Houston Fertility Institute

HFI has lots of locations and there was one ten minutes from my house on the way to my office. The offices are nice, new and comfortable. The staff is nice at certain locations. Betas and other news are communicated in a very timely manner and you can trust them to get things done on time. All procedures are performed at the Piney Point location ONLY, so I had to travel into Houston directly every time I had an IUI. That is pretty annoying. They are one of the more expensive clinics in Houston. A single cycle with meds and PGS will run you about $20,000 - $30,000. The payment options are meager at best. The financial team is the most frustrating part of HFI. They mean well but come off as unhelpful and judgemental if you can't afford to pay outright for IVF or even afford a payment plan through one of their third party providers. It's extremely disheartening to deal with them.

I felt like Dr. Hoff listened to what I had to say and what I wanted out of treatment, but she also wouldn't give us much direction on treatment. A few times we had to bring ideas to her about treatment options instead of her presenting them to us. It was a little frustrating because we didn't go to medical school for this.

I loved the nurses at my branch of HFI (Katy.) They were communicative and really compassionate. I have trouble with vaginal ultrasounds and Vanessa was extremely respectful of this. I felt really comfortable with her doing my scans. The nurses calmed me down a lot when I had problems and were often a better source of quick information than the Internet!

Dr. Hoff is a sweet person and extremely compassionate. After each loss she called me personally and seemed to commiserate with me and really feel my pain. During my "wins" (one chemical and one miscarriage) we celebrated together my positive betas and was always willing to talk to us if we didn't have positive betas. I felt that she was really on my team when it came to my results. As far as the not-so-good, she was not very proactive regarding our treatment. We had to bring a treatment option to her that was not offered to us and was extremely simple (freezing sperm to mix with a fresh sample for an IUI). Only after doing my own research with my own labs did I discover that I likely have PCOS but this was never diagnosed by Dr. Hoff, nor was it ever brought up in any conversation I ever had with her. Dr. Hoff is an extremely positive person so all of our conversations centered around what could go right in the future, and not what was going wrong right now. It was comforting to have her reassurance but I think I really could have used more professional guidance on the actual problems we were having.

Be your own advocate and research your own treatment options. Ask "why" ALWAYS because she won't tell you or give you a vague answer. A lot of times the answer really is vague, but sometimes it's not....but you aren't given any details.

Before cycling I had a hysteroscopy and my husband had a SA to determine where we were. Hoff said my hysteroscopy results came back perfect, but when I looked in my surgery report it said that the biopsy result they took was not positive for inflammation, but contained "pre-inflammation" or something. I was never told this by Hoff as she said everything looked good so I believed her. My husband's SA came back a little less than perfect but she said it was adequate for an IUI even though it had less than 1% morphology. IUI #1-- I used Clomid and regular monitoring. The last monitoring appointment I went to they said I had already ovulated and instructed me NOT to use my Ovidrel trigger but to have sex that evening and then come in for an IUI next day. I did so and during my TWW I used Endometrin vaginally 1x a day. after my TWW I had a positive beta of 16. The next beta it fell to 5, resulting in a chemical pregnancy. IUI #2- Same exact protocol as IUI #1 except I did use my Ovidrel trigger this time. Husband's sample day of IUI was extremely poor. We asked Hoff about this and she said he may have had an infection three months prior. Results were a negative beta. IUI #3- Changed protocols by switching to Letrozole with another Ovidrel trigger. I responded well to the Letrozole. This cycle we brought up the option of freezing samples beforehand and mixing them with fresh samples to get better counts. This resulted in better counts but ended in another negative beta. IUI #4- Protocol was not changed at all and ended in a missed chemical pregnancy (positive HPT but negative beta.) IUI #5- Same as previous protocol. In November of 2018 I became pregnant naturally. I went to see Hoff for my betas and eventual scans. My progesterone was not at the level they wanted so they kept increasing it. Eventually I was on Endometrin 3x daily and oral progesterone 3x daily. No heartbeat ever developed and I had a miscarriage.

IUIs were about $1,500 each and meds were another $300-400.

No embryo experience with Hoff.

I had no idea what to expect going into the process, but it was a great experience overall. I knew after the first meeting with Dr Williams that HFI utilizes a team approach, which makes sense given the time intensive nature of the fertility business. I saw multiple doctors during my time there - from the hysteroscopy (Dr. Bello), to the egg retrieval (Dr. Kim) to the embryo transfers (both performed by Dr. Williams). I also had a bleeding scare on a Sunday morning and had to call the emergency line, and I got a call back from the Dr on call (Dr. Bello) who had me come in for an ultrasound right away (everything was ok). It was great to know that no matter what the issue could be, there was someone available to handle it.

I was supported through my entire journey - and it was a roller coaster of elation and disappointment. Dr Williams and his staff responded to my questions with detailed information, compassion and professionalism. I received phone calls when I thought something wasn't right (there was an issue with a study I was supposed to be a part of that didn't happen, but Dr Williams was not at fault), he walked me through my options and different stages of treatment, and helped me to land on the best path forward given my preferences and desired ultimate outcome.

I had three nurses during my time there - Patricia, Connie and Joy. They were great to work with and were responsive to all of my communication, whether it was in person, via email or phone. They were professional when delivering results, both good and bad. They took some verbal frustrations from me in stride, and encouraged me in the right way.

Initially I went for a consultation about egg retrieval and Dr Williams fully explained the process and how it would work at HFI. A few months later I returned ready to move forward with the goal of having a baby on my own. We started with IUI's and ultimately moved on to IVF. He gave me my options and helped me to understand them fully so I could make the best decision possible given my circumstances. When the first transfer resulted in a chemical pregnancy (and I was sad/mad/confused), he displayed empathy, encouraged me and adjusted my plan to move forward. My second transfer was successful and he and his staff were elated for me and celebrated each week until I 'graduated' to my OB. I felt well cared for at every step and look forward to repeating the process with him in the next couple of years.

Communicate and Trust. There are a lot of options when you start the journey, talk to Dr Williams about your concerns and ask any questions. He will explain things to you so you can make the best decision for your family. Trust that he wants the same outcome that you do, and know that he's working to make your dreams come true.

1. Hysteroscopy: Found that both of my tubes were blocked, but they were able to get them unblocked during the procedure. This was crucial prior to moving onto my IUI treatment. 2. IUI's (2 times): Femara (oral med) + Ovidrel (injectible): Neither one was successful 3. Egg Retrieval: Menopur (150iu); Cetrotide .(.25 mg) Ovidrel (250 mcg) Follistim AQ (150IU ) - 19 eggs retrieved, 13 mature, 9 fertilized, 6 blastocysts; PGS testing - 3 normal, 2 abnormal, 1 inconclusive 4. FET #1: Desogen; Prednisone 10mg (2 x/day x 4 days starting 1 day before ET); Minivelle Patch 0.1mg (place 3 patch on the skin and change every 3 days); Estrace 2 mg - Tablets; PIO Shots. Once chemical pregnancy was confirmed, I had to take methotrexate to stop cell division. My HCG numbers were crawling upwards, but absolutely not to the point that it could've at all been a viable pregnancy. It took at least two weeks to confirm (which was the worst period of the entire journey), because he didn't want to call it too soon. My number never went above 400 though, so they couldn't see anything on an ultrasound, but with the numbers creeping up, cell division was happening somewhere, and we needed to end it in case it was an eptopic pregnancy. I then had to wait until my HCG numbers came back down to 0 for us to begin discussing how to best move forward. I was very frustrated because I'd transferred PGS tested embryo and it implanted, so I didn't understand why the pregnancy wasn't successful. Dr Williams explained that I was in a very low percentage of people that unfortunately experience a chemical pregnancy for an unknown reason. 4. FET #2: I used the same protocol as FET #1, but added Lovenox 40mg/0.4ml mg/dl - Injection. His reasoning was that it could potentially help, but certainly couldn't hurt. And he knew I wanted to do something more in hopes of a successful outcome with FET #2. This one worked! I stayed on PIO and estrogen through Week 10 of my pregnancy. I went for weekly visits with Dr Williams through Week 12.

IUI's (including medications covered by insurance): $1700 IVF (including medications covered by insurance, egg retrieval, FET #1 and monitoring): $13k PGS Testing: $5k FET #2 (including medications covered by insurance and monitoring): $5k

I preferred a single transfer as I did not want to chance having multiples, so there was never a debate as to how many to transfer. He preferred transferring a single embryo, as did I.

Great clinic- clean, free parking, easy to get to. Busy! If you make an appointment at peak times you might be waiting for awhile- seems like they overbook Patient’s. Top notch phlebotomists! These ladies are amazing!! Know your name, ask how you’re doing, never leave you sore or bruised. Can’t say enough!

He knows my son (the he helped us have with our 2nd round of ivf), asks about him, knows our lives (work) and personalities. He can be candid and honest with his feedback taking into account all those factors.

Our primary nurse was a bit low key with our fertility treatments following having our first through IVF. I’m not sure if it’s because we’ve been there for a long time now but she will sometimes just assume I know things. I have to sometimes call to make sure I’m taking the right dose or that I get the right meds before I need them, etc.

He is open & available- often calling me on off hours & using his cell phone. We had a tough road and he never oversold with lofty expectations. He knows the research & was able to present us with facts and honest medical advice for us to make the most informed decision we could.

Reach out to him directly if you ever need to! He will respond & you’ll get good information.

We did a low dose protocol with omnitrope. I overly respond to stimulation but my eggs are not strong so we went with low dose and omnitrope to attempt to boost the egg strength. Dr. Witz has only ever done single embryo transfers with rationale of it being a better environment for the fetus and better for the mom’s overall health.

My first round was all cash pay- all in probably $35-40. Next rounds have been partially covered- all in $15-20

The clinic has multiple locations that are very convenient. Flexible schedule. Hfi assurance program is the incentive that led me to go with this clinic. Since my first cycle failed I am relieved of some of the fees that I paid for during my first cycle. Overall, I would recommend this clinic to those struggling with infertility.

Communication between nursing staff. I had to request prolactin test and results were elevated. Dr prescribed medication. I feel I should not have to think of tests to run it adds to my stress level throughout the process.

She was very compassionate, thought outside of the box and always answered my questions to her full understanding. Made me feel comfortable.

Dr nurudeen is always positive and really explains what is going on with my body. After meeting with her my husband and I always feel optimistic and reassured. From the very beginning we felt we could trust her and her recommendation for treatment.

Advice I would give to a prospective patient is to come prepared with your questions as she will answer them without making you feel inadequate.

I have completed one round of ivf. The first round included the following medications: Lupron 40 ml, gonal F 300, menopur 300. Injections were given in my lower abdomen and found that my follicles were not responding as well as originally thought. Switched injections to the arm and at the next ultrasound they were growing better. Retrieved 6 eggs, 4 fertilized, 3 embryos, 2 arrested, 1 blastocyst. Pgs tested abnormal. I am on my 2nd round, long protocol. Estrogen priming with Estrace and Aygestin and androgel. After priming phase will start certotide, gonal f 300, menopur 300, and omnitrope. I have also been taking a supplement. L Arginine.

$22,000

One thing I really loved about the clinic in general was that they knew our insurance wasn't going to cover IVF however, any other procedures we had to have done they always made sure it was done somewhere our insurance would cover and our doctor was always willing to travel to that clinic to be there. The only thing I didn't like was that we had to pay for the entire IVF upfront vs a payment plan but understand that this may happen at any clinic.

Both the office and Dr. Witz were very patient with us. They were never pushy on any of the treatment, educated us on the options we had and left it up to us to make the choices. Receiving a positive pregnancy test was extremely exciting and both Dr. Witz and our Nurse Meghan celebrated with us and when we found out we were going to miscarry; they gave us time in the room and even though it's been 2 years; have never rushed us for our 2nd transfer.

The only nurse we interacted with was Morgan and she was phenomenal! She was extremely positive throughout the entire process, always made sure to ask if there were any other questions and was very patient.

The thing both my spouse and I liked about Dr. Witz was that he asked a lot of questions and we really felt he knew us. He was there for every visit and any procedure we needed to do. He explained things and when I didn't quite understand took the time to explain it a bit differently. We always felt that he took the time needed in order to get our questions answered.

Always be ready with your questions. Knowing that we had to pay full price (our insurance didn't cover our IVF) we did our research and had a list of questions for every visit which helped it go faster. He also has a good sense of humor; so, if you want someone more serious; he is not however, that was our favorite thing about him!

After testing in 2015; we found out we would only be able to conceive via IVF and started on meds right away once we were ready. We started with Follistim 150 units, Dial pen to 150 & Menopur 150 IU, Take 2 vials as directed for 3 days then went back for bloodwork. After every blood draw; they would adjust my medication. After that I took, Follistim 225 units, Dial pen to 225 and Menopur 150 IU, Take 2 vials as directed. Then Cetrotide 0.25 mg was added. We had the egg retrieval and did a fresh transfer soon after that where I was prescribed o Estrace 2 mg, Take one by mouth to dissolve under your tongue THREE times per day; Prometrium 200mg mg/dl, oral 3x/day, Endometrin 100 mg/dl, Pleace two vaginally with applicator twice daily, Progesterone in Sesame Oil 50 mg/ml, give 50mg (1cc) IM each day (check to see if mixture is 100mg/1cc or 50mg/1cc) and was also adjusted as needed depending on my bloodwork. Once they did the BETA test and it was positive meds were adjusted depending on my blookwork as well. On our 6 week visit; was when the baby's heartbeat completely slowed down and BETA levels started to stall which was when we had a conversation with Dr. Witz and said we were going to just stop all of the meds and gave us the option to have a DND or have it happen naturally. I went with naturally which happened 2 weeks later.

Total: 12, 950 (without meds) Physician Fee: $6, 900 Lab & Facility Fees: $3,000 Anesthesia Fee: $250 IVF Meds: about $2, 500

I have none as we were on the same page with transferring 2.

Warm environment. There is very rarely a wait as your appointment is on time. Since you have so many appointments, HFi makes sure you are in and out in a timely manner. Everyone from the receptionist to the phlebotomist is kind and compassionate.

Dr Yeh has a warm bedside manner. He was able to listen to all of our concerns and answer all of our questions. I always felt the goal was to get me pregnant and have a successful pregnancy.

Yadira and Whitney cried with me and celebrated with me. I truly felt they cared about our treatment and the goal of having a baby. Dream team of nurses and care at HFI Kingwood.

Dr Yeh is an amazing doctor. He is extremely knowledgeable and up to date on all new procedures and protocols. My fourth transfer was successful with the birth of my son. After each setback, we had a meeting to discuss the results and any changes for future transfers. I always felt supported in these decisions. Dr Yeh is very involved with his patients, even doing all the ultrasounds when he is in the office instead of deferring to a nurse. This kept the communication ongoing especially when Dr Google consumes your thoughts. I would highly recommend him and will use him again to give try to give our son a sibling.

My advice is to always ask questions. Infertility sends you down an internet rabbit hole looking for answers, Dr Yeh is able to give advice based on solid medical research and success.

After initial bloodwork and saline ultrasound, started 150mg Menapor and 150mg Follistim for 13 days. Day 14 had 32 eggs retrieved, 10 PGS tested and 9 Day 6 frozen. Frozen ALL cycle. The cycle that was successful had me on 4 estrogen pills per day, 3-4 patches of estrogen, 150mg progesterone, baby aspirin, Lovenox starting after transfer and Prednisone for 5 days starting before transfer. Transferred 2 day 5 PGS embryos ending up with one live birth of our son!

IVF freeze all was $6000; FET was $2500; Piney Point Surgery Center was about $2100 for FET. All medications went through insurance or paid out of pocket.

One embryo to transfer was always the recommended protocol except after two failed transfers, we were allowed to transfer two embryos. My fourth transfer of two embryos was a success.

I feel that the clinic is a welcoming and friendly place. I also feel that they are super efficient in seeing patients timely. I also feel that sometimes the efficientness can be perceived as a weakness, not allowing time to for the patient to ask all questions to feel 100% comfortable. However, anytime I needed any extra attention, I do feel that I was given the time needed.

Dr. Witz is wonderful, he has a fantastic bedside manor that makes you feel like a friend versus a patient. He gives information very matter of fact, but also gives information with compassion.

I enjoyed the nursing staff at the clinic. The phlebotomist was wonderful! Almost never hurt when drawing blood. She is also super compassionate and friendly! I didn't always get the warm and fuzzy feeling from all the nurses, but I do feel like they cared about me as a person, not a patient, and they were always super helpful and prompt in responses.

Dr. Witz is very knowledgeable, with a fantastic bed side manor. He gives accurate information with compassion for the patients feelings and needs. Visits with Dr. Witz were always pleasant. When dealing with sensitive or unfortunate news, he delivered the news in a professional and kind manor, explaining all the details, options, and shared sadness over the news.

Be patient, the process can be a long one. Worthwhile, but long.

Due to a low hormone/egg reserve, and hyseroscopy, the best route was to pursue IVF. I feel that the treatment was pretty routine, but the dosages adjusted to fit me personally. We did genetic testing so that we knew what the best embryo option was for us. Things proceeded as normal through the transfer process. We did have success becoming pregnant. However, at week 5, I experienced bleeding. I was fortunate to see Dr. Witz that day, and my hormones were adjusted immediately. I was seen weekly at that point. Unfortunately around week 7-ish, we experienced loss of the pregnancy.

For us, the costs seemed high, especially having no idea of what the costs were before the process. We did receive a military discount, from my husband's time in the army, so that helped a little. With meds, proceedures, genetic testing, storing of embryos for a year, and everything else, we were close to $23,000, for one cycle, one transfer.

Dr. Witz gave us all the statistics and success rates of single transfer versus transferring two embryos. That information along with genetic testing led us to elect to transfer one embryo.

This clinic was very close to my home. They provided early morning bloodwork/ultrasounds so I could still make it to work on time. It's a very nice and cozy facility. Only thing negative i can think to say about it is the lack of cell service.

Dr. Yeh has been open about expectations and available as needed throughout our IVF cycle. He is very personable.

Yadira and Whitney have always been quick to respond to any questions we had. They gave us their direct extension and they always answered quickly as well as through email. They both are very caring and I wouldn't have wanted any other nurses on our team.

Dr. Yeh has been informative and helpful. He lays out pros and cons of decisions and isn't pushy if you want to choose something other than suggested. He really listens unlike other doctors. He is quite busy so sometimes getting a time to meet can be a little difficult.

Don't be afraid to ask any questions and state your expectations. Dr. Yeh is very understanding.

I was on a mostly menopur protocol because of my age and response to the medication. I had 10 days of 5 vials of menopur and the 11th day 3 vials. Started cetrotide on day 6 to day 10. Did a Lupron trigger on the 11th day and again 12 hours later. Started a zpack on day 11. Egg retrieval was on day 13. We had 25 eggs retrieved, of which, 21 were mature. 19 Fertilized. 17 made it to day 5 or 6 for freeze. I started progesterone in oil shots, estradiol tablets, and patches before the frozen embryo transfer. We transferred 2 embryos. I am currently 5 weeks pregnant.

Monitoring appointments always went quickly and smoothly. They were very convenient.

IVF Cycle: $13,600 excluding medication. Medication could run from $4,000-$7,000.

Dr. Yeh preferred to transfer one embryo because of my age and embryo quality/quantity. We had a meeting to go over the risks of transferring 2 embryos and to sign a deviation consent form.

Clinic is beautiful, clean, modern, and very relaxing/inviting. They do not over book appointments so there’s never more than just a few people in the waiting room. All staff members are very sweet. The staff in the busin as office have gone above and beyond to help us with financial concerns and paperwork. All the nurses are helpful and make you feel comfortable especially during vagina ultrasounds. Great clinic.

Office visits were more brief than I would have preferred. Dr. Witz is very nice and personable but I wish he would chat with us more at each visit. We sometimes felt he was rushing to the next patient.

Cecelia is very sweet and easy to talk to. She got a few my protocol dates and medication dosages wrong during my last cycle which delayed everything a few weeks. She also referred to my frozen embryos as “fair” grade and questioned why I didn’t get pregnant at my last cycle because of not having my embryos tested. She is overall a good nurse, just doesn’t communicate well at times. It is not at all that she doesn’t care- maybe she just gets busy with a large patient number.

Dr.Witz is very straight forward, laid back, and has an excellent bedside manner. He is honest and doesn’t sugar coat anything. He is a great doctor, and had a very warm friendly personality. He answers your questions and does not waste your time allowing you to worry about irrelevant factors. He is highly experienced and very confident in his course of treatment for you.

Write down your questions beforehand and bring them with you so you don’t forget to ask him everything. He can sometimes be very booked and will breeze through the appointment- if you write your questions down than you can have them answered even if he seems to be rushing.

Dr Witz uses Labetalol to help me manage my blood pressure and keep it stable for transfer. He does not promote supplements at all, just healthy diet.

$1800 doctors fee. $1500 laboratory fee. Embryo cryopreservation yearly fee of $500.

Strengths of the clinic include the experience of the doctors, variety of doctors and staff, level of expertise, and high success rates. In addition, they value their patients as humans and are encouraging. One weakness was that there were sometimes long waits to be seen for appointments. I found that scheduling appointments right away in the morning (eg., 8 am) resulted in less wait time than later day appointments (11 am).

Dr. Steward is caring and compassionate. I truly believe he is as hopeful as his clients that treatment will be successful.

The first nurse I had was brand new and required a lot of prompting and support from the other staff. However, they were all compassionate and caring overall. Additionally, I always received a message in my portal and a phone call (if protocols changed).

Dr. Steward is caring and compassionate, but also honest and open. He has been very optimistic with respect to the likelihood of success with treatment. However, he provided statistics and risks, and made adjustments based on data. Dr. Steward called personally following a negative pregnancy test to check on me, and was very comforting during a miscarriage. I would recommend him to anyone because even through very difficult times, he made us feel comfortable and hopeful.

Do not be afraid to ask questions or call outside of office hours.

My protocol for egg retrieval included Gonal-F 225 IU, Menopur 150 IU, and Cetrotide 0.25 mg. My trigger shot was Ovidrel. The protocol produced 14 eggs, 9 mature. We did PGS testing, which resulted in 3 normal embryos. For the first FET, we used estrogen tablets, Minivelle patches, and progesterone in oil shots, which resulted in a negative pregnancy test. For the second FET, Dr. Steward revised the protocol to have the PIO shots in the morning (instead of the evening) and a daily baby aspirin. The protocol resulted in a pregnancy with surprise identical twins. The pregnancy ended at 8.5 weeks in miscarriage.

Monitoring appointments were always conducted in the mornings, which worked well with my work schedule. Unfortunately, the pregnancy ultrasound appointments were also in the mornings which did not fit my husband's schedule.

Egg retrieval and first FET: $13,000 Medication for egg retrieval: $5,000 PGS testing: $5000 Additional FETs: $5,000 plus medications

We were encouraged to do eSET, but the ultimate decision was ours. We scheduled a consultation with Dr. Steward to discuss this issue, and he provided data and suggestions.

They are very organized and use the patient portal very effectively. Weakness is that they seem to overbook patients because afternoon appoints ALWAYS run behind. Once we had to wait two hours past our appointment.

The nurses and all doctors that I saw were incredibly kind and also knowledgeable. But they are a very busy clinic, so most of them do not know me by name and aren't familiar with my case or treatment protocol without accessing my patient history.

Most of them are absolutely wonderful. Very knowledgeable, patient, and always willing to get answers to your questions, even if that means waiting to discuss it with the doctor. I wish I had been assigned a single nurse so they are more familiar with my case.

Dr Steward is incredibly knowledgeable about his field. He explains everything in detail, leaving nothing out (which is what I like). He is not afraid to be honest about expectations and I have never felt like he has been misleading with what to expect with our treatments. He is also not afraid to combine both Eastern and Western approaches to treatment (though he made sure to ask if I was open to it). His bedside manner is a little bit rough, but I have always appreciated his honesty. At first I think our treatments were a little too "cookie cutter" and not specialized for our specific needs, but he has since adjusted and I think our current treatment protocol is absolutely catered to our needs and with our history in mind. We are definitely on the same page and I am confident he is in my corner rooting us on.

Be open, honest, and not afraid to ask questions.

First two rounds were medicated cycles with timed intercourse. First round used 300 iu of Gonal-F, 2nd round was 200 iu of Gonal-F. Third round was IVF with 225 Gonal-F and 225 Menopur. Currently IVF with 225 Gonal-F, microdose Lupron, 225 Menopur, Omnitrope and viagra. We have also incorporated acupuncture this cycle and did androgen priming while preparing for stims.

We were completely out of pocket. Our medicated cycles (including all medication) was approximately $4K each cycle. IVF was around $25K (including medication, transfer and retrieval costs).

Dr Steward definitely encourages single embryo transfer most. He seems to want to avoid pregnancy with multiples if possible.

I love everything about them. When we started with them in 2014 they were small and it was easy to reach your office. They have really grown since then. My only complaint is to reach your office you have to go through the call center and some times that can be a hassle. But you do always get a call back from your nurse or doctor.

He truly cares about his patients. He has sat with me many, many times and let me just cry. After this last go where I had had the 3rd transfer canceled because my body wasn’t responding how he wanted it to. He held my hand and said “ you deserve the perfect conditions and I’m going to help you get that.” He understood all my anxieties and helped me through them.

The Woodlands nurses are hands down the best. They are all so caring and they will sit with you and make sure you understand everything. They will cry and celebrate with you.

He truly cared about making my dreams a reality. He comfort me when I was down and celebrated all my highs. Egg retrieval was hard on my body. It’s seriously the hardest thing next to carrying twins I’ve ever done. He would stay after hrs to see me to check and makes sure I wasn’t going through OHS. When the 3rd IVF transfer was cancelled because my body was not responding he promised we would get there and said I deserved the perfect conditions. After we had to fake a 4th IVF cycle to do a FET he donated meds to us because we couldn’t afford another $1000 on injections. He said, this will work, we just have to get the right timing. When we we unsuccessful he personally called me and let me just cry and offered consoling words. He is hands down the best doctor that cares about his patients.

IVF is hard you start with a plan but that plan doesn’t always happen. You have to be mentally prepared that it’s going to be hard and it’s most likely not going to go as planned.

I’ll try my best on this question. First round IVF. We used menphor (sp) and gonal-f, pills and patches. Right after egg retrieval I bagan to bleed and I bled so much that he canceled the fresh transfer. It was the best decision. I was in too much pain from retrieval for two weeks after. A month later we did a normal FET with pills and patches and PIO. We transfered two embryos. A week later I took a pregnancy test and I was pregnant. We had our first son at 27 weeks. He is now a very healthy 4 year old. 3 years later we were ready to add a sibling we started a FET cycle normal FET with pills and patches. Halfway through the first time we canceled because there was fluid buildup in my uterus. We started another FET a few weeks later and again halfway through same issue. After next cycle we change things up and decided to fake an IVF cycle. We used a small amount of final-f to stimulate my ovaries for 21 days. Right before you’re going to transfer the pocket of fluid made its appearance and we had to cancel. Next round we changed some things and I started stimulating for 17 days. This time no fluid build up. We transfered everything looked perfect but the transfer was unsuccessful. A month later we decided to try the same thing but this time instead of transferring one we did two embryos. It was successful and at the first ultrasound I was pregnant with twins. We now have three perfect children thanks to Dr Griffith.

First go was 20k Second go when all added up close to 15k

I have no issues with the clinic. They work you into the schedule as best as they can. They are incredibly efficient in moving the patients into rooms and getting blood drawn. All of the staff works together very well and you can tell with how smooth things typically run. I usually didn't have to wait much longer than about 10-15 mins at most appointments.

Dr. Kim was there for a lot of my scans. He always knew my name when i walked in, he didn't need to look at my chart to remind himself. When I would cry in his office from a negative test, he would listen to me and let me know he cared. Dr. Kim would listen to my concerns and was ready to try new things when we had failures.

The nurses here are absolutely amazing. I knew Rebecca and Vanessa the best. They had so much compassion when I was crying from negative results. They honestly cared about me and were extremely excited when I finally became pregnant. I cannot say enough wonderful things about these 2 women!!

Dr. Kim is a phenomenal doctor. He listened to all my concerns. We went over what the best treatment options were. If I wanted to discuss anything, he would give me his opinion on the topic and then let me ultimately decide what I wanted to do. He cared about me as a patient and truly wanted to see me get pregnant and have a baby. He definitely was not trying to push anything for money. He wanted to make sure we got the outcome we wanted (a baby) as fast as possible. He was honest and upfront about everything. He set realistic expectations, and had a positive demeanor.

Do your own research. Get as educated as you can. Understanding the process yourself will help you so much with outcomes. Dr. Kim will work to get you the baby you long for, but you also should understand the process and have realistic expectations for your diagnosis.

I have PCOS. My husband has no issues. I had used clomid for 4 cycles with my OB with no monitoring and no success. We met with Dr. Kim and he laid all our options out. First we did an HSG to make sure my tubes were open. My left tube showed a blockage, so we did a hysteroscopy and found polyps in my uterus, he cleaned them out and it opened up my left tube. He then recommended IUI with injections (since the pills didn't seem to help). I wasn't ready for that yet, so we did a cycle with Femara/Letrozole. Hardly any follicles grew. So we moved to IUI with injections as Dr. Kim had suggested. We got 2 mature follicles and did a double IUI (trigger shot, then IUI the next 2 days in a row). No success. Since no treatments were covered by our insurance, about 4 IUI cycles equal the cost of IVF. Dr. Kim said we could move in either direction. My husband and I decided to go forward with IVF as it has much better success rates and we didnt know how many IUIs it would take to work. We started with birth control to get my cycle regulated, then did injections for 11 days (stims for 11 days, cetrodide for 5 days to keep me from ovulating). We were doing an all freeze cycle, so my trigger shot was lupron (2 days of injections). 19 eggs retrieved, 11 mature follicles, 11 fertilized, and 9 made it to freeze (embryos). My husband and i decided to do PGS testing, even though Dr. Kim didnt think we needed it. Of the 9 blastocysts, 5 were gentically normal.

IUI with cost of meds - $4000 IVF doctor/clinic/embryologist/ICSI cost $12900 -- meds $5000 --PGS $5500 Frozen Transfer Cycle cost with meds - $4000

For the first transfer, Dr. Kim would only do 1 embryo. it was the safest option and we agreed. No success. For the 2nd transfer, we did 2 embryos at Dr. Kim's recommendation. No success. For the 3rd transfer, we did a different FET protocol and transferred our last 2 genetically normal embryos, and it resulted in a singleton pregnancy.

They've got a lot of locations which equals appointments available. The whole staff is polite and professional. I had trouble reaching the financial advisor that I was initially assigned to. I tried to get in touch with her via the office messenge system, but she did not respond. I had to call and speak with someone else. The lab, where the IUI was performed, moved very slowly. I didn't like having to go there to get the histoscopy and later the IUI.

Dr. Williams gave a great, clinical explanation but the whole time he never made a personal connection to our family. I felt like it was not very personal to him. I felt alone instead of feeling a partnership with the doctor's office. I blew it off thinking it was just my emotions.

Renee was kind of cold. I thought that she didn't like me. I started talking to her about her family to get a smile from her. She was available to answer my questions and responded to my messages when I complained about the BC pills making me feel bad. She taught me how to perform the shots. She was very helpful, but she lacked empathy.

He was professional, knowledgeable, trust worthy. I didn't feel that this was very special to him, just a part of his routine. He was aware of the fact that I needed him to manage my thyroid after conception. I saw his associates for my routine tests and ultrasounds on days that he was at other locations. We were not very intimate even though we had a similar background and ethnicity. And I was referred to him but my OBGYN.

Expect to get text book explanation. He can spend a lot of time with you and will answer any of your questions. He's polite and easy to talk to

First procedure that Dr. Williams recommended for me was a histoscopy. I took BC pills and his nurse performed a transvaginal ultrasound. After receiving my results I was informed that he recommended IUI or IVF and wanted to put me on BC pills until I was ready to proceed. I objected to that option because I took a few months to start the IUI process.

The IUI cost $2600, only the office expenses. That included the office performing blood tests and ultrasounds to monitor the follicle development then perform the IUI. The meds were $1500. That included Gonal F, the "trigger shot", and the progesterone suppositories.

NA

They truly love their patients! You don’t feel like just another $ and they make you feel like your dreams are possible. They comforted me when things didn’t go my way and always made sure to communicate promptly with test results.

Dr. Griffith is so kind and understanding, he always explained every step with detail and made sure I understood before moving on. Where the office really shines though is with the nurses. They did a lot of my scans if Dr. Griffith was in surgery and they became like family while I was there for both transfers.

My nurse was always so quick to answer questions and made sure I knew exactly what my protocol was for each step. She gave medication instructions 7 days at a time so I wouldn’t become confused and knew exactly which days to change medicine (patches) and was always available when I called. The other nurses who did my scans were so kind. They became like family and were so happy to see both of my transfers result in positives!

Dr. Griffith has such compassion and truly makes you feel like you are in it together. He cries when you cry and has joy when you have joy. He always explained everything to me and walked me through each step. During my retrieval and transfer, he made sure I was comfortable and calmed any nerves I had. He does have a lot of patients which means he is out of office a lot to do retrievals/transfers and so was not able to do every single one of my scans/appointments, but was always there for the important things.

Write down any questions or fears you have because he will answer and help to make you feel better! There’s so much uncertainty and fear surrouding infertility so it is amazing to let some of that go.

I had a high AMH during my initial consult so Dr. Griffith opted for a Menopur only cycle. I started at 175 Menopur and was bumped up to 275 because of a low response. Added ganirelix and my ovaries unexpectedly exploded into overtime. Because of this, we switched from HcG to a lupron trigger with the understanding I would do a freeze- all and wait to transfer. I then started protocol for a FET, 2 weeks of estradiol 3x a day, then added progesterone and transferred. I followed the exact same protocol when I did a second FET, 2 years later.

We were lucky to have insurance coverage so we paid our out of pocket max, which was around $3,800.

For my first transfer, he left the decision up to me and we decided to transfer 2, 1 stuck. For the second transfer, he strongly recommended 1 and I agreed. He has changed his standard practice in the 2 years between transfers but still let you transfer 2 if you sign releases.

It’s a new building or remodeled which is nice. It’s in a medical district which is very nice and close to many things. The front desk women are nice. You’ll need your id and insurance card and knowledge of your past history. It’s a smaller office and I love that I’m not seeing different doctors every visit like I did in Frisco, Texas.

She’s great, kind, knowledgeable & someone you can trust.

The staff was great! They were familiar faces. They looked out for me when one nurse noticed I was looking pale she looked after me which was caring and checked up on me throughout the appointment.

She’s great! She listens, remembers me, compassionate, knowledgeable, and has a hopeful attitude. As a patient she’s great at explaining what to expect. She’s caring. She’s open to repeating information and providing detailed notes and answers to specific questions.

She’s knowledgeable so come with questions if you have any. She’s be happy to explain them.

You’ll start off with paperwork of your history, discuss your history with the doctor, blood work, check egg size, get prescribed medicine to start period, get a period, check egg size, blood work, when they are a few in a good size you’ll take a trigger shot then timed sex or iui. Later you’ll go in for blood work & that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Met back with the doctor for review of what happened and what’s next option wise. Found out I have an unsolved mystery reason. Hoping to do IVF soon. As a pair of teachers we are looking for affordable options.

$800 timed pregnancy with a $100 shot & office visits.

I’d like multiple embryo but I know we have to sign something about the increase in multiples not being a good thing for women and doctors etc etc.

HFI strengths: VOLUME. They do this so much they know their stuff and have seen it all and can handle it all. Their embryologist communication was excellent post retrieval. they do retrievals on weekends. I was so pleased that they did not accelerate my cycle or downregulate my cycle to make it more convenient for them. Weaknesses: you do not get one on one time with your doctor at every monitoring appt unless you have some particularly unusual case. So get comfortable with nurses giving you answers and not doctors. Get the first AM appt at the woodlands office or else you will be waiting for a while. they use the portal a lot so get used to it. You may not have your doctor for every procedure. I had a hysteroscopy with another doctor but she truly was wonderful so I did not mind. I also wanted to keep on a schedule and not wait until my doctor had an available operating slot, so I am sure I Could have had him if I wanted to. They have call doctors for weekends so you may not have your retrieval with your exact doctor.

Whenever I was in Dr. Stewards presence, I felt like a person. He remembered specific stories we have shared or remembered to ask about recent vacations. When I was going through the actual monitoring appts at the clinic without interaction with him, I Felt more like a number

Jennice was super intelligent. She gave us a one on one IV injections class. Always called me in addition to sending messages to my portal and was caring and compassionate at appts. I had a few other ladies do some random monitoring on me during cycle and Jennice was by far the best.

My obgyn gave me two options in The Woodlands. Dr. Steward or Dr. Griffith. In doing research, I chose Dr. Steward because he was younger, native Texan, trained at Duke , had personal experience with multiple miscarriages with his wife (At the time of the appt I had three miscarriages in a row and was desperate for answers) and had a kind, empathetic face. I just had a second d and c three days prior to my appt with him, so I was very fragile at that time. At our first meeting he set out an exact plan for us to complete at our pace and never pressured us to rush through the work up. Everything he hypothesized was happening with us came true. He said this is not a sperm issue, no need to even do a sperm test, we have gotten pregnant three times on the first try on our own, sperm could not be involved. And of course I forced my husband to do the SA and it came back with off the chart stellar numbers. He hypothesized I may have some lackadaisical hormones and mild "garden variety ovulatory dysfunction" which does not fit in any type of diagnosis and because of that, I ovulate late and can't ramp up the hormone supply needed with pregnancy. Since my AMH levels were great (5) and age was 33, we could build my entire family at the age of 33 with PGS tested embryos and give ample hormone support as well as aspirin and lovenox to prevent miscarriage with a frozen embryo cycle. Well all the testing was normal including sperm, uterus, etc and my hormones were exactly as he said. We elected to proceed with IVF instead of an assisted monitoring cycle so we could build our family NOW and take off any pressure to have more kids in a rapid succession later. As he predicted, I did not need a ton of medication due to the great AMH at 5. with embryo retrieval we got 13 total. 12 mature. 12 fertilized. 8 have been sent to PGS testing as day 6 blastocysts and we are currently waiting on these results. The process has gone exactly as he said it would. He nailed the medications. I did not have ANY left over. I did NOT hyper stimulate. I feel like we got the most "bang for our buck" with the 8 embryos for pgs testing (the max amount allowed without paying extra) and spent 4k on meds without wasting/having leftovers. He has been blunt with delivery but so kind and warm and most importantly has been 100% accurate thus far. I am in the medical field and it's VERY difficult for me to be the patient and I have surrendered and trust him with every decision here on out. no questions asked. I highly recommend him!

He knows his stuff. If you bring research he will review it with you and weigh in. He does listen and consider what you have to say but without a doubt every question I had, or concern I had, his knowledge prevailed and he was right. Be prepared for very cut and dry black and white approach. He is warm with more visits and he does have a great bedside manner. I felt I was in extremely competent hands with someone who is very confident in his skills.

After suffering 3 miscarriages in 2017 and the work up was done from oct 2017-dec 2017 and was essentially negative and no causes found for miscarriages, I was presented with three options. 1) do what he have been doing and call when pregnant for hormone support 2)assisted cycle with Timed intercourse to really nail ovulation time and with climid maybe producing more than 1 follicle with more options for sperm to find egg and also use hormonal support with progerstone or do 3)IVF with PGS testing and build our entire family at 33 years old. He said he would leave it to us. We ultimately decided to skip to IVF as 2017 was a long hard year with three losses and we were ready to be parents and surrender a little bit of control bc what he had been doing had not yet produced a live birth. So in january after a much needed vacation, I downregulated with birth control for 2 weeks, stimulated with Gonal F 150 and Menopur 150 for 10 days (with ceteotride for ovulation prevention added in when my follicles got to 13). He stated I did not need many meds as I have a garden variety ovulatory dysfunction in the pcos family but not severe enough to be pcos with an AMH of 5. He nailed the medications. I did not have any left over so there was no money wasted. I only had two monitoring appts week one and two appts week 2, so 4 total and it was not a disruption to my life or full time work schedule. I got 13 retrieved, 12 mature, 12 fertilized, 8 made it to 6day blastocyst and we have sent those for PGS and waiting on results. I consider this very successful at this point.

workup, including hysteroscopy, was billed under Recurrent pregnancy loss and was covered under insurance without any out of pocket cost, except for Sperm analysis which was 100$ doctor fee/cycle monitoring 6900$ anesthesia for retrieval 250$ surgery center cost for retrieval 2800$ pgs testing and other lab fees 7,750$ medications 4,100$ have not ordered medications for transfer yet but I think about 1,000$ FIRST transfer is included in the original costs. subsequent transfers of frozen embryos will be around 2,000$

Dr. Steward only recommended FET after PGS testing for me given that our goal was to not have any more miscarriages (we already had 3).

The Sugarland clinic was not easy to locate in the hospital complex. I had to keep asking for directions and eventually had to call the clinic to get specific directions. There should be a sign outside to direct patients in. Even Google Map took me to the wrong address! The clinic has a nice ambience. The rooms were neat. I loved Dr Daniel's office, the certificates on the wall made me want to get mine!

I had sent in my details via the e-patient portal before the visit with Dr Williams. So, he was knowledgeable about my history and took his time to explain what has been going on to me. He had good eye contact, ensured I understood what my options were. Even when he suggested a mode of treatment that I did not want, and I asked for alternatives, he was willing to work with the alternatives but still told me my best bet would be his first suggestion. He was friendly and empathic and even when I left his office and remembered some questions I had in the waiting room, he was quite willing to answer them without emphasizing that my appointment with him was over. I had asked him for financial options and he was quite willing to recommend some options to me. My initial date for the surgery was not feasible because i had exams, but he worked around his schedule to get the surgery done at a date that was quite convenient for me.

She was compassionate, quite friendly and put me at ease all through the visits and after the surgery.

His strengths were good communication skills with good eye contact and an open body language, taking the time to review my history before I came into the clinic, counselling me on what I should have done and the need to get treatment as soon as possible. His weakness seems to be a predilection for IVF treatments. I seem to have unexplained infertility even though I had a myomectomy 2 years after trying to have a baby, that did not account for the infertility. In his opinion, IVF was the best approach now, and he kept on emphasizing that. I really wanted an explanation for why I have never conceived. And I did not get that.

Ensure you get all your clinical history into the e-patient portal!

I had a corrective reproductive surgery done. It was done to improve my chances of conception - natural or artificial and also to reduce the periodic pelvic pain I had been having. However, even after the surgery, i was told my chances of natural conception were still low.

Consultation - 50 dollars Surgery - 3000 dollars Physician fees - 1000 dollars Anesthesia - 500 dollars. The consultation fee was waived at two of my visits.

Over all communication was good until it wasn't. After my cycle failed I received two phone calls because in a months time my insurance became in network and the finance office called to update the information. The second call was from the surgery center calling to schedule my procedure, a month after I had already had a retrieval. This was the only time I felt communication could have been better.

We had several conversation before starting treatment where she answered our questions throughly. Even when our cycle failed we had answers and a new plan. When she didn't have the answers she openly talked about consulting her colleagues and sent me studies to answer the questions I did have.

There are two main nurses on the office and although you have one that is assigned to your doctor each nurse is familiar with your case and can sub in for each other as needed.

She mentioned on two occasions once over the phone during our conversation re our cycle failing and in office how she reached out to other doctors in the office to assist our case. Although it was hard to hear that our retrieval failed she understood our need to take time before trying again and had a plan for when we were ready. She also performed my sis in office and walked me through every part of the procedure to but me at ease.

Even if you don't have many questions during consult she was always easily reachable via email to answer questions I had later.

After all of test results appeared to be normal and on the right track we used birth control to bring my levels down. Once my endocrinologist ok'd my A1c level to start it was gonal and menopur with ovidril starting half way through our tx. Growth via ultrasound was consist although there was concern my estrogen wasn't rising as expected. Before retrieval there were an estimated 4 eggs. Day of retrieval a different Dr performed my procedure, she found 2 eggs but was only able to reach one due to location.

I could schedule before work as needed sometimes I could be seen before the official open hours.

We paid out of pocket the first round about 17000 medication was cheaper with the clinic discount verses my insurance.

Due to being high risk due to age and being diabetic single embryo transfer was our best option for the safety and health for me and future baby.

It’s harder to get someone on the phone now vs our first cycle in 2016. But overall, everyone is friendly and ready to help. Strength - multiple locations and for most visits you are able to go to one you choose

Friendly staff, always felt personal during visits I was hospitalized for 6 days due to hyperstimulation and Dr Skorupski was available to us around the clock

Always friendly, answered all questions in a timely manner. Showed compassion for us

I would (and do) highly recommend Dr Skorupski. Very good communicator, patient with questions, used non-medical terms to help me understand, and was always open with risks. He never guaranteed success (something no one should promise) but was always optimistic.

Ask questions and trust the process.

2016 cycle: can’t remember the medication but we used injections and had an egg retrieval. Due to hyperstimulation, we froze all embryos. We transferred two (we picked boy/girl) after hormone prep (estrogen patch, estrogen pill, and PIO) and had a successful pregnancy/Delivery. 2018: first cycle was cancelled after I did not respond to hormone prep. Second cycle we used gonal f for stimulation, then added estrogen and PIO after trigger shot. Transfer of one tested embryo results in negative preganancy test. Third cycle, we went back to hormone prep but added a viagra vaginal suppository. Transfer of one tested embryo resulted in negative pregnancy test. Fourth cycle, we have done a miscarriage panel and discovered Factor 2 mutation. We went back to gonal f for stimulation plus viagra suppository, Plaquenil, lovenox, and baby aspirin. We transferred two untested embryos and are in the two week wait

2016 cycle: approximately $22k for retrieval and transfer 2018: approx $5k per cycle with medication. The physician fees for the cycle after the cancelled cycle were waived

Yes, the guidance had changed between our 2016 and 2018 cycles. He updated us and helped us decide what was right for us after several failed transfers

Front desk ladies lacked patience and were sometimes rude. Just be prepared to take your sperm sample and sit in the lobby for 15-30 mins on the day of your IUI. You would think they would push you through right away to see a nurse when you have valuable cargo! Nope! That’s when you feel like a number.

Dr. Williams was very friendly, I just didn’t feel like we got 100% of his full attention. Our first consultation, I had sent the clinic my prior medical records and at our consultation I had to resend them because he hadn’t received them, so that means he didn’t have time to review the 30 page file prior to meeting. I felt a little rush during our first meeting, waited over an hour in the waiting room and had two other couples behind us. HFI has really good satistics so we stayed with Dr. Williams and try 3 IUIs that we’re all BFN.

See prior note. Dr. Williams was very nice but he did not preform any of my IUIs, nor did he do any of my ultrasounds or check up. The only time we met was after each failed IUI. I’m not sure if that is standard with all doctors at HFI. I did feel confident with all of the nurses and doctors.

I believe he goes back and forth to two locations. I only seemed to be able to make appointments at 4 pm on certain days.

1st IUI femara- and trigger shot body responded really good with 3 follicles. And endometrian. 2nd IUI femara and Trigger shout only one follicle. And endometrian. 3rd IUI injection. Gonal F, Trigger shot and endometrian

My insurance covered most of my medications and IUIs so the costs were pretty good

Facility in Beaumont and Houston were top notch. Very up to date on technology and equipment. Facility is very modern and clean. Very comfortable atmosphere. I was able to everything with exception of transfer st the Beaumont office which closest to me.

The office staff and nurses were very caring and involved in making sure I understood all instructions. Doctor is always available for my many questions during appointments and I never felt rushed.

Nurse staff was excellent. Always made time to ensure I understood all instructions.

Dr is very knowledgeable, knows how to communicate the process, what to expect, both the good and potential bad. He was very involved from start until now. For any challenges I was having, the doctor would call me personally if the news was not good. He as always very supportive and happy to say, I am 6 weeks pregnant.

He is very patient and understanding.

Because I was already in peri menopause, doc was very deliberate in everything knowing my age was a huge factor in timing. I did a total of 4 transfers, the first resulting in a chemical pregnancy, the next two resulted in no implantation at all. With each attempt, he adjusted or added to my meds. For our fourth and last attempt , we decided to include Neupogen shot and it worked. I am on Estrace, Mineville patch, Plaqinel, baby aspirin, Lovunox shots, progesterone in oil shots.

$10,450 for the donor for eggs, $5,500 for PGS testing. This was not covered by insurance. $1300 for medications not covered by insurance. Each transfer was approximately $6,000. Insurance covered all after deductible and out of pocket were met.

Due to my donors age, there concerns about more than one transfer, higher % of embryo splitting. So first two attempts we only transferred one. Knowing my timing was limited , we decided to transfer two on our third attempt which did not work. We had two embryos left so transferred both on our fourth attempt and we had one that did implant. Currently six weeks pregnant.

The Beaumont office is basically brand new. Location is easily accessible. Office was always clean & nice. They do have an onset phlebotomists but she’s only their on certain days. It was difficult at time for my husband to go in because they only do sperm samples or testing on certain days. Same with Dr Skorupski. He was only available on certain days because he works both in Houston & Beaumont offices.

While I did feel like I was treated with grace & dignity during my first encounter with Dr Skorupski & his office back in 2013 when I came back to his office & staff I was treated cordially but felt like I was being fat shamed because I’m overweight.

When I first became a patient with Dr Skorupski (in 2013) I loved his nurses & staff. Heather was my nurse & she was so kind & helpful, even the receptionist/office manager was amazing. Always so kind & helpful. When I returned in 2017 the staff left something to be desired. They came off as cold & unwelcoming, like I was a nuisance. The on site phlebotomist was always kind & the one time I had a nurse do an ultrasound she was pleasant but overall it wasn’t a great experience going into the office. I hope maybe they were just having a bad day when I happened to be there but who knows.

I felt like he did care about the well-being of my overall health as well as my husband but still felt like all of my problems were being blamed on my weight rather than doing more testing. He is a very kind doctor & I believe he wants the best for his patients but I just couldn’t get over the fat shaming I felt. He was thorough when explaining problems or what he believed were our problems conceiving as well as my multiple miscarriages but I never felt like we had a real plan besides the constant comment of “I need to lose weight”.

Be prepared before going in to your appointments. Write down questions, concerns, anything you can think of, that way you don’t get flustered & forget in the moment. Bring someone to advocate for you if you need. It can help tremendously.

Most of my testing was done out of pocket. I can’t remember if insurance covered anything specific.