What Our Patients Are Saying

How was your experience with Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Kang is very warm and does take the time to answer my questions when I have them. My appointments are usually very short since they are mostly monitoring and there are always a lot of people so it is easy to feel rushed. I had a few HSGs with her, which were painful for me and she was always very understanding and encouraging. She was also able to spend more time with me when I had an appointment as opposed to the monitoring visits. I do wish I had more time to spend with Dr. Kang, but she did encourage me with my personal situation from the get-go.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?Don't expect to have long appointments with her. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College?The place is definitely a factory, so the face-to-face time is usually quite short. Dr. Kang, however, is very good at still making me feel like she knows who I am. She's always very warm.Describe the protocols Hey-Joo Kang used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.I started with natural IUIs because I have regular cycles and had good ovarian reserve etc. My "advanced" age is a factor we considered throughout as well as being single. I tried IUIs three times and all failed. I used donor sperm so my egg quality was seen as a factor. I had a blocked Fallopian tube as well, but after repeating the test, it eventually opened. To help with egg quality, she recommended I try CoQ10. We were going to try a medicated IUI, but based on my attempts, my age and egg quality, we went to IVF after failed IUI #3. I am just starting that cycle but it is much more complicated. Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer)Jennifer (IUI nurse) was great. She was usually available when I called or at least gave me a call back that same day. Super organised and willing to answer my questions without rushing me off the phone. Diana, the care coordinator was also super helpful and she worked pretty seamlessly with Jennifer to schedule my IUIs and other appointments. The IVF team is different and I am just getting started there. The nurse I was assigned, Sarah, is different from Jennifer and a bit less warm and more "rushy". While I haven't had many interactions with her yet, so far I am not as satisfied as I was with the IUI nurse. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.It's so busy. Monitoring hours are between 6:30 and 8:30 am so the waiting room is usually crowded. The staff is good about getting everyone checked in quickly and the nurses are constantly calling patients in so there is movement in the "line", but you just have to wait. The nurses drawing blood are quite skilled so the blood work is usually quick and painless. The system works like clockwork. The IUI scheduling didn't work out that great for me. They tell you to arrive by 8:30am, which is when the andrology lab opens. From there, if you are using frozen sperm, it is an hour-long thawing process, but it can be a long wait. For one IUI, I didn't actually get into the room for the IUI until after 10:30am (which I did not expect) so I was stressed out. I saw at least two other women in the waiting room who were also complaining about waiting for a long time. I don't know what they were in for, however. I would recommend that if you have other obligations, try to reschedule those obligations for hours later or another day if you go for an IUI. It takes much more time than they tell you. Describe the costs associated with your care under Hey-Joo Kang at Weill Cornell Medical College.My insurance covered most of my IUI appointments so I just had to pay co-pays.

How was your experience with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Spandorfer has an excellent bedside manner. He puts you at ease with his humor. He gives you hope even in the most grim situation while still being frank about the circumstances. He gave me treatment even when a previous doctor had given me no hope. When the first round of IVF was unsuccessful, he carefully tailored and alternative method of treatment for the next cycle. Ultimately, he helped me to successfully have a baby girl and for that I am eternally grateful to him.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?Know that you will not see him at every visit which is typical of larger fertility clinics, however, he will call you back if you leave messages with his assistant.During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College?The doctors and nurses at the clinic were very responsive and willing to take time to answer all of my questions. Dr Spandorfer puts you at ease with humor and gives you hope.Describe the protocols Steven Spandorfer used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.39yo, dimished ovarian reserve, 6 failed IUI cycles at age 33 with another doctor, 1 miscarriage (natural pregnancy) at 7 weeks at age 36, 2 cycles IVF at 39 yo,1 live birth of singleton girl at 39 yo 1st IVF Cycle 4 eggs retrieved, 1 fertilized but did not make it to day 3, day 3 transfer cancelled. Estrogen patch Gonal-F Menopur Garilinix 2nd IVF Cycle 4 eggs retrieved, 4 fertilized with ICSI, 4 transferred on day 3 (14 cell, 10 cell & (2) 8 cell). 1 implanted. 1 successful live birth of healthy baby girl. Birth control Lupron Gonal-F ProgesteroneDescribe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Jackie Stahl)Jackie was absolutely amazing. She called me back instantly, was very informative and always full of hope. The other nurses at the clinic are nice and attentive as well.Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Several doctors who meet together to determine e best course of treatment. Clean, modern facility. Very large so tons of patients.Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.Tons of patients, however, wait time was not too long.Describe the costs associated with your care under Steven Spandorfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.For 2 cycles about $40k including all medicationsDescribe Steven Spandorfer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.Because of my history, age, low AMH, we transferred all 4 embryos (per doctors suggestion)

How was your experience with David Reichman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Thoughtful, accessible, patient, upfront, listened to my thoughts/ideas without judgement, supportive. Great team of nurses, allowed me to email them any time. Dr emails with me, as well. All this provides comfort to my mind as the process can be so daunting. What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of David Reichman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Tell him everything, don't be shy to ask small/"silly" questions. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with David Reichman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Constantly accessible, answered every question, patient, called a number of times to make sure we went over each step and walked me through concerned risks. Never made me wait at appointments. Describe the protocols David Reichman used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.Gonal f 150 first two nights, then 100, then 75, last 3 nights at 50. Menopur 75 every night Ganilrelex started on night 4 Responded well. Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Jennifer green)Instructions were clear, calm and easy. She checked in with Dr, communicated often with me. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Highly efficient, professional, organized. Appointment times easy, no long waiting. Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.Super efficient. Was in and out in 30 minutes. Had blood work and ultrasound, one quickly after the other. Describe the costs associated with your care under David Reichman at Weill Cornell Medical College.Insurance covered 80% of meds. Paid $1700 for them. IVF total cost: 13k

How was your experience with Glenn Schattman at Weill Cornell Medical College?He was with you throughout the process, actually caring for your best interest and just an amazing doctor. I cannot say enough good things about what an amazing Doctor he is. I still keep in touch with him and my babies are 3 months old! WarriorWhat's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Glenn Schattman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Trust the process, he knows what he is doing, if he suggests waiting or doing a test, trust him.During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Glenn Schattman at Weill Cornell Medical College?He was the most amazing sweetest caring doctor. When i had a miscarriage he was just as devastated as I was. Describe the protocols Glenn Schattman used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.my first cycle was a fresh cycle, transfer at day 3 of 2 embryos- didn't work. My second was a frozen on a natural cycle and it worked but no heart beat at 8 weeks. Had a D&C and then testing in November. STarted a new retrieval in January and did retrieval on 2-1 then a "scraping" on 2-7. The embryos were transferred on a frozen natural cycle and it worked!Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.They are caring and extremely attentive. I always went in super early to avoid the line. Sometimes the wait is pretty long no matter what you do. the financial staff is a little rude but everyone else is great.Describe the costs associated with your care under Glenn Schattman at Weill Cornell Medical College.I dontknow Describe Glenn Schattman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.multiple embryo transfer- we transferred 2 after many failed attempts and have twins!

How was your experience with Owen Davis at Weill Cornell Medical College?Although I didn't get pregnant with Dr. Davis, I had a great experience with him. What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Owen Davis at Weill Cornell Medical College?Have a list of questions - he covers everything, but he also talks very fast! During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Owen Davis at Weill Cornell Medical College?Owen Davis is amazing. He treats every patient with respect and takes the time to explain every step of the process. He is also responsive by phone or email.

How was your experience with Zev Rosenwaks at Weill Cornell Medical College?I am still going through the process so I can't detail my experience in full but everything so far has been positive. He is efficient in his testing procedures and had requested a lot of different tests than my previous clinic. This made me feel more confident in his skills than my previous doctor. He is also prescribing a different method of treatment for my next cycle which makes me feel like he is more thoughtful in his approach rather than just out to get our money by suggesting the most expensive option.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Zev Rosenwaks at Weill Cornell Medical College?Know that you might not always see him for each visit. I have seen him most visits but he has not performed all the procedures, like the HSG. However, the other doctor I have seen has always been consistent so I do not feel like I'm rotating through the whole clinic. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Zev Rosenwaks at Weill Cornell Medical College?He took the time to explain the results of my tests to help me understand them. He was very thorough in all his testing. Describe the protocols Zev Rosenwaks used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.We are just beginning my IUI cycle. It's going to be an IUI with Clomid. I do not yet know the dose. The pretesting has involved: A complete work up of blood tests 2 semen analysis for my husband Several vaginal ultrasounds An HSG ( no balloon method) A saline ultrasound Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Sandra Babic )She is not a nurse but a coordinator for Dr Rosenwaks. She has been helpful with scheduling. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Efficient clinic; I am usually seen within 10 minutes of checking in for my appointment Some patients might feel like it's a revolving door because there are usually several people waiting Describe the costs associated with your care under Zev Rosenwaks at Weill Cornell Medical College.He does not accept any insuranceDescribe Zev Rosenwaks's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.This has not yet been discussed because we are trying IUI first

How was your experience with Samantha Pfeifer at Weill Cornell Medical College?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.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Samantha Pfeifer at Weill Cornell Medical College?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.During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Samantha Pfeifer at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Pfeifer is a kind and compassionate doctor.Describe the protocols Samantha Pfeifer used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.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.Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Evangeline and Rosalie)The nursing staff at Cornell is excellent, particularly at the Tribeca office. You are in great hands.Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.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.Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.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.Describe the costs associated with your care under Samantha Pfeifer at Weill Cornell Medical College.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.Describe Samantha Pfeifer's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.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.

How was your experience with Isaac Kligman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Kligman has been my doctor since 2013 at which time we did our first IVF cycle and I became pregnant with our first child. I resumed seeing him in 2016 and we are working on number two. Dr. Kligman is the ultimate professional. He is smart, well-versed, courteous and caring. He is always responsive to my concerns and questions and provides straightforward and honest answers (he is not one to sugar coat). In between cycles, I had a natural pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. He insisted on caring for me the whole way through, was completely supportive through a difficult time and even insisted on doing my D&C himself so that he could be comfortable that I would not have any delays when I was ready to try again. He makes recommendations, and feels strongly about them, but will also let you give input on your preferred course of treatment and supports alternative courses of action. We are having a tough time with number two and this is when your care gets put to the test but thus far I have not lost any confidence in him as my doctor. I think Cornell as a practice can be somewhat rigid in approach and I see this from time to time in the way Kligman practices but ultimately he won't stick with something that isn't working. I always feel in good hands. What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Isaac Kligman at Weill Cornell Medical College?You have to do some self-education and be prepared to ask questions and prompt him as he won't always be as effusive as you might want him to be. He is 100% willing to spend all the time in the world with you discussing treatment and options but you should come prepared with a list of questions and concerns. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Isaac Kligman at Weill Cornell Medical College?Cornell has a reputation for being a "factory-like" clinic, and I echo the sentiment in regards to monitoring, nursing staff, etc. There are improvements to be made, for sure, but on the whole it is a well run clinic. However, I have never felt like Dr. Kligman was not fully invested in my success and cared personally about my care. If we saw one another on the street, he would recognize me, call me by name and stop for a chat. Describe the protocols Isaac Kligman used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.On our initial round of IVF, I was 32 and had no identified issues - our issue was male infertility - so was a fairly straightforward situation as these things go. We used ICSI and ended up with 8 day 5 blasts - we put one in and we have our daughter and froze the remaining 7. They were not PGS tested as that was fairly new at the time. All of my FETs are being done on a medicated cycle using Lupron, estrogen and progesterone. We have opted for a single embryo transfer in each case (he has suggested we move to two, which we are considering). Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Kristin, Crystal, Susan)I have had VERY mixed experiences with the nursing team. The attitude, level of organization and information given vary drastically from nurse to nurse. I find that most of them are not very compassionate, frankly - I'm ok with that as I understand they have a difficult job but every once in a while it would feel nice to have a personal connection. I have never been in a situation where I have not timely received instructions or have been given incorrect instructions, however - they are on the whole, organized when it comes to following protocols. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Cornell is a well respected clinic where the doctors confer on approach and they also have excellent support services (genetics, billing, etc.). It lacks a personal touch and that waiting room in the morning for monitoring is about the worst place on this Earth but some of it comes with the territory. It's important to work to establish a relationship with your doctor and his assistant and focus on that and otherwise ensure to advocate for what you need as they are responsive. Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.The waiting is the worst, and some days it can be up to an hour. This is the number one thing I would change about the experience and wish it could feel less like a cattle call. Describe the costs associated with your care under Isaac Kligman at Weill Cornell Medical College.Dr. Kligman accepts some insurance and we had coverage for many of our treatments but paid out of pocket for fertility medication and some hospital charges. Describe Isaac Kligman's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.It has been my experience that Dr. Kligman will recommend eSET in all cases other than when it is not the patient's desire or when eSET is not producing results. He will always go over the statistics and recommendations with us pre-transfer to help us make an informed choice.

How was your experience with Pak Chung at Weill Cornell Medical College?Strengths: Direct, intelligent, not patronizing, showed empathy, competent. He will call you on a weekend or late in the evening to check in on you. I've never had doctors call me outside of business hours before so this was appreciated (meaning did not feel like a 9-5 operation). Weakness: Can be rushed. Appointments never started on time (sometimes had to wait 1.5-2 hrs in waiting room). Did not seem overly involved in my case for some rounds of IVF but granted we had gone through 8 egg retrievals together so near the end, I felt I was in good hands with any doctor at the clinic.What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Pak Chung at Weill Cornell Medical College?He doesn't have a lot of time and always seems a bit rushed so have all your questions ready in advance. Befriend his nurses and his office staff. They are fantastic and will get you the access you need to Dr Chung or answers to questions they themselves can answer. They run a tight ship. It seems like each of the doctors at Weill Cornell have their own support staff so the calibre of that team makes a big difference in your overall experience.During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Pak Chung at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr Chung was caring and always spoke to my husband and I with enthusiasm and a optimistic flair. While he was always brief and to the point, our interactions didn't feel overly clinical.Describe the protocols Pak Chung used in your cycles at Weill Cornell Medical College and their degree of success.Really cannot remember at this point. However, I always did natural cycles (ie. no progesterone shots) prior to transfer.Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Christine Wu)Strengths: Organized, responsive, good communicators Weakness: NoneDescribe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.Strengths: A very well-oiled machine. Weakness: Could feel like a factory at times. You will definitely see women you know in the waiting rooms but cannot really attribute that to the clinic perse. Billing department is terrible. I've had to dispute every single bill I ever received from this clinic, followed by hours of agonizing calls with my insurance company. After requesting a billing audit from my insurance company, I received a refund in excess of $15K (which indicates the level of incompetence of the billing staff).Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.It was a cattle call and sometimes chaotic. I feel like there has to be a way to automate this more. Operational strategy wasn't superb.Describe the costs associated with your care under Pak Chung at Weill Cornell Medical College.Honestly cannot remember but each round of IVF was approx. $20-25K (excl genetic testing, incl ICSI, FET, meds)Describe Pak Chung's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.He felt that multiple embryos was a good strategy for my first transfer as it increased the odds of success. However, after I failed to conceive, I requested that I not "waste" 2 embryos each time and would prefer to only transfer a single. He was completely open to that and subsequent transfers (2x) were successful.

How was your experience with Rony Elias at Weill Cornell Medical College?I don’t know where to begin with explaining how incredible Dr. Elias is in practice and in general. I’d previously gone to a fertility clinic that felt very impersonal and rushed. It put off treatment for me for years until I decided on a whim to see Dr. Elias. From the start he took time to describe what the next steps would be and what the possibilities for treatment would entail based on my anecdotal and medical history. He recommended an HSG due to recurrent chemical pregnancies - something that was not taken seriously at the previous clinic. Everything he explained at that first meeting made the eventual path to a bilateral salpingectomy and IVF easier. He was a partner in treatment and allowed us to try medicated timed intercourse for a year before moving ahead with surgery and IVF. Despite my fears of being medically sterile, I got pregnant my first IVF cycle and am currently home with my week old son. Dr. Elias is an extremely knowledgeable doctor that stays up to date with treatments. I’ve also never experienced a doctor until meeting him who actually spends time to thoroughly review your chart before meeting with you. There is not enough good I can say about Dr. Elias - he made a miracle happen, but even when we were in the seemingly endless treatment cycles we had hope and trust in him to keep us going. What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Rony Elias at Weill Cornell Medical College?Write down any questions you have before meeting with him, morning monitoring with him goes quickly, as it should, so it helps to be prepared. During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Rony Elias at Weill Cornell Medical College?Dr. Elias takes time to get to know his patients and truly seems to understand the weight infertility bears on the person struggling. He is compassionate and positive. Describe your experience with your nurse at Weill Cornell Medical College. (Assigned nurse: Lisa)Lisa and Jan were always prompt in returning calls and answering questions. They were also positive in their communications. Describe your experience with Weill Cornell Medical College.The 7:30 morning monitoring time is rough if you work in the city or at a job that starts earlier. The first come first serve model is difficult to manage but most patients are courteous lining up. Jessica at the front desk is personable and extremely helpful in getting you set up as a patient. Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Weill Cornell Medical College.Monitoring was very efficient, considering the doctor himself was doing the monitoring. Some mornings can be busier than others but I never waited more than a half hour. Describe the costs associated with your care under Rony Elias at Weill Cornell Medical College.Cost was as expected for fertility treatment in this area. Unfortunately (specific to my situation) while Dr. Elias and monitoring at the Westchester office was covered by my insurance, Weill Cornell in Manhattan was not so I had to pay out of pocket for all IVF related treatments. Describe Rony Elias's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Weill Cornell Medical College.eSET made absolute sense for my situation and his rationale behind it was completely correct.

Dr. Carpenter is a very knowledgeable and experienced transplant surgeon. He is caring and takes the time to answer questions and discuss the facts of my case. I highly recommend him.

Dr Agrusa did a great job with my surgery. He pre and post op interactions were professional and informative. I am thankful that he is my Dr.

Dr Witkin is an excellent physician, very patient, very kind and warm very important when one is being treated with needles!

Excellent Doctor!