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Welcome to Fertility 101

Making the decision to begin fertility testing and treatment is a big one. You may be feeling overwhelmed, nervous, and hopeful as you explore what's next. We're here to walk you through what to expect as you navigate this process.

At Illume Fertility, we believe that educating, empowering, and holistically supporting fertility patients leads to greater success.

Let's embark on this journey to parenthood together. 

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Download Your Fertility 101 Guide

Our goal at Illume Fertility is to not only help you have a healthy baby, but to ensure you feel empowered and educated along the way.

As a patient entering your own fertility journey, it’s important to surround yourself with support, know where to turn for information, and understand what lies ahead.

Feeling a little overwhelmed? That’s why we’ve created this comprehensive Fertility 101 Guide to help you move toward treatment and pregnancy with confidence. Fill out the form to download this free eBook now!

Your Dedicated Fertility Team

Here at Illume Fertility, each patient has their own support staff. You will be assigned a team of providers that are devoted to your unique fertility journey.

Your Care Team is made up of a reproductive endocrinologist, patient navigator, fertility nurse, and insurance and billing advocate. Plus, you have access to our Physician Assistant, Genetic Counseling Team, and our entire Integrated Fertility and Wellness program (more on this below).

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What if I have a question?

Here’s who to talk to on your Care Team:

Patient Navigator

Your patient navigator will help you stay organized by reminding you of pending tasks based on your individual treatment plan, scheduling appointments and connecting you with your financial, clinical and Integrated Fertility & Wellness resources within Illume Fertility.

Fertility Nurse

This is your go-to person for treatment specifics. Think: dosage, timing, and medications. If you have a question about how to administer medication or clinical questions about your cycle, your fertility nurse can help. Your nurse works closely with your physician on all aspects of your treatment to ensure the best quality care.

Insurance & Billing Advocate

Have a billing or health insurance question? This is your person. From your financial status to benefit clearance, this team member can help guide you through the financial logistics and make things a little less overwhelming.

What to know

Before Your First Appointment

Now that you've decided to move forward with seeking fertility assistance, it's important to make sure you have all the necessary logistics in order. We also recommend implementing certain lifestyle habits that can significantly improve your chances down the line. In order to help you be as prepared as possible for the journey ahead, we've created a guide that makes your planning easy.

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Budgeting for Treatment

There's no denying that fertility treatment can be expensive. With procedures, laboratory usage, and medications, it can all quickly add up. It's important to have a plan for financing the journey, whether that's in cash, credit, loans, grants, using health insurance, or a combination of all of these options. 

The first action we recommend is to call your health insurance provider and get all of your questions answered. You may uncover a benefit you never knew you had, or you may more fully understand where you'll need to fill in the gaps. There are many resources to help you pay for treatment, but before you start crunching the numbers, use the following list to get to know your exact coverage.

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Before your first appointment

Questions to Ask Your Insurance Provider

The Basics

  • What is my copay?
  • What is my out-of-pocket maximum?
  • What is my deductible?
  • How do I check my insurance benefits?
  • How do I check my exclusions?
  • What type of insurance plan do I have?
  • Is fertility covered?

The Fertility Specifics

  • Is testing to diagnose infertility covered?
  • Are there any specific procedures that I need to follow to get treatment covered?
  • What are the qualifying criteria for receiving infertility benefits?
  • Is there a dollar maximum associated with infertility treatment?

Meet Our Doctors

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Dr. Mark Leondires

Dr. Leondires helps patients feel confident that they are in the best hands possible with a combination of empathy, dedication and expert knowledge.

 Meet Dr Leondires
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Dr. Cynthia Murdock

Combining kindness, patience, and thorough explanations of what's going on during treatment helps Dr. Murdock's patients feel well cared for and comfortable. 

 Meet Dr. Murdock
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Dr. Spencer Richlin

Dr. Richlin has been at Illume Fertility since 2004, and is known to his patients as considerate, understanding, and responsive during each individual fertility journey.

 Meet Dr. Richlin
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Dr. Shaun Williams

Offering optimism and hope, Dr. Williams approaches each patient's situation with care and compassion, and lets his expertise as a fertility specialist guide him.

 Meet Dr. Williams
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Dr. Ilana Ressler

Dr. Ressler's genuine excitement when patients have success, and comforting manner when things are tough exemplifies just how invested she is in each family's journey.

 Meet Dr. Ressler
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Dr. Joshua Hurwitz

Described by his patients as compassionate, truthful, and logical, Dr. Hurwitz shows up ready to tackle any situation with the perfect mix of care and creativity, and treats each patient like family.

 Meet Dr. Hurwitz
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Dr. Laura Meyer

Dr. Meyer approaches each complex challenge with enthusiasm, leading each patient through their own unique fertility journey with comprehensive, compassionate care.

 Meet Dr. Meyer
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Dr. Alexander Kucherov

Helping people build their families is Dr. Kucherov's calling and one he fully embraces. Having undergone fertility treatment to build his own family, he offers a unique blend of expertise and understanding.

 Meet Dr. Kucherov
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Dr. Barry Witt

Formerly of Greenwich Fertility, Dr. Witt joined the Illume team in 2024 to continue providing excellent fertility care to local families with his over 30 years of expertise.

 Meet Dr. Witt
The next step

Your Fertility Consultation

This is your first big appointment in a series of diagnostic evaluations. Here you will meet your doctor and ultimately be introduced to the rest of your Care Team. We offer consultations via telehealth and in office.

During this consultation, you and your doctor will spend time getting to know each other. You will tell your provider about your history, discuss your current health status, and share your future goals. This is an important step in the process, as it allows a glimpse into the whole person that you are. Our providers strive to provide all-encompassing, 360-degree care, so this first get-to-know-you chat is vital.

We know this meeting can seem overwhelming and you might forget to ask a question you’ve been thinking about, or maybe you can’t quite remember what the doctor said about this or that. That’s why we created the Fertility Consultation Guide. It’s part note-taking, part checklist, and just for you in this first appointment. It will help you answer all your questions and make sure you don’t forget all that was discussed.

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Testing & Treatment

A full fertility workup helps us guide you towards success. After your first big consultation, your doctor will want to investigate the possible causes of your fertility challenges to help formulate the best possible treatment plan for you. This will include lab work and routine diagnostic procedures like Day 3 Testing and an HSG. Want a quick crash course in what all these terms mean and why they're so important? Scroll down to learn more so you can feel informed and empowered before you even step into the office!

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Day 3 Testing

On Day 3 of your cycle, blood work is performed to check the levels of three important markers: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E2).

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Day 21 Testing

After ovulation occurs, certain hormones fluctuate and your endometrium (uterine lining) thickens. blood work and an ultrasound performed on Day 21 of your cycle help your doctor assess how well these processes are occurring.

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Semen Analysis

A semen analysis can reveal abnormalities in the sperm's size, shape, structure, and movement, as well as detect infections and other male factor fertility challenges that may be impeding conception.

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Basal Antral Follicle Count

This transvaginal ultrasound evaluates your ovarian reserve, or remaining egg supply. The ovarian reserve is one measure of your fertility potential.

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Genetic Testing

Genetic carrier testing examines you and.or your partner's DNA, revealing any gene changes that may cause illness or disease, including infertility.

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Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH)

This hormone, secreted by follicles in the ovaries, is an indicator of egg quantity (AKA ovarian reserve), and can be tested at any point during your menstrual cycle. 

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Hysterosalpingogram (HSG)

An HSG is an X-ray procedure used to evaluate the status of the fallopian tubes (the two structures that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus). 

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Sonohysterogram (SHG)

An SHG is used to evaluate any uterine abnormalities (in shape or size), as well as assess the status of the endometrium (uterine lining).

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Your path to parenthood is unique

As personal as your journey is to you, it can sometimes feel out of your control. Once you and your fertility team have decided on a course of action, one way to bring a sense of control back into your life is to study up on what will be happening with your body during fertility treatment.

Educating yourself can help you feel much more empowered and ready to start the journey! Check out the information below to learn more about what's next.

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Holistic Treatment Support

Integrated Fertility & Wellness Program (IFW)

The Integrated Fertility and Wellness team is an entire department at Illume Fertility completely dedicated to supporting you during your fertility journey. It includes acupuncture, nutrition, mental health, and yoga. Meet the team below, get to know how each discipline can enhance your journey, and reach out to the listed contact to book your appointment today.

Mental Health Support

Develop a personalized plan for maintaining equilibrium and coping with stress throughout your treatment by taking advantage of our vetted network of mental health providers. As experts in supporting patients through fertility and family-building, they can provide a variety of helpful tools for lowering stress and handling the ups and downs of it all.

Acupuncture Therapy

Reap both the physical and emotional benefits of traditional or laser acupuncture during your fertility journey. Acupuncture has been shown to improve embryo transfer success rates. It has also been shown to lower stress and add more peace to your journey.

Nutritional Guidance

Support your fertility treatment with a personalized nutrition plan to help you maintain a balanced lifestyle. Our registered dietitian nutritionists see all types of patients and counsel on issues like PCOS, insulin resistance, weight management, and other conditions.

Patient Advocacy

Connect with a community dedicated to breaking the stigma around fertility care, and get personalized support from our Patient Advocate, Lisa Rosenthal. Additionally, Illume Fertility is dedicated to advancing reproductive rights for all, which includes expanding insurance coverage to include fertility benefits and bringing awareness to all fertility and family-building issues. These efforts are led by Lisa and our other providers.

We encourage you to try out each discipline as they all bring something different and impactful to your family building journey.

Find your people

Support Groups

Sometimes, you just want to talk to someone who gets it. Someone going through the process right there with you.

Explore all the support group opportunities below to help get you through your own personal journey, as well as to connect, share, and build a bond with our strong fertility community.

  • Ladies' Night In
  • PCOS Yoga
  • Fertile Yoga
  • Pregnancy After Infertility
  • Parenting After Infertility
View Events
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Illume Fertility FAQs

Our goal at Illume Fertility is to deliver high-quality, compassionate care. In order to have the best experience at our practice, we want to make sure you have all the information and resources at your fingertips. Below, we answer some common questions you may have about your journey with Illume Fertility. Feel free to reach out to your Patient Navigator for any additional clarification, they are happy to help!

Where is Illume Fertility located?

Do I need to release my medical records to Illume Fertility?

What do I need to bring with me to the fertility consultation?

Does Illume Fertility use encrypted emails?

What consents will I need to sign?

What are morning monitoring hours?

When will I receive my bloodwork and/or test results?

What are Illume Fertility's hours?

What do I do when I arrive for my in-person appointment?

How do I get my medical records from Illume Fertility?

What is the current response time for general inquiries?

We are here for you

Ready to get started?

We never want you to feel alone in this journey. If you ever have any questions about your treatment, support opportunities, or the other resources listed above, please reach out to your Patient Navigator.

If you are not yet a patient and want to speak with one of our reproductive endocrinologists, fill out the form and one of our new patient liaisons will be in touch as soon as possible.

We look forward to meeting you.