your name is called pretty quickly and the appointments were always 30 minutes or less.

All costs for frozen embryo IVF cycle was paid out of pocket 12k procedure and 3k for medications. The cost for the embryo transfer consisted was close to 3k for the entire process.

My FET cycle consisted of a single embryo transfer with estradiol and progesterone shots. My fully medicated protocol led to a successful transfer with a positive pregnancy test.

Dr Karipcin was amazing and I'm so grateful for her help. She worked with me and during setbacks she adjusted the course of action. She recommended different strategies to help me achieve a positive pregnancy after multiple losses. She is a doctor that truly cares about her patients. I transferred to her after being unsuccessful at a different clinic and she truly took the time and continued to work with me and always had a personal touch that made me feel that she truly cared and I wasn't just another patient to her.

assisted natural cycles for transfers. Had me see an endocrinologist to help with metabolic issues. Recommended extra genetic testing. Did cycles with icsi and without to get optimal results. Recommended vitamins for my partner

Appointments were able to be made online 15 min gaps, no wait time.

around 15-20 for retrival and meds around 2-4k for transfers

clinic did not allow multiple embroyo transfers

As mentioned, Dr. K is incredible, humane, thorough, and kind. She is the exact kind of person you would want to work with during something as sensitive as IVF treatment. Our case was a bit unique, as I did IVF to ensure I didn’t potentially pass along a genetic disease to my children that is in my family. However, I didn’t want to know the status of whether I have the gene or not. This happens through a process called nondisclosure genetic testing. I did research and saw that Dr. K had experience in this domain. Columbia is also pioneers in this field. I feel incredibly blessed that I went with Dr. K for this extremely important and life-changing process. She is knowledgeable and made myself and my husband feel comfortable every step of the way. Though she wasn’t able to do my second retrieval or the transfer just based on when the dates fell, I felt her presence every step of the way. Between both retrievals, I had 8 perfectly healthy embryos that we were able to freeze. Her guidance through the whole process was absolutely spot on. I wanted to do a natural frozen embryo cycle rather than medicated, and she made it work for me. Again, her guidance was impeccable. We did a modified natural cycle and it worked. I am pregnant currently. Not only is Dr. K an amazing doctor, but she is an extraordinary human being. I adore her and would recommend her a thousand times over for anyone's treatment.

She was a great doctor, very knowledgable and compassionate. She knew exactly what she was doing. Eventhough it is normal that transfers and egg retrievals be done by the Doctor who is present, she changed her schedule and showed up at my frozen embryo transfer and she surprised me and told me she was my support on that day. She made right decisions if necessary even last minutes such as about the time of trigger injection and it made my eggs have a better quality to be retrieved. I asked questions in the emails and she answered a bit later, so if I needed an answer right away, I had to reach out nurse or on call doctor.

Trust her, she will do what is best. At the same time you can do your own research and she will help confirming or rejecting it

With Sinem she started with 2clomids, 75 unit gonal F and 75 menopour for the stims on day 6 she added cetrotide 0.25 mg and later on she decreased gonal F to 25 and leupron to 37.5 IU. She used leupron for the trigger. It resulted in 23 eggs and 10 were mature, only two blastocyst. In the second cycle she changed the gonal F to 50 and 75 iu menopur.and later on added cetrotide. Trigger with half of ovidrel and 40 unit lupron. Resulted in 13 eggs, 10 mature. 1 genetically normal. My transfer was modified natural cycle, using letrozole and ovidrel to make sure I ovulate. And day 5 transfering one of my male frozen embryos

I had many issues at some point, because of not having the coverage for pgt test, and at some point I figured that my insurance paid them and they also got it from me. I had to be on the phone with insurance and financial director for a couple of hours to solve this issue. But other than that everything was covered and I did not have many issues.

I think it was the right decision to make to prevent complications of multiples pregnancy and not wasting embryos if it does not work

Dr. K is decisive, which gave me confidence in her plans. While she gives very clear medical options, I especially appreciated a moment in time where I told her I was upset with our progress (not her fault, but a natural feeling during IVF), and she immediately adjusted our plan to respect my feelings and push forward. She also surprised us by showing up for our second transfer when another doctor was scheduled to run the procedure. I am so glad she was there for our successful transfer - she deserved the success too!

If you have any questions about the plan and next steps, just ask. Dr. K is responsive through email and often time calls to make sure everything is clear. Make sure you know exactly what is going on.

I could schedule my appoints online. It was easy to find a time that worked within a broad window. I never had to wait - the staff and appointments were always on time, like clockwork.

Dr. Karipcin immediately prescribed a treatment plan for an IVF with ICSI. She strongly recommended to do PGS testing on the first retrieval, which I chose to forfeit and go with a fresh single embryo transfer, although initially we spoke of a double embryo transfer. I have been unsuccessful with three egg retrieval cycles, I wish the doctor explained clearly the success rate per cycle. Towards the end of my treatment I had to become more of an advocate for myself, and ask a lot of questions. Although the doctor is very caring and compassionate, she does not take the time to fully discuss IVF as a whole, what the treatment entails and the success rates. She also did not pivot when I had an unsuccessful transfer, but did the same protocol that resulted in another failure.

Do your research, join a fertility support group and become and advocate for yourself. Ask a lot of questions!

IVF with ICSI and PGS testing on embryos due to my age at start of IVF treatment.

My costs were accrued due to certain parts of the treatment plan that are not covered by health insurance, this includes biopsy, cryopreservation, PGS testing and ERA panel.

At beginning of treatment we discussed transferring two fresh embryos, but at time of transfer only one was chosen. I was not explained clearly the difference between the two transfer options for my age range.

Dr K was wonderful. She was kind, warm, and exacting in the way she approached treatment–adjusting everything to our particular circumstances and how I responded to treatment. We did a non-medicated embryo transfer and she waited for EXACTLY the right moment to transfer until the hormone levels were perfect. She was very responsive if I had concerns, and we felt like she was truly invested in the success of our treatment. She was positive all the way through the journey which was exactly what I needed when we faced setbacks, such as when more embryos than expected tested positive for the genetic disease we were screening for. She responded the same day if I had an email message for her, and made the effort to see me at morning monitoring at least once per egg retrieval cycle, as well as making sure she was there to do our embryo transfer. She always remembered details about my and my husband's life which made us feel like she really cared. I could not have asked for a better fertility doctor.

She's fantastic, go for it!

We did 2 egg retrieval cycles with PGT-M for embryo banking and to screen for genetic disease. I had no fertility problems and high ovarian reserve. First cycle I was on standard antagonist protocol of 150 Menopur and 150 Gonal-F, with 2mg estrogen for two weeks beforehand to suppress the ovaries. Suppression did not work very well and I responded extremely strongly to the gonadotropins, so follicles were poorly synchronized–egg retrieval produced 13 mature eggs and all fertilized, but just 3 good-quality day 5/6 blasts resulted. The second retrieval Dr K adjusted the protocol for a luteal phase start for better suppression, and switched me to 75 Menopur and 225 Gonal-F. This worked MUCH better and 28 eggs were retrieved! 22 mature, 16 fertilized (probably a sperm quality issue) and 7 good-quality day 5/6 blasts. After genetic testing we were left 4 good-quality, genetically normal blasts from the two egg retrievals, which was at the high end of what Dr K had predicted, so we were very satisfied. For transfer Dr K recommended a non-medicated cycle since I had no fertility issues, and was very careful to explain clearly to me why she thought that was the better option over medicated. It took first time and we are currently 6 months pregnant with a very healthy-looking and active baby!

Our second egg retrieval with PGT-M cost around $16,500 OOP, and the frozen embryo transfer cycle about $4250. The lab they recommended for genetic testing charged $3000 "set-up" fee for the genetic assay, plus $400 p/embryo. Anesthesia for egg retrieval was a separate $500 charge.

Dr K strongly prefers eSET and explained why.

Dr. K is kind and has great bed side manner. She was adequately responsive to my concerns during my egg retrieval and was open to patient feedback. I liked her personally, but the program at Columbia failed to have adequate communication systems set up, so I felt in the dark and confused during a very stressful process. I lost trust in the care team right before my procedure due to them sending me templated emails with the wrong medication doses and instructions.

Dr. K is lovely, but I would advise you to ask questions about the method and style of communication that Dr. K will be using during your treatment cycle so you don't have the same experience that I had.

Dr. K led me through an egg retrieval cycle. She had me administer hormones for 7 days before my trigger and retrieved 22 eggs, successfully froze 17.

I saw Dr. Karipcin during COVID, which made the whole process a bit more difficult, but Dr. Karipcin did everything she could to make it more personable. She was very responsive to my emails and when needed we would have a phone call that same day that I sent the question. I really like how thoughtful she is about reviewing all my medical information and taking the time to explain to me and my husband her analysis and recommendations.

As with any doctor, make sure you stay on top of your treatment and timing. There are so many moving pieces when it comes to IVF and various staff involved, that you have to be your own advocate when it comes to treatment, the timing of treatment, and financial clearance.

Medication, PCG testing, anesthesia, blood work, ultrasounds, retrieval, embryo transfer

We only had one healthy embryo

Dr. Karipcin is clear and thoughtful when explaining her course of treatment. For example, we had a setback in our 1st round of IVF and she was ready to talk about the adjustments she would make in the course of treatment for the 2nd round. This made us feel confident in our next steps and resulted in a successful 2nd round of IVF.

I would advise a prospective patient to never hesitate to ask Dr. Karipcin any questions that you have throughout treatment- even if you just need clarification or reassurance about where you are in your treatment process. As a patient you need to advocate for yourself and make sure that your voice is heard. Always communicate your questions and concerns.

For my 1st IVF cycle I used gonal-f, menopur and cetrotide injections leading up to an egg retrieval which produced 14 eggs and 2 embryos. Neither embryo passed pgs testing (which was recommended due to my age). For my 2nd IVF cycle I used gonal-f, menopur and cetrotide again, however the doses were tweaked by Dr. Karipcin which resulted in 25 eggs and 1 embryo that passed pgs testing. After this I had a frozen embryo transfer using estrace pills and progesterone injections which resulted in a current pregnancy.

My insurance paid for a portion of each IVF cycle as well as the frozen embryo transfer. The out of pocket expenses for both IVF cycles, inlcuding pgs testing of a total of 3 embryos was about $10,000.

The approach that was used during my treatment was to use a single embryo that passed pgs testing (euploid embryo).

She was always honest with us about the chances for success while also explaining things in such a way that we knew she was setting us up for a positive outcome in every way possible. Dr. Karipcin exuded a genuine concern for us and our comfort level and made us feel cared for and human- not just "another patient." We went in expecting it to be a stressful process but having her in our court made it all so much easier than expected (because we trusted her and knew she had our best interests at heart at every turn).

Don't hesitate to ask your questions- she really wants you to feel comfortable, even if it means explaining something in multiple ways on multiple occasions.

I know that we did a natural FET cycle so as to avoid using additional hormone treatment when there was no empirical evidence that it would be beneficial given our circumstances. And for us: it worked.

We had good insurance coverage so this didn't stand out. They were great about handling the billing with the insurer.

Dr. Karipcin had a wealth of knowledge. She always let us know every decision point was ours but gave great facts and figures for her recommendations. When my first transferred failed, she immediately came up with a solution (Lurpon Depot for my endometriosis) that proved successful. I always trusted her instincts and felt like she was invested in the success of our journey.

Be able to make a decision. Dr. K will always let the course of action be your choice. However, she will give you her recommendation on all options depending on your situation.

Egg retrievals were: Gonal F, Menopur then added in Cetrotide with a trigger of HCG. Cycle 1 Frozen embryo transfer was fully natural. Only ovidrel for trigger and progesterone supplements. Negative pregnancy test. Took two months off for Lupron depot treatment (on estridol, provera and norethindrone to counter act the symptoms). 2nd FET cycle was natural but body stopped respond. Switched to a medicated cycle with Estrace and PIO 1ml. The progesterone was injected up through 10 weeks of pregnancy.

The clinic would only transfer 1 embryo. I took that recommendation and didn't ask about multiple

I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Sinem Karipcin. We started working with her during the Covid pandemic, so a lot of our large appointments were over zoom. Dr. K consistently checked in with me over email, and was a great communicator throughout the IVF process. There were two times in particular where we were very nervous about a specific protocol, and she called my husband and I after hours (7PM) to talk us through it and ensure we felt comfortable moving forward. From our very first meeting with her, she made us feel confident that this could and would be a success - which was so important for my mental health. She was absolutely wonderful to work with.

Don't be scared to email her if you're not getting what you need from your monitoring appointments. She can't be at every single monitoring appointment, so if you have questions afterwards, speak up and reach out. She's great at communicating and she will get back to you!

For my egg retrieval, I started taking Gonal F (150 Units) and Menopur (1 vial) for days 1-4. On Day 5 she added in .25 in the AM and PM for days 8-10. I then did my trigger shot on day 8, with the egg retrieval on day 10. We then had 3 day 5 embryos, and 3 day 6 embryos. We did PGT testing, and had 3 normal embryos come back, which we froze. The next month I did a saline sonogram, and then the month following, we did our transfer. I did a natural transfer, meaning we had no medications until the trigger shot + vaginal progesterone suppositories. Our first transfer was successful. I am currently pregnant. For my

My insurance paid for a majority of the costs, but they did not cover some things (like PGT testing).

My doctor had a strong preference of only transferring one embryo.

My husband and I met Dr. K after our previous doctor at the practice moved to California. We liked our previous doctor and were a little apprehensive about have to switch doctors, after we had successfully produced 2 embryos with our other doctor. Dr. K was very clinical when we first met her. She went over and explained some of the lab results that the previous doctor had done, which he hadn't seen before. She appeared very knowledgeable and while we might not have completely understood everything she was talking about, she definitely knew what she was talking about and that made us feel secure. Once treatment started, Dr. K was much more personable and human. She was very much invested in my treatment. She answered my emails promptly and was there during the major events in the treatment. By the end of the treatment, Dr. K was a trusted ally. My mother even came to our last appointment to thank her in person for all her help.

Don't rush to conclusions if she appears very clinical. She is a very warm and sweet person. She is dedicated and competent and that is what you want during a time like this.

I can't remember everything but I do remember that Dr. K. decided to change my treatment and drugs from what my previous doctor had done, so that my eggs would grow at an equal rate and there wouldn't be a variety of mature and not mature eggs during the retrieval. After that cycle of IVF rendered no good embryos, she changed things up again. Then we got 1 good embryo from that. Dr. K performed the embryo transfer and we are currently in our 5th month of pregnancy.

When we tallied all the costs, after insurance we spent about 15K out of pocket. During our very first appointment, we talked to a financial adviser who clearly outlined the costs of all the procedures, ones covered and ones not covered, with our kind of insurance. We were satisfied with the outcome and the 15K was worth every penny.

I believe her approach was to lean towards single embryo vs. multiple embryo, which was what we wanted too. She was very up front when we asked her about our chances of conceiving after the transfer was done. She offered to do an exam that would test my uterus to see if there was anything that might impede the transfer from being successful. We ended up not going with it. We just did the transfer and it worked.

Dr. Karipcin is from Turkey and English is her second language. I was honestly biased at first and hesitant to try her. These were my own prejudices in my head, and once I was able to overcome that - I came to really appreciate and love her as my care provider. She made my husband and I laugh and never trivialized our process or journey (took up 4.5 years to get pregnant). She always respected our work / time constraints and never made us feel guilty about living very active and busy lives. Dr. K exuded confidence leading up to our transfer which definitely rubbed off on us! I believe it was Dr. Karipcin's positive and warm bedside manner that made our 3rd transfer more calm, positive, and successful than the previous two.

Don't judge her by her accent. She is very capable, caring and knowledgable.

When taking over my treatment from another Columbia doctor, Dr. Karipcin took the time to get to know me and my fertility past. She din't just rush in (even though I was impatient). Before doing another transfer, she decided to test my uterine lining a step that felt like it was delaying us further and felt unnecessary. They discovered that I had endometritis which can take months to treat. I was very frustrated and discouraged after this diagnosis. Following diagnosis I went through 4 rounds of antibiotics and uterine biopsies to try and get the inflammation of my uterus to go away. The process was long and daunting. When I finally tested negative for endometritis we got the green light from her that we could move forward with our 3rd embryo transfer. the day before our transfer Dr. Karipcin was nearly giddy telling us that she had chosen the best embryo for tomorrows transfer and she seemed as excited as we were! During the transfer my retroverted uterus was hard to see/ find on the monitor, so rather than guiding the catheter with the visual help of the ultrasound, she did unaided transfers off of feel and her past training at Cornell! We are now 8 weeks pregnant and going strong!

Egg retrieval ~$17K embryo transfer ~$5K storage / freezing ~ $2K a year medications ~$500 - $2K depending on stage

Dr. Karipcin said that due to my age, general health and past transfer success (none thus far) she wanted to continue to transfer one egg vs two.

My experience with Dr.Sinem Karipcin exceeded my expectations, which were based on experiences with all the rest of doctors in different medical specialities. From the first moment, she showed genuine interest in helping us understand the situation and alternatives resulting in lowering our anxiety. She was always warm and welcoming, as well as very knowledgeable, which made me trust her immediately. My experience was so good with her (and successful) that when I wanted to have a second child, I went straight back to her to ask for her help and guidance.

Ask her not only about all the possible alternatives, but also her recommendation. I think she is really good at reading the patient's emotional and physical status and suggesting the treatment that, considering all things, has the highest probability of success.

I don't remember all details, but until now I have tried the same treatment strategy, based on letrozole for 5 days and a trigger shot. This proved successful the first time and I am still in the process this second time.

I know Dr.Karipcin strongly recommends transferring just one embryo. She briefly explained the reasons and seemed very passionate about the topic. I was not questioning this specific aspect, so we didn't talk much about it.