IVF Clinic Reviews — Honest Patient Experience

My Experience

I liked my doctor at Kaiser as a person. I genuinely did. I don't believe he was trying to do harm or cut corners intentionally. But things were missed — and in my opinion they were missed because Kaiser was taking on more patients than they could deeply individualize care for. When you're seeing that volume of patients things fall through the cracks. It's not malicious. It's the reality of a system stretched too thin.

What was missed in my case: my endometriosis was not proactively investigated — it was found incidentally during a routine ultrasound. My partner's HbA1c was never tested or flagged as relevant to our fertility outcomes. I raised a concern about birth control affecting my ovarian response and was dismissed. I found ReceptivaDx BCL-6 testing myself after researching recurrent implantation failure — Kaiser never suggested it after two failed transfers. My BCL-6 came back significantly positive at 2.4 against a threshold of 1.4.

I can't prove any single one of these things caused our transfers to fail. What I can say is that in my opinion — based on my experience and the experiences of others I've spoken to who have gone through Kaiser — the pattern of missed things isn't random. It reflects a system managing more than it can handle.

My Experience with Birth Control at Kaiser

The month before my first egg retrieval I went in for a baseline scan around cycle day three or four. My ovaries were already developing multiple follicles — a strong, promising baseline.

I was then put on birth control for approximately ten to fourteen days before starting stimulation. When I got off birth control and my next period started I went in again on cycle day two or three for another baseline scan. My follicles were not developing the way they had been the month before. The difference was noticeable. The doctor couldn't explain it.

I told him I thought it was the birth control. He dismissed it.

I started stimulation medication anyway. After a few days of poor response — significantly fewer follicles than my baseline scan the prior month had suggested — we made the decision to cancel that cycle rather than proceed.

The next cycle I did not use birth control pretreatment. My follicles came back.

Three cycles. The key difference between the one where I didn't produce and the ones where I did was birth control. I cannot prove that was the cause — but I strongly believe it played a significant role and the timeline is hard to ignore. The doctor dismissed my concern. I'm sharing it here because maybe it will help someone else ask the question before their doctor dismisses theirs.

What I'd Tell Someone Going Into Kaiser

• Push hard for a comprehensive workup for both partners before you start — don't assume that because they ran labs they ran the right labs
• Ask specifically about HbA1c for your partner
• Ask about birth control pretreatment and whether there is a clinical reason specific to your situation
• If you have endometriosis history or suspected endo be proactive — it may not be investigated unless you push
• If a transfer fails ask specifically about ReceptivaDx BCL-6 testing — don't wait for them to suggest it
• Kaiser is a system. Work with it but be your own advocate within it.

My Experience

I also liked Dr. Victory as a person. He has genuine knowledge — particularly around endometriosis, immune protocols, and progesterone — and some of what he advocates for is valuable and I've incorporated parts of his thinking into my own approach.

But in my opinion Dr. Victory spread himself too thin. And when that happens — when any doctor takes on more than they can deeply manage — things get missed. At Victory the thing that was missed was my partner's bloodwork. His HbA1c was never tested. He was not comprehensively evaluated before our retrieval. In retrospect and based on everything I've since learned about sperm health and blood sugar, I strongly believe this played a significant role in our second retrieval outcome — 19 eggs retrieved, 5 fertilized, 1 blast. I cannot prove causation. But connecting the dots that is my strong personal belief.

I've also spoken to others who have gone to Victory and shared similar experiences — a feeling of things being missed, of the clinic being overstretched. Again this is observation and opinion, not fact.

The Low Estrogen Protocol

Dr. Victory has a specific philosophy around estrogen for endometriosis patients — starting at a very low dose (1mg) rather than the standard 2mg most clinics begin with. The reasoning is that endometriosis is an estrogen-dependent condition and flooding the body with high estrogen to build the lining could potentially flare the disease.

This is not an unreasonable clinical position. But in my experience starting low meant my lining took significantly longer to respond. I had to specifically request an increase to 4mg myself. The entire transfer cycle stretched to 41 days.

If Dr. Victory recommends a low estrogen protocol for you — ask specifically why and what the plan is if your lining struggles to build. Go in informed.

The Hard Lesson About Travel Timing

For our Victory transfer I was doing remote monitoring in Sacramento. My lining was consistently building — slowly but building. It got to around 6.6mm. We assumed it would keep going and booked our flights and traveled to Canada.

When we got to Canada my lining didn't continue building. It dropped. And then we were stuck — in a hotel in Canada, waiting, monitoring, adjusting medications. It was stressful, expensive, and emotionally draining.

What I would do differently: wait until my lining reached the actual target — 8mm — before booking travel. Not 6mm with an upward trend. Eight millimeters. Then book the flights.

What I'd Tell Someone Going Into Victory

• Dr. Victory's knowledge around endometriosis and immune protocols is real and worth exploring — go in informed about his approach
• Make sure your partner gets a comprehensive bloodwork workup including HbA1c — don't assume it will be ordered
• Understand the low estrogen protocol before you start and know what the escalation plan is if your lining doesn't respond
• Price-check medications before assuming Canadian prices are cheaper — in our experience the clinic's next-door pharmacy offset the savings
• If doing remote monitoring and traveling for transfer — wait until your lining is at target before booking travel
• Remote monitoring is a genuine option and works well logistically

My Experience

CNY has been a different experience — primarily because by the time I got there I knew what to ask for. I came in with documented requests. I held firm when they defaulted to standard protocols I didn't want. And our third retrieval at 41 with my own eggs gave us 21 retrieved, 13 fertilized, and 8+ blasts.

Was that entirely CNY's doing? Partly. Was it also years of learning, advocating, and refusing to accept "that's just our protocol" as a final answer? Absolutely.

Advocating at CNY — A Real Example

From the very beginning of my relationship with CNY I made one thing crystal clear: under no circumstances was I taking birth control. I told them, I asked them to document it, and I kept my own record of that conversation.

Sure enough — on cycle day one when I called in, they told me I needed to start birth control because they didn't have me properly flagged in the system. I was firm. I reminded them of what was already documented. They got me in without it.

That experience taught me something important about CNY specifically: the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If you know what you want and you're willing to be direct about it they will work with you. But if you're not sure or you defer to whatever they suggest you'll get the standard protocol — which may or may not be right for your situation.

I also made clear that our surrogate would not be doing birth control pretreatment and that I wanted a modified natural cycle for her transfer. They documented it. They respected it. We moved forward on our terms.

How CNY Communicates

The main reason CNY can offer such low prices is that you are not regularly speaking with physicians. Communication happens primarily through your patient portal via messaging. Phone calls are inconsistent — some coordinators will set them up readily, others will redirect you back to messaging.

The good news is that portal messages are generally answered within about 24 hours — actually faster than many traditional clinics.

One real organizational gap worth knowing about: getting into CNY — the onboarding process specifically — can be clunky. Different departments don't always communicate with each other and information doesn't consistently make it into your chart. You may find yourself repeating the same things to different people.

The fix is simple but requires you to be proactive: keep your own notes, document everything, and don't assume that because you told one person something anyone else knows it. Treat your chart as incomplete and fill in the gaps yourself every time you talk to someone new.

Once you're through onboarding and into the actual cycle things ran smoothly for us on-site.

On the Negative Reviews

I want to address this directly because when I was researching CNY I read through a lot of the Google reviews for the Syracuse location and some of them were pretty rough — complaints about disorganized staff, rude interactions, feeling dismissed.

My experience was genuinely the opposite. Everyone I encountered was pleasant and on-site everything was well organized.

My honest take: I think CNY is a clinic that rewards patients who come in informed and calm. When you know the language, when you're not in the dark, when you're not panicked and asking questions they have to spend a lot of time unpacking — the interaction goes differently. That is not a criticism of patients who are new to this. IVF is overwhelming and nobody should have to become an expert just to be treated well. But it may explain why experiences vary so dramatically.

Donor Eggs at CNY

CNY offers donor eggs at significantly lower cost than most clinics. The selection is more limited than a traditional egg bank and the process takes real work to navigate — it is not a simple turnkey experience. But if cost is a major factor and you are considering donor eggs CNY is worth exploring. This is still part of my personal journey so I will add more here as I learn.

Who CNY Is and Isn't For

CNY may be a good fit if you:

• Have done your research and have a baseline understanding of IVF protocols
• Are anticipating needing more than one retrieval or transfer cycle
• Cost is a significant factor
• Are comfortable being an active participant in your own care
• Are willing to advocate firmly for what you want

CNY may not be the right fit if you:

• Are brand new to IVF and need a lot of guidance and explanation
• Want a highly personalized boutique experience
• Have very complex medical needs requiring constant individualized monitoring
• Need regular phone access to your care team

What I'd Tell Someone Going Into CNY

• Document everything from day one — what you want, what you don't want, what you've been told
• Know your protocol before you arrive — research so you can speak the language
• Use the portal — messages get answered. Phone calls are hit or miss.
• Be direct and specific — CNY moves fast and doesn't always slow down to check in
• Price-check medications — CNY defaults to MDR which is good, but some medications are cheaper at Costco Specialty. You can split prescriptions.
• If you're doing remote monitoring for a transfer — find a local imaging center that will cooperate with CNY's worksheet format