CCRM Houston/Houston IVF

Houston IVF/ CCRM-Houston may be a bit more expensive than other clinics in the area but I think it is worth the costs. I have interacted with all 4 REIs and believe they are all very skilled and up-to-date physicians who care about their patients. I also think the lab is superior to many other clinics in Houston. I had better than expected outcomes (100% fertilization of mature eggs 13/13 and good blastocyst rate 9/13, 70%). I wish they paid as much detail to patients' IUI cycles as they do IVF, but understand that IUI is a much less controlled and lower cost procedure, so it makes sense that IVF cycles are prioritized. That said, if someone's goal is to conceive via IUI and to really avoid moving on to IVF, this may not be the clinic for you. To summarize: smart and personable REIs and nurses, a great lab and a comfortable and convenient physical space (I used both the med center and memorial city locations).

Dr. Nodler and his nursing staff (Amelia and Erin) have all been warm, available and encouraging to date. I like to know exactly what's going on at each step of the process and they always seem happy to answer my questions. I am also prone to negativity and Dr. Nodler and Amelia have been so kind- they are realistic but offer regular reassurance where it is due.

Amelia is smart and responsive. I do think she is a very busy person, and I sometimes felt bad asking extra questions, but she always responded to me same day. I found emailing her was sometimes easier than playing phone tag.

Dr. Nodler is smart, kind and strikes the right balance of setting realistic expectations but also providing hope. He has good attention to detail and really seems to care about his patients' outcomes. I like that he practices evidence based medicine, but this means his protocols/approach may sometimes feel less holistic (not a lot of time spent discussing supplements and other TBD ART supports). I thankfully haven't had any major disappointments to date, so can't comment on how he might adjust/personalize protocols in the event of disappointing outcomes.

Ask questions and share any concerns you have- I've found Dr. Nodler is always happy to provide more information or explain his thought process.

IUI was really managed by the nurses. I have a high AMH and was prescribed clomid only (no injectables). Monitoring was overseen by Dr. Nodler, but the actual IUI was performed by the nurses. I had a different nurse each time, and no specific point person if I had questions during the cycle (just had to call the nurse line). I didn't feel like IUI cycles were a priority for this clinic. My experience was totally different once we moved on to IVF. IVF patients are assigned a specific nurse and this makes communication much easier. Monitoring ultrasounds were done by Dr. Nolder (or the REI covering for him if he was not available). I was prescribed gonal-f (150), menopur (150) and cetrotide. I responded well to meds and my protocol did not need to be adjusted. I did a dual trigger with lurpon to avoid OHSS. We did ICSI as that is standard for my clinic (and as we used frozen donor sperm). We retrieved 16 eggs, 13 mature, 13 fertilized, 9 day 5/6 blasts, 4/9 normal CCS/PGS results. Recovery from the egg retrieval was easy and fast. Our first FET cycle is currently in process.

IUI: $1,300 per cycle (including all monitoring) IVF (PGS with FET): $20,630 (included all monitoring, CCS/PGS and first FET), NOT including medications

I personally feel very strongly about eSET and Dr. Nolder was aware of this from the beginning so multiple embryo transfer was never a conversation we had. I do believe this clinic does more multiple embryo transfers than is ideal because they are quick to honor patient wishes and I think many patients ask for multiple embryo transfer.

Very clean and professional. A huge benefit is that they take early appointments, at 7 or 7:30 (I can’t remember the earliest), so I wasn’t really late going to work. They also do a great job of getting you in and out quickly on the days of just blood work or ultrasounds. The waiting room is comfortable and all staff are very welcoming.

She really cared about us and met with us to answer all questions, before IVF, as well as after each failed attempt to determine our next course of action. She was amazing!

The nursing staff was fantastic. Over the course of our three IVF cycles, I became close with several of the nurses there, and even emailed my nurse with questions during my pregnancy, after we had technically graduated from the IVF clinic.

She was upfront in her communication, but also extremely encouraging and sympathetic. IVF is trying and emotional, and she was very supportive and uplifting throughout the process. We had 2 miscarriages and we just delivered a healthy baby boy a month ago!

Write down your questions ahead of time, as you’ll likely forget them at the appointments.

My husband had a vasectomy years ago and recently had it reversed. The reversal was successful, in that there was sperm flow, it just wasn’t as strong as we had hoped. Since I was mid-30s and my husband in his mid-40s, we wanted to get pregnant quickly. Dr. McKnight reviewed our tests and recommended IVF as our best course of action. We discussed doing IUI as well, as it is less invasive and less expensive; Dr. McKnight was supportive of us trying IUI as well, but we ultimately went with IVF as the success rates are much higher and we didn’t want to waste any time.

I honestly don’t remember the exact numbers; my insurance covers IVF up to a lifetime max of $25 M.

We discussed transferring either 1 or 2 embryos each cycle; given my age and health, Dr. McKnight would only transfer a maximum of 2 embryos each cycle, but left it up to us if we wanted to implant 1 or 2.

This clinic itself is gorgeous. You have views of i-10 and it is incredibly clean and welcoming. It was always easy to schedule appointments and to go in same day or next day. They are open 365 days a year (or maybe 364), so there is no need to worry about your IUI day landing on a weekend. They were even open every day during hurricane Harvey, when much of the city was closed down. I really don't see any weaknesses and believe Houston IVF is the best of the best. I will always be so grateful for them. We even took my son to meet the doctor and nurses that helped create him!

I never felt rushed. Even one time I told Dr. Hickman in the hallway "I know you are so busy, but what do you think about _______" and he responded so kindly, looked me in the eye, and said to not ever feel like I can't ask him questions or like he is rushed. His nurses are also so empathetic and caring.

Although Sarah was my primary nurse, I can say that every single person I worked with left a lasting positive impact. Sarah was always quick to call me back (I usually had to wait less than an hour to hear from her) and I called her A LOT. She never made me feel bad or silly for my questions, but instead left me feeling validated and in good hands. When I miscarried, I worked a lot with another nurse. I wish I remembered her name. She was so, so caring and warm. It brings tears to my eyes thinking about her kindness and empathy.

Dr. Hickman was always calm and made me feel like I was in the best hands possible. He took time to answer my questions and was just so friendly and caring. My journey started in 2014 and after 3 IUIs, I became pregnant on the 3rd try, leading to a healthy baby boy. We decided to try again in 2017 and found out I had borderline underactive thyroid, so he prescribed Synthroid. I got pregnant my first IUI but miscarried at 8 weeks. During the miscarriage, I had to see Dr. Hickman a lot and he never made me feel rushed and he remained positive but sympathetic at the same time.

Make an appointment NOW- do not wait! Just take the leap of faith now.

For my first time around, the plan was 3 iuis with Clomid and ovidrel and then we would reconvene after and discuss the next step (possibly ivf). I got pregnant on the 3rd IUI. For my next pregnancy, blood work showed that I had high TSH so I was put on Synthroid. Since I had a successful IUI last time, Dr. Hickman was confident it would work again. I got pregnant my very first IUI with clomid and ovidrel, but miscarried. Now I am waiting a couple of cycles by my own personal choice to start trying again.

Each IUI was 1300. The hysterocopy I had to have with him was $200.

Houston IVF can be big so I recommend the med center location. They have great resources so use them all - therapy, acupuncture, etc. You do have to go to the memorial city location for all big procedures.

What is great about Dr. Nodler is that he is at the Houston IVF Med center location so it is more intimate, he does his own ultrasounds, and knows who you are. The Memorial City location is big and you can feel like a number over there.

Amelia is amazing. She returns all my calls timely and understands exactly what we are going through and is alway willing to help us out with scheduling issues or getting meds ordered timely.

Dr. Nodler is really knowledgeable and really nice. Sometimes, though, I felt like he wasn’t putting the research into our case. It was “unexplained infertility” and move to IVF instead of figuring out the cause of our infertility that could maybe be fixed by diet, supplements, or lifestyle changes. He has been great though, especially since the many failures and setbacks we have had, even calling me personally after we lost our baby at 10 weeks to unknown issues.

Ask lots of questions and request all the details.

We first did our blood work and scans and I had a minor septum so we did surgery on that. We then started with 3 IUIs using Letrozole, which didn’t worked. My insurance covered three which is why we did 3 but that is also normal protocol. We then moved to IVF using Menopur and Follistim. Our goal was a fresh cycle but I had over stimulation so we froze the eggs, 4. 3 tested normal during PGS and one was unknown. We then did a FET once my body got back to normal. FET 1 worked but at 10 weeks we had to terminate due to the growth of the organs outside the fetus body. It was never determined if that was genetic related. Have a long recovery from the D&C we did FET 2 which ended in a chemical pregnancy at 6 weeks. Currently waiting to start FET 3. All FETs have been the same protocol: 3 weeks birth control, lupron, estrogen patches, PIO, and progesterone suppositories.

IUIs, labs, egg retrieval and FET 1 were covered by insurance so I paid 20% until my $500 deductible. FET 2 was $4,500.

I wanted to transfer 2 the first time but he wanted one as it is statistically better and safer. It didn’t work. For the 2nd FET I again pushed for two but he wanted one so we did one. We now have two embryos left so we are finally transferring two during FET 3.

The expression "you get what you pay for" is a perfect one for this clinic. It is a little bit more expensive than my previous one, but the amount of attention and personal service you get is worth every penny!

Doctor Noddler always greeted me by name, remembered conversations from previous meetings and always cared about what I had to say. He never rushed me out of the office and answered every question I had without problem.

There are not enough superlative adjectives to describe how amazing Amelia has been with me. I am a super type A pain in the butt and never once did I feel like she was annoyed with me. She is so knowledgeable and kind, and funny and light hearted but serious when needed. She is truly the best and I wouldn't want to do this journey without her.

The first thing I liked about Dr Noddler is how smart he was and how informed he seemed about the most up to date information. I consider myself an intelligent woman, so I went into our relationship having concerns and things I wanted clarification on. Dr Noddler without hesitation answered all of my questions and had a very sophisticated approached to my treatment. He was also lighthearted when needed and serious when necessary. I really enjoy being his patient.

Dr Noddler and his nurse use a very black and white protocol. The patient needs to know that every step of their plan is being carefully put together for each patient's best result

I have a very high AMH so my antagonist protocol had to be very closely monitored. The reason I switched to Houston IVF and Dr Noddler is because my previous clinic and Dr over stimulated me so badly that I ended up with severe OHSS. To the point I had to have my belly drained. This was my biggest concern when I first met with Dr Noddler, and he took my concerns very seriously. He tailored my program to stimulate me enough to get good quality eggs, but not so much to cause me an discomfort. With a perfect cocktail of drugs, I was able to produce 26 eggs, 16 fertilized, and 9 grew to 5 day blasts. out of those 9, 3 were graded 5AA the highest quality egg possible. I am currently still in treatment. I've had my 5 day blast frozen embryo transfer 4 days ago, so I can't comment if it worked, but so far this has been the best experience I could have hoped for.

Monitoring appointments were always at 7:30am outside of working hours, so perfect

20,500$

I demanded that I have an eSET because I'm petrified of having twins. I was lucky that I fit in the perameter of those that qualify to have eSET

The strengths are the doctors and their affiliation with CCRM. In every appointment in which I saw Dr Nodler he asked if I had any questions. At that point, I could ask any question I had, whether it had to do with this particular appointment or something else. Procedures are performed by any doctor within the practice. Initially I was concerned about this, but it wasn't an issue at all. The weaknesses are the on call staff, billing department and their fees which are higher than other clinics.

Dr James Nodler is attentive, caring and kind.

My primary nurse Amelia was great and responsive, when she was in the office. When she was out of the office, it was difficult to get a response, or I got no response at all. The on call nursing staff needs to improve their communication style with the patients. They are timely in their response times; however, there responses can be short and seemingly irritated. And if you miss their call, or have a follow up question, they get upset. Since cost of treatment is out of pocket, many patients will attempt to get some procedures covered by their insurance. The billing department is very slow to respond and requires multiple follow ups to get required information.

My egg retrieval, fertilization and blastocyst results improved with Dr Nodler. I believe that this is the result of the protocol that Dr Nodler put me on. I transferred 2 PGS embryos, and both failed to implant. In the follow up, there were no explanations of why, just many possibilities. He suggested that I do an ERA (which I am doing) or use a gestational carrier. I am hoping for a more conservation solution.

Let Dr Nodler make his recommendations and follow them. He is the expert, not us.

For simulations, Dr Nodler used the antagonist protocol. It worked well. I do not know why he chose that particular protocol. Our main issue is male factor resulting from Robertsonian Translocation 13/14. He recommended CCS to screen all 46 chromosomes for abnormalities.

Egg retrieval, PGS (7 embryos), FET (1 time) = $21,000 ERA= $2,350

Due to my history of failed SET of PGS embryos, I requested to transfer 2 and he did. But he recommended I do one. I wish I had listened to him.

They have a million strengths in my eyes. Their office is beautifully located- on the top floor of a building that overlooks Houston. The waiting room is spacious and peaceful. I never had to wait more than five minutes. Once back- the nurses were so helpful and kind. I was literally walked through each step of the process.

Their office was incredible. There was rarely another patient waiting. The longest I waited in the waiting room was five minutes. Once back, I had a nurse or someone with me the entire time providing comfort. They were extremely personable.

The nurses were very on top of it. My nurse was very matter of fact. She wasn’t superfluous in what she needed to say, which I appreciated.

He’s incredibly personable and calm. He is able to put fears at ease and is very willing to listen and understand. We had many questions going into the procedures, and he was always willing to talk with us about any questions we had. He was always very thorough in his explanations.

Go see him sooner! Haha we waited a while to finally see an Infertility specialist and I wish we’d done it sooner because we received such great care.

It is hard to remember specifics from my first cycle... but this past frozen transfer I remember that he was very particular that we use endometrum suppositories instead of other progesterone supplements. He felt that the success rate with this medication was better than regular progesterone supplements.

Monitoring was super quick and easy! It was usually early morning so people could still get to work.

I remember total- it was $13,000 and the second time with a frozen transfer was around $7,000

Our doctor was very open to what we wanted to do. He was very willing to let us select one or two embryos, based on how we felt.

Clinic seems focused on IVF patients only. You are not assigned a nurse apparently unless you are doing IVF. Every time I called I spoke to someone different and there was miscommunication frequently. Clinic had a cold sterile feel to it. No one was particularly friendly towards us. Some people seem to have had a pleasant experience with them, but both my husband and I had the same feeling and decided we did not want to continue with them after our first cycle. Had much better experience elsewhere in Houston.

Only met with Dr. Mckinght at our initial consult. Never saw her again after that day. All other interactions were with the medical staff. Most of the time they were not warm or personable. I basically just came in for my ultrasound and blood work then left with no explanation of what what the plan was or what the treatment rationale. It definitely felt like a factory and like if you weren't doing IVF you were not a priority.

I did not have a good experience with the nursing staff. For some reason in my chart it said I was doing an IUI cycle, but we were actually doing timed intercourse. Every time I called they would refer to my cycle being IUI despite my correcting them each time. This tells me they never made the changes in my chart. There was also incorrect information relayed to Dr. McKnight and back to me from her. Overall, poor quality staff.

Dr. McKnight lacked the warmth and compassion I expected. My husband felt the same way. There was no desire to truly figure out why we weren't getting pregnant, just go down the pathway of medicated timed intercourse, then IUI, then IVF. I had several questionable things occur during my cycle that she did not have an explanation for. For example, I had an 18 day luteal phase during my medicated cycle. Pregnancy test was negative. When I asked why it had lasted so long, I was just told by the nurse "we don't know, just call us when your period starts so we can start the next cycle." There was no input from Dr. McKnight whatsoever. Through my own research I found out it was likely a luteal cyst. Overall, I just felt like Dr. McKnight had no personal interest in my success so we transferred to another clinic after that first cycle.

Ask up front how often you will see her and how can you get in touch with her directly if you have questions.

We only stayed with her for one cycle. This was my first treatment cycle ever. I have suspected PCOS. I used letrozole 5 mg days 3-7 with an Ovidrel trigger and timed intercourse. I had two monitoring ultrasounds during the cycle that showed 3 developed follicles. It resulted in a negative pregnancy test and an extremely long luteal phase likely due to a corpus luteal cyst.

$400 for a monitored timed intercourse medicated cycle

Their support staff is largely sub par. There is one standout - shilpa! She's smart and sweet but relatively junior. The insurance/billing Dept is a joke. Unresponsive and unhelpful. The medicine calendar instructions are ridiculously antiquated and complicated. Can they not create something digital?? That would automatically update as you go?

Dr. McKnight herself is incredibly kind, and has been in every interaction no matter how short or long. She lets me ask my myriad questions even when I come in for a simple ultrasound check. That said, I'm always one of a dozen in the waiting room and lab waiting to get our morning screenings. It feels a bit like an IVF factory. And the schedules of medications, appts etc are typically made to accommodate the doctor's work week.

My nurse was probably one of the better ones. The others are really ditzy and it's frustrating to interact with them. I also wish there was a 24 hr nurse's help like. Maybe that's asking too much. But when you are going through such an expensive procedure and learning to use expensive injectable meds for the first time, it would be important to have someone available to help even at 9 pm.

She's kind, compassionate and yet self assured and breeds confidence. You can sense she has the experience. She is also a bit more conservative, which I appreciate.

IVF with chromosomal screening (because of multiple pregnancy losses likely due to chromosomal abnormalities). Transfer one tested embryo TK reduce risk of twins

$15-20K for IVF with chromosomal screening

I really think that this Clinic has things down to a very good system. I know some people are bothered by not seeing the doctor every time they come in, but it is very obvious that the staff are in constant contact with the Doctors to make sure they your treatment is going well. The opening of their new location on Fannin has make things even easier for me.

Dr. McKnight goes out of her way to walk us through her thoughts on our treatment plans, what options we have, asking questions on how we feel about the steps we are taking, and understands when we need to take a break.

Amelia is very attentive, quick, and responsive. She is always very compassionate when taking calls, or in person. The rest of the staff has always been very kind as well.

Dr. McKnight is very caring and compassionate. She goes out of her way to talk through everything, and help us understand what is going on. She doesn't rush through appointments and makes sure that you have what you need for next steps. She is willing to meet us where we are at with treatments, and explains why she thinks something will or not work. She doesn't treat us like we are just another number in the clinic, but really makes you comfortable in the care you are receiving.

If you have any questions on what is going on, just reach out to your nurse. Dr. McKnight communicates well through the nurses. If you don't receive an answer you like, or feel like you are not on the same page, set up an in person meeting.

I have had a previous pregnancy, with the help of fertility treatments in a different state. Given this Dr. McKnight is very encouraging that I can once again get pregnant and is willing to follow my cue on trying IUI before moving to IVF. We have done 3 cycles of IUI, all resulting in negative pregnancy tests. The first IUI was Clomid days 5-9, and IUI ended up on CD 21. I ovulated prior to doing the trigger shot. I only had 1 dominate follicle for IUI #1. IUI #2 - Clomid days 5-9, trigger shot on CD 18 (only 1 dominate follicle), IUI on CD 20. IUI#3 - Clomid day 3-7, trigger on CD 15 (only 1 dominate follicle), IUI on CD 17. Currently on a treatment break, as we've decided to have lap surgery prior to next treatment, which we've discussed will be injectables with IUI.

IUI with Clomid/Letrozol was reasonable - $1,000 a cycle. IUI with injectables was $2,000 a month + cost of meds. I don't remember specifics on IVF, but it is lower that 2 other places in our area.

Loved that they do everything there and store everything there also. My embryos haven't been moved since they found their home there. It's such a calm and relaxing atmosphere with a waterfall in the waiting area. The rooms are super clean and their equipment above expectations. They even have an in house lab so you never have to leave the office.

I was always called by my first name in the office and got a quick return call from any on call staff. I was treated with respect and allowed to be a part of all my treatment during the whole process. I will always use this doctor and office for all my infertility needs and highly recommend them to anyone looking for a good doctor. Being a nurse and being burned at another infertility clinic, I would drive a hundred miles just to use this place!

Excellent and so caring.

She has the best bedside manner I have ever seen as a nurse and patient. She is compassionate and truly cares for her patient's well being. She is very thorough in her care and takes care of you as an individual, according to your specific needs. There were fertility doctors closer to where I lived, but I chose to see her over an hour away from my home, just bc of the kind of doctor she was and the care i received from her. She is no longer with the practice as of now, but i will see Dr. McKnight when i have my frozen transfers, and she is just as kind and good at what she does.

DON'T waste your time with any other doctor!!!!

First, they ask you to come in and meet with your doctor to discuss any previous labs, pregnancies, medical history, etc and get an in office hysteroscopy and also get new lab work on you and your spouse. Then then you meet with her nurse to set up a schedule and sign any consents and the financial expert to come up with a plan. Once all test results come back and you call on day one of your cycle, you then start a monophasic birth control pill. I'm not too sure the name of the shots I took for a couple of weeks before the egg retrieval, but they were daily, along with twice a week u/s to measure follicles. The injections made more of your eggs mature, so they could retrieve a greater number on retrieval day. Then, depending on when they want you to come back, they implant a 3 or 5 day old embryo, and they keep you well informed of how they are growing and their rating. Then after the implantation, the progesterone injections start. Their protocol was 50mg daily for 10-12 weeks. I had an issue with progesterone absorption, so I was on 100mg daily for 12 weeks.

Great and well organized!

My insurance didn't cover infertility, so we had to pay cash. First appt $75, hysteroscopy $180?, anesthesia for egg retrieval $500?, and everything else kind of depends on if you have insurance. They have a 30% off compassionate care program for those who make less than a certain amount each year and are cash pay, which we qualified for and paid, with meds and all, + or - $16000. Cheaper than other places we looked at.

Not sure. I never asked about this.

The very few times I've met with Dr. McKenzie she was so kind and informative. In my experience with doing 3 cycles of IUI, the process was to meet with the doctor once at the very beginning to make a plan and get all of the information ... and if the the cycles did not work, you meet with the doctor again to re-evaluate your options (so about 3 months later). If it did work, you see the doctor in the 8th week of your pregnancy to do the final ultrasound before releasing you to your OBGYN. So in roughly 22 weeks I only saw Dr. McKenzie twice (my 3rd IUI worked). Unfortunately I went on to miscarry at 9 weeks so I have seen Dr. McKenzie again to re-evaluate our new plan and decide which plan will work for us moving forward. At first it was so strange to me that you don't see the doctor, you only see the nurses and ultrasound techs. Then the further along the process goes you understand that the staff is fully capable and the doctor is reviewing your progress every step of the way even if you don't see her. A couple of the nurses are rushed and kind of cold, but the majority of them are sweet and caring and always helpful.

Technically I didn't see my nurse that was assigned to me ever, not sure if they just assign everyone to her and then any nurse takes care of you, or if there was a mistake made and I never really had an assigned. That was frustrating the first month. Then we realized that if I left a voicemail someone would return my call that day, but rarely the same nurse. There was a nurse there that returned my calls more than others and her name is Chelsea. She was so sweet and always looked into any question I had for her or the doctor. She was also very compassionate when I had a chemical pregnancy as well when I miscarried. Super sweet. She also performed my first IUI and didn't get frazzled when I started crying (due to the Chlomid emotional roller coaster). Lovely nurse.

She is very kind and informative. She fully gives you her attention when speaking with you and your husband/partner, she includes them in the conversation as much as possible. At first I was uncomfortable with the fact that you rarely see her (you see the staff at each appointment, just not the doctor) but quickly realized it isn't necessary to see her each time since the staff is fully capable. It was also strange for her to perform my final ultrasound at 8 weeks pregnant (she was so sweet and happy for us), but she kind of came in and got "all the glory" when we hadn't seen her in about 4.5 months. But at the same time you are grateful and have to remember she was the one reviewing your chart and making the decisions about what to do next even though we didn't see her much. She was so compassionate when I miscarried. She even hugged me at the end of the appointment which surprised me since I figured she probably sees it so often. From the small amount of times we met with her, she was nothing but sweet, smart, compassionate, and a very lovely doctor who knows exactly what she is doing and looks out for your very best interest.

Don't expect to see her often. Do know that she is aware of everything going on with your appointments and plan. She also likes to do as many tests as possible (common for an fertility specialist) but she would do even more if she could.

As an IVF patient I was assigned my own nurse who handled all of my communication with their office and was present for all of my appointments and procedures. She returned all of my phone calls promptly and answered all of my questions. I believe she really wanted my treatments to work. When you have a point person in the office its like you, Dr. Hickman, and your nurse are a team doing everything possible to get you that baby. The nurse calls you to give you your pregnancy results. My husband and I couldn't be together to take the call, so I had her leave a message for me giving me the results. The nurse was so excited on the message and so sweet; I still have the message on my phone.

She was always easy to get in contact with, and she was very encouraging.

I had the best experience as Dr. Hickman's patient! His office is so prompt and efficient. The whole clinic is so well run. Dr. Hickman was incredibly professional. He is compassionately matter-of-fact, and what I mean is that he delicately tells you the truth. I was a patient for a year doing IUIs and during that time I didn't really see him (except for the initial consultation) because his nurses perform all of the procedures. I ended up doing IVF and that's really when I felt like he was present. He had to perform a minor surgical procedure on me before we could proceed with IVF, and he was just wonderful. He did a fantastic job, but he also made my family and me feel like he cared. He took extra time with them going over my surgery and explaining everything in detail. He was equally wonderful performing the IVF. I really believe his is sensitive to his patients (who are under extreme amounts of stress and pumped up with hormones) and I felt he was very smart. I think he takes his success rate seriously which I appreciate. Overall I never questioned that I was receiving the absolute best care and treatment. I met with him the first time and left thinking "this is the doctor for me". It has been over three years since the birth of my twins and I still think that he was the perfect choice.

I wish I would not have waited so long to move from IUIs to IVF. I don't think that anyone at the clinic ever suggested that IUIs weren't working and that I should be considering other options. Although, it might have been discussed during the initial consultation. So, don't wait for them to contact you if you have questions or feel things aren't progressing. Call them and they will take care of you

I've always felt in good hands with Houston IVF. They're clinic and office is very professional. It is a large clinic so if you want a more personal experience, this might not be the clinic for you. I, however felt completely comfortable with them and that I was given the best chance for pregnancy while with them.

Dr. McKnight was very friendly and I felt very comfortable around her. While still very professional, she still was easy going and was very positive throughout my FET cycle.

My nurse was very helpful and I enjoyed speaking with her. My only complant was she was out of the office a lot. I don't want to judge since I don't know the reason behind it, but it was sometimes inconvenient when I had questions.

I always felt completely comfortable with Dr. McKnight and enjoyed meeting with her. My only criticism was that I'm not sure if there was a ton if communication between her and my nurse about me other than just the pure blood work numbers. I had actually moved out of state between my consultation and my FET and she was unaware at the time of my transfer that I had been doing outside monitoring.

Go with her, she's great!

I had an FET transfer, starting with birth control pills to regulate my cycle and then followed by Lupron injections, estrogen, and progesterone.

I believe my FET was about $4500.

My two embryos were actually frozen together so we chose to transfer both. We were told it was most likely safe to thaw and refreeze one of our embryos, but we chose not to take the chance.

I thought the clinic was great. Your doctor isn't always the one who performs the retrieval or transfer, which I didn't know going in, sometimes its another RE on site. But all of them were wonderful.

I did feel taken care of.

Susan was there for all my questions and to help with everything along the way. She was wonderful!

Dr. Hickman did explain everything well before beginning ivf. After a failed cycle he would always call me himself and answer every single question I had. I felt he was a great doctor and trusted him completely.

Ivf isn't easy and it isn't cheap, but he was worth it.

We used the antagonist protocol and I always used lupron with every cycle. I would trigger with 10,000 units of hgh. I would always react decently.

All monitoring appointments were scheduled before 8am and there were several nurses working to get you back to do bloodwork while the doctors were in and out doing ultrasounds. Things always moved very fast in the mornings.

If was vey expensive, I think it was close to 35 thousand for two cycles. Thanks to several loans, our life savings and my grandmother who helped us pay for everything. Everything was included in the price except for the anesthesia. Acupuncture was also separate.

My first two transfer he allowed 3 each time, but my third only 2 were transferred per new law/rule.

Make sure to ask lots of questions. There is acupuncture on site for pre and post transfer .

Dr McKnight is an excellent Doctor. She cares about me and what I am going through.

She was a great nurse. She worked with me on schedules and answered all calls and emails ASAP.

I feel like she is an excellent Doctor. She hopes that this works for us and continues down the road with us. She does suggest using donor or have it as back up, but we are not there yet. I feel like she is an excellent Doctor. She hopes that this works for us and continues down the road with us. She does suggest using donor or have it as back up, but we are not there yet.

Do research and ask for what you want. If you think there might be some alternatives that have not been suggested, ask. She actually suggested another medication protocol for my husband and it seems to be working. His doctor had not even suggested it at the time.

I had two egg retrievals and froze my eggs for when they could retrieve sperm. I used Lupron, follistim, menopur , birth control pills, and an oral steroid for my cycles. I think asking for an hsg is a good idea before a potential transfer to make sure nothing might be blocking things up.

They set up the majority of appointments in the early morning hours so that you can get to work.

My benefits are excellent, but average retrieval and transfer run 12-15k plus meds.

It was a very professional, well-managed clinic. I would advise new patients to leverage the mental health services provided through the clinic. The weakness was the price. For the price I expected more individualized attention.

I received the care I hoped to receive, in that our treatment ended with a successful, viable pregnancy. However, I rarely saw the doctor herself and liaised mostly with nursing staff (who were great). In their defense, I did not request any special interaction, but was surprised to hear from other patients that they had regular contact with the doctor. In retrospect, I would have requested to speak with her more and feel more like a patient, rather than just a client.

Overall, they were professional, compassionate and kind.

She was perfectly fine. I did not feel she was exceptional. I saw her only a handful of times in the entire time I was her patient. However, her treatment resulted in a successful pregnancy, so I have no complaints.

Be your own advocate and make your voice heard!

As a patient with unexplained infertility, we tried cycles of clomid, followed by IUI. After unsuccessful IUI attempts, we tried IVF with a fresh, 5 day transfer. We were successful!

We received a "hardship" rate. If I remember correctly, the total, including medications was around $17,000.

She explained the difference well. We felt we were informed and prepared for the risks of the procedure we chose.

I guess the only issue I have with the clinic is the misdiagnosis of my husband's sperm which could've led to us spending a whole lot of money for nothing. So, I don't trust this doctor or the clinic.

In the end, I felt pressured to pay for IVF but when getting a second opinion about my husband's sperm, we found out there was nothing wrong with it and we ended up getting pregnant on our own even though the doctor said we never would.

Neutral

He performed lots of tests and did ultimately treat one issue of mine (small tumor pressing on my pituitary gland) but apparently misdiagnosed the quality of my husband's sperm and told us we wouldn't get pregnant without IVF. We left his practice after getting a second opinion on the sperm, concentrated on my cycle times and got pregnant on our own.

If you are in a super hurry to get pregnant and want to pay for IVF, then he might be okay. But if you are patient and just want to see if you can treat a possible small issue before getting pregnant on your own, then find another doctor.

We did a lot of tests and he found 2 problems. He treated me with bromocriptine to shrink my pituitary because I had a small tumor on it. Then he diagnosed my husband with "bad sperm" and then told us we couldn't get pregnant because of this and wanted to schedule IVF. We got a second opinion about the sperm which ended up being completely normal and ended up getting pregnant without the IVF.

Weakness: somewhat hard to reach via phone- lots of transferring or leaving messages for a call back. Strengths: blood work in house was very convenient, nice and clean facility and short wait times. Lobby staff was always friendly.

Dr Nodler took the time to get a thorough history of my infertility journey. He made clear what results I could expect from various procedures. He spoke freely about statistics, allowing me to have a realistic understanding of my chances of success.

James Nodler is an excellent doctor. After many years of infertility, we had great success under his care. I have twins, conceived on the first round of IVF. My experience was positive; every visit and procedure went very smoothly.

Ask lots of questions. He will explain in detail anything you are unsure about.

Dr Nodler explained all our options and we all (Dr Nodler, my husband and myself) felt comfortable with an IVF cycle. Ultrasounds were done to assess my uterus, ovaries and eggs. Blood work was done to screen for other potential issues that would prevent conceiving. We were able to proceed with no issues.

We did chromosomal testing on the embryos. We elected to transfer 2 embryos, understanding that chromasomally normal embryos would have a higher chance of implementing with no issues to follow. We understood that our chances of twins would be higher.

The waiting area is lovely, the waits aren't too long, and an acupuncture clinic is also available. I did love that they didn't scoff at the idea of acupuncture as some clinics do.

My husband and I didn't get to see Dr. Hickman much. In fact, we only saw him once in preparation for our IUI. The IUI wasn't even performed by him. It was performed by a nurse. I think that's normal, but someone should've informed us of this prior to the procedure.

Unfortunately, I don't remember names, but our care coordinator was kind. She gave us some of the medications (we were still charged for them) so we wouldn't have to pay for them right then.

He was very technical, and not the least bit warm. I might've been okay with this if we had seen him more frequently or if he had told us that his nurses would be doing everything.

Don't expect to see him often. Ask lots of questions.

We went in to discuss IVF, but we ended up deciding to try IUI first. I was on Bravelle and Ovidrel. It was unsuccessful.

I had insurance coverage for an IUI. It was only $1,500 plus the medications.

Dr. Hickman was AMAZING!!! He took the time, anytime, including at night after he got off work, to answer my questions. He explained everything to me and seemed to even enjoy the fact I was asking questions. A different doctor I went to first actually blamed me for my infertility. He told me that my past was my past and the goal now was to get me pregnant, which he did. I can't recommend him enough.

She cared so much about me. I am currently going back to try to conceive a second child. She found me, remembered me, my background, when my child was born, my interest. She is incredibly patient when I ask questions...lots of questions. She has been there for me when medication didn't get delivered and made sure I had what I needed at all times.

He was amazing. He is methodical and can explain why he is doing what he is doing clearly. He has no problem with questions. He is available if you need him. He called me back at night one time because i was so worried the night before my second IUI. He explained why he really thought this cycle would work (which it did).

Don't wait. Go see him.

Only weakness I could see is that it's really hard to get a hold of a person, you have to always leave a message. They do respond back typically within a few hours so the wait time isn't too long.

Dr. Nodler took the time to explain the process and go over our test results in detail so we knew what what was going on and what to expect for the future.

We are still currently in the process of treatments as we recently had a failed IUI and are now starting our IVF treatment. So far, everything has gone smoothly and we have been well-informed on the process of IUI/IVF.

Always be open, honest and ask as many questions as you can. He is very professional and personable and takes the time to answer all of your questions.

My insurance covered three rounds of IUI and one round of IVF. Currently do not know the final cost of IVF.

Organized and knowledgeable. Wonderful experience. There are multiple doctors and you will end up seeing all of them at one point in time or another so if continually seeing the same doctor is important to you that might be a weakness but I had no issue with it.

Everyone at the clinic was very welcoming. Dr. Hickman explained everything I needed to know and was responsive to any questions I had.

Organized and efficient. My appointments started on time and I was seen quickly. My nurse called me promptly with lab results and instructions when applicable.

Honest and forthright. He answered all questions and explained the process almost to the point of over explaining (but I had done a lot of research prior to our first appointment). He called with results of the egg retrieval personally. Found out later that he has a tendency to always propose multiple embryo transfer if more than one viable embryo is available.

All in, egg retrieval and 1 transfer was about $17k

He tends to propose multiple embryo transfer. As I had never had a failed IVF cycle and knowing current success rates I might have chosen to only transfer one at a time.

The staff is friendly. My nurse seems like she can't be bothered though. Docs are sensitive. Appreciated the call giving me an update on my embryos. Wish they were more open to alternative technologies/methodologies. Appreciate their optimism.

Most of the staff is nice and upbeat. Really liked the ladies who take ur blood as odd as that sounds. My nurse however seemed like she couldn't be bothered when I ask questions. She wasn't forthcoming with information which made me have to postpone a cycle.

I think I covered this in a prior question. She's nice, sensitive and optimistic. Also realistic. Appreciate her insight. She didn't seem to be a fan of alternative treatments.

Ask for a good nurse.

Well oiled machine early morning hours, which was good so you could get in and out and to work timely.

Expensive

She was very caring, definitely was sympathetic to our situation

Erin was great at communicating wth me. I found it easiest to send her an email with any questions. She'd always respond within a couple of hours. She would also return phone calls, but due to both our work schedules, we'd often miss each other.

Dr McKenzie was very caring and compassionate. She seemed like she strived for success with every patient and wanted to give everyone the best possible outcome.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. You will see her every visit, but it will be short

Birth control day 3 of cycle for ~3 weeks, lupron for 2 weeks, then 10 days if stims with Bravelle and Menopur. Fresh cycles were preferred at this clinic. 2 embryos were also recommended even for young, first-time IVFers

Appointments were quick, but organized and stress free. Everything was "first come, for serve" for morning monitoring appointments.

About $16000 for IVf, ICSI and anesthesia. Meds were separate.