Sher Fertility Solutions (New York): A Complete Patient Guide

4.6 stars · 425 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY · sherfertilitysolutions.com

New York City's fertility market is among the most competitive in the country, with programs competing on volume, academic affiliation, and outcomes. Sher Fertility Solutions occupies a distinct position within it: the practice carries one of the most historically significant names in American reproductive medicine and pairs that legacy with deliberately individualized, physician-led care. Founded by IVF pioneer Geoffrey Sher, MD — who opened the first private in vitro fertilization clinic in the United States in 1982 — the program has evolved across four decades without abandoning its hands-on clinical model. For Manhattan-area patients, particularly those with prior failed cycles or complex diagnoses, it merits serious consideration.

Physicians and Clinical Team

The practice's identity begins with its founder. Geoffrey Sher, MD trained in South Africa, holds fellowships from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and is sub-specialty boarded in Maternal and Fetal Medicine. Over four decades he has authored more than 200 scientific papers, helped more than 18,000 women conceive through IVF, and introduced multiple protocols now standard in the field — including the first use of gonadotropins for follicular stimulation (1982), endometrial ultrasound as a success predictor (1989), Prolonged Coasting to prevent severe hyperstimulation (1993), and identification of immune factors affecting implantation (1994). In 2019 he established Sher Fertility Solutions and began offering virtual consultations to patients from more than 40 countries.

Day-to-day clinical leadership rests with Drew Tortoriello, MD, Medical Director. A SUNY Downstate graduate (Alpha Omega Alpha), Dr. Tortoriello completed residency at New York Hospital/Cornell and REI fellowship training at UMDNJ and Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard. He joined SFS from Columbia University Medical Center. An NIH-elected Women's Health Research Scholar, he is a member of the ASRM, the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, and the Endocrine Society, and has delivered award-winning research at international meetings.

The team also includes Sitara Ravikumar, MD, FACOG, Medical College of Wisconsin graduate. After her OB/GYN residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School (2019) and several years at Mount Sinai and NYU in Manhattan, she joined SFS. She ranks among New York City's top 50 OBGYNs, holds a Pinnacle Physician Award, and has published research in fertility and oncology-adjacent fields.

Services and Treatments

Sher Fertility Solutions offers a comprehensive menu of assisted reproductive technology and supporting services:

• IVF — fresh and frozen embryo transfer, including protocols for poor responders and prior-failure patients
• IUI — intrauterine insemination for mild male factor, ovulatory dysfunction, or unexplained infertility
• PGT-A / PGT-M — preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy and monogenic conditions
• Recurrent pregnancy loss workup — including immunological evaluation rooted in Dr. Sher's pioneering implantation research
• Male factor infertility evaluation and treatment
• Donor egg IVF and donor sperm coordination
• Egg freezing — elective fertility preservation and medically indicated (oncofertility) cases
• Virtual consultations — Geoffrey Sher, MD conducts comprehensive video consultations for domestic and international patients

The practice is particularly recognized for accepting patients who have failed IVF elsewhere. Patient testimonials describe achieving multiple genetically normal embryos — and successful transfers — after prior unsuccessful attempts at other New York programs, reflecting a clinical culture built around complex-case management.

Laboratory and Success Rates

Sher Fertility Solutions operates a fully certified on-site embryology laboratory at 425 Fifth Avenue. An in-house lab means embryologists and physicians share the same building, enabling real-time communication during retrievals, fertilization, and biopsy — and eliminating the logistical risks of transporting gametes to a third-party facility.

Outcome data are reported annually to SART (Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology), which independently audits and publishes results. Multi-year summary data are available through the SART Clinic Summary Report. Because SFS treats a disproportionate share of complex-case patients, raw success-rate figures should be read with case-mix in mind — a specialist accepting the hardest cases will always show different population-level numbers than a program with open enrollment. Our IVF guide explains how to interpret SART data properly.

Patient Experience

Sher Fertility Solutions structures its model around a principle that distinguishes it from the large academic networks that dominate New York City: patients see their own physician at every visit. In high-volume programs, monitoring appointments — bloodwork and ultrasound — are frequently handled by rotating midlevel providers. Here they are not. The 4.6-star average across Yelp and third-party review platforms reflects that continuity, with patients repeatedly citing physician accessibility and the depth of individual attention applied to difficult diagnoses.

The 425 Fifth Avenue address places the clinic in Midtown Manhattan, accessible by multiple subway lines and practical for patients commuting from all five boroughs or from New Jersey and Connecticut. Virtual consultations with Dr. Sher extend access further to out-of-area patients seeking a second opinion before committing to a cycle.

The boutique scale carries one trade-off: patients whose conditions intersect complex oncology or maternal-fetal medicine may need a parallel hospital-based relationship. For those who have felt anonymous inside large reproductive medicine systems, the physician-direct model here is typically a significant improvement.

Considering At-Home Insemination?

Not every fertility journey begins in a clinic. At-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option that suits patients with no known fertility diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before committing to clinical treatment.

At-home insemination kits like those from MakeAMom come with step-by-step instructions designed for donor or partner sperm. Kits are a one-time purchase that can be reused until conception succeeds, require no clinic visit, and arrive in plain, discreet packaging. Many patients use them as a first step while working toward a fertility consultation — or alongside ovulation tracking while they wait for an appointment slot.

If you have a known fertility diagnosis, have been trying for 12 months without success (six months if you're over 35), or your physician has already recommended IUI or IVF, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist is the right next step.

Insurance and Financing

New York State's fertility insurance mandate, effective January 1, 2020, requires large-group health plans covering 100 or more employees to cover up to three IVF cycles per covered individual, including associated medications. Infertility is defined as inability to achieve clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse (or 6 months for patients 35 and older).

Key limitations: the mandate applies to fully insured large-group plans only. Self-insured employer plans — common at large national corporations — fall under federal ERISA law and are not subject to the state mandate. Small-group and individual market plans are also excluded. The mandate does extend to medically necessary fertility preservation, including for patients facing cancer treatment.

For qualifying patients at Sher Fertility Solutions, this means IVF retrievals, PGT-A, and frozen embryo transfers may be substantially covered. The clinic's financial team verifies coverage before treatment begins. For self-pay cycles, financing options are available. See our fertility clinics in New York resource for a broader market overview, and our IVF guide for cost context.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sets Sher Fertility Solutions apart from other New York programs?

Two things: founding lineage and physician continuity. Dr. Geoffrey Sher opened the first private IVF clinic in the US in 1982 and pioneered protocols still in use globally. Medical Director Dr. Drew Tortoriello brings Harvard- and Columbia-trained REI expertise. Both physicians see patients directly at every visit — not a rotating midlevel team.

Does the clinic treat patients who have failed IVF elsewhere?

Yes. Prior failed cycles, recurrent pregnancy loss, immune implantation failure, unexplained infertility, and severe male factor cases are central to the clinic's practice — not edge cases handled reluctantly.

Is IVF covered by insurance in New York?

If you are covered by a fully insured large-group employer plan (100+ employees), New York State requires coverage of up to three IVF cycles and associated medications. Self-insured and small-group plans are excluded from the mandate. The clinic's financial team verifies your specific coverage before treatment begins.

Does Dr. Geoffrey Sher still see patients?

Yes. Dr. Sher conducts comprehensive consultations — primarily via video call — for patients in New York and internationally, a model he formalized in 2019 to extend access to patients in more than 40 countries who cannot travel to Manhattan.