There’s a special Medical Practice near Lakewood, in Wall Township NJ, that we feel the Lakewood community ought to know about.

When it first became apparent that we would need help to build a family, we felt lost and so alone. Especially when living in a bustling Lakewood development, it truly seemed that we were the only ones on this lonely and painful journey.

After trying a few doctors and practices, we realized that they were not the proper fit for us and our personalities. We needed more than cold medical advice, protocol and treatment; we needed heart, we needed personal connection.

After a particularly painful experience, someone told us quietly about a gem that would soon open in the Lakewood area. Its name was Conceive NJ, led by Dr. Glatstein, and they informed us that his many years of experience and success preceded him. We decided to give his office a call as soon as we saw an article on the Lakewood Scoop announcing his arrival to the Lakewood scene.

We waited anxiously for a few weeks until the office was up and running, and suffice to say, when the receptionist Stacy called to tell us that they were now in-network with our insurance, we all rejoiced, including her. They were so happy for us.

From the very first consultation with Dr. Glatstein, we knew we had arrived at the right place. All doubts fell away as he gave us all of the time we needed to go through our history, including the unnecessary, yet expected emotional parts that had nothing to do with the medical history. He was calm and so understanding. He was the first doctor to acknowledge our feelings and the stress we were undergoing. Immediately, we felt at-ease starting treatment at his practice. From the first treatment cycle, the dedication, knowledge, expertise and care of Dr. Glatstein and his staff was incredible, a stark contrast from other practices we’d been to. While other places had been after our money, only suggesting the most expensive routes and dragging things out, Dr. Glatstein always knew right away when it was time to switch courses and never wasted our time. His nurses always knew how to help us save every penny we could on medications.

I’ll never forget how, when meeting to discuss our second cycle, Dr. Glatstein looked me in the eye and asked, “and how are you doing emotionally?” I still tear up when I think about that; no other doctor had EVER cared about anything other than the medicine, the outcome and their payment.

Dr. Glatstein’ s staff treated us as family. They made the early morning monitoring and all of the difficult aspects of treatment so much more manageable. On one particularly difficult day for me, the early morning monitoring was extra hard. It must have shown on my face and in my attitude, because later that night I received the kindest message from my nurse- “How are you doing? Are you doing a little better, I hope? I was worried about you today”. This was exactly the personal connection and care that I needed, at exactly the right moment. When I was going through a difficult week and was discussing medications and reviewing my next steps with my nurse, she came to my side of the desk, gave me a strong, warm hug, and with tears in her eyes she said, “we are all praying for you, too”.

They treated our time as though it were their own. Time was never wasted on treatment, Dr.

Glatstein’ s keen eye always knew exactly when it was time to move on. Wait times in the waiting room were kept to a minimum. Each time we called with a question or needed more clarity on what we were supposed to be doing, our concern was attended to immediately, without having to wait the 24 hours or more that we grew accustomed to at other offices. Knowing that we wouldn’t have to wait for responses from the doctor or nurse took so much of the anxiety away and made the waiting for good news that much easier.

Each time we needed to make a decision, I would ask Dr. Glatstein “if I was your daughter, what would you suggest”? Each time, I truly felt that he was offering advice as if I was his own daughter. I was never pushed or pressured into anything, Dr. Glatstein always explained all of the pertinent information clearly and allowed us to reach a decision on our own so that we were ready and felt empowered for whatever the next step might be. This was something that we hadn’t experienced elsewhere.

Dr. Glatstein communicated with our Rav on each step that required halachic guidance. We always felt that our personal and religious needs were taken into account. We were treated as real people, with real feelings, and as an individual situation.

It was this personal connection and care that ultimately dimmed the anxiety and loneliness that comes along with such a journey. Before a certain procedure, Dr. Glatstein came out to us and sat with us for a while, clearly explaining everything that would be happening to me, because he knew I needed that. He created the optimal environment for me to be calm and be able to undergo the treatment with the best results. There was no cold, scary and unnecessary protocol that we had been subject to when undergoing procedures at other places. There was only warmth, tremendous care and attention to our physical and emotional needs. Baruch Hashem, we conceived after just a few cycles at Conceive NJ, with no time having been wasted. We truly believe that we were able to get to that moment because of the care and personal connection we were given. That alleviated so much of the anxiety that often comes along with infertility, and often hinders the ability to conceive.

When we found out our good news and ran down to the office to confirm it, all of the staff, including Dr. Glatstein, were waiting for us to congratulate us and share in our good news. The entire team was ecstatic for us, and I know that we weren’t the first ones to have conceived there! We felt that we arrived at that moment together as a family, together with our dedicated medical team. Our team continues to be in touch with us, checking in to see how I’m feeling, and they share in our excitement as our baby grows. Although it will be months after our last appointment there, Conceive NJ will definitely be one of the first places we call when our baby is born.

We did not choose to write this to the community in order to sell a service. We chose to do this because it was the only way to reach those who can benefit from the information. We know quite a few people going through this challenging journey of infertility, and while we know that they are most likely seeking guidance from people they trust, we wish we were comfortable picking up the phone and telling them about our experience at Conceive NJ. However, each person handles this Nisayon differently, and we are never sure if it is our place to do that. We hope that this letter reaches those who are on our minds and helps to give clarity on where to go if you want true care, attention, and personal connection when struggling with infertility. May we only hear of good news from everyone and may those going through infertility be blessed with full families and successful treatment B’karov.

Anonymous and Expecting

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