Craig Witz

Dr. Witz seems like a great doctor. When I met with him, I felt like he answered all of my questions candidly. However, I rarely saw him. I would see him for a meeting before I started a round of IUI. He never performed any of my IUI procedures, as he has colleagues that take different shifts. Maybe my cycles just didn't coincide with his work schedule. He was highly recommended by my gynecologist.

Infertility is a vicious cycle. Be prepared to see lots of women crying. Every appointment was full of women crying because they lost a baby, because they got pregnant, or because they found out they weren't pregnant. Dr. Witz was never there when I got my pregnancy test results.

Every visit was to a jammed pack waiting room full of women trying to have babies, women pregnant, and women with small children. I rarely saw the same nurse twice. I only saw the doctor at the beginning of each cycle. Rarely did I ever get in & out near my appointment time. The only constant people were the people taking my blood.

Dr. Witz prescribed a small dosage of clomid followed by IUI. One of his colleagues questioned my treatment strategy when he performed an initial exam as I started a cycle however, he went with the orders left by Dr. Witz. It made me concerned that perhaps there were newer ideas that may work better.

The nursing staff seemed to have a high turn-over ratio. The only constant staff were the women who took the blood. When I went back 6 months after completing & failing 3 cycles, there was not a single nurse that i had seen before.

HFI is a well respected clinic. I wish there was a separate waiting area for women receiving fertility treatment from the women who are already pregnant or who were having to have D&Cs. I was always stressed out seeing all of the different emotions. I also wish there was a way to get in at your appointment time. Most appointments took less than 10 minutes, but it could take an hour or more to get into a treatment room. Saturdays & the days after holidays were the worst.

$1500 per medicated IUI cycle plus drugs.

This clinic was a complete waste of time and we felt misguided throughout the process. On our first round of IVF, we had a lot of eggs retrieved (~12 embryos) but then very low quality. Most eggs stopped growing after day 3. Only one egg passed genetic testing and it was a 7 day egg. Now we know most clinics would not have transferred this egg due to low quality. Instead, Dr. Witz encouraged us to do so. When this was unsuccessful, he told us on the next attempt, we could add growth hormone to improve egg quality. Once the next procedure protocol was established, Dr. Witz did not prescribe growth hormone. When we discussed this with him, he told us due to FDA scrutiny, fertility clinics were no longer using growth hormone and we'd have to go to Europe to get it. So we proceeded with a 2nd round of egg retrieval without it. Again, we had a large number of eggs / embryos, but they did not make it past day 3. We were left with only one 7 day embryo that passed genetic testing. Again, Dr. Witz encouraged us to transfer this egg. So we went through the time/stress/expense to transfer it with yet again a bad result. We have since learned that most other fertility clinics across the U.S. still use growth hormone. We used it on our next egg retrieval round in Colorado and had excellent results (6 very high quality embryos resulting in one live birth - our daughter). I believe HFI is now using growth hormone again. During procedures, Dr. Witz seemed more interested in the music we wanted played than explaining the procedure itself. He may have been trying to get us to relax but it felt strange.

If you are older or have egg quality issues, ask him to use growth hormone during the first attempt. If you have a 7 day egg that passes genetic testing (or a low quality egg), don't bother to transfer it. Freeze it and go for another retrieval.

The clinic was extremely busy and did a poor job of communicating the process to me or displaying that they cared about what we were going through. In particular, I think they do a poor job of communicating with out of town patient. Maybe an in town patient experience would be better. I frequently could not get through to the nurse to ask questions in a timely manner.

Our protocol felt very cookie cutter. He didn't make adjustments during the process based on how fast our eggs were growing or that were specific to our issue - poor egg quality.

We were initially assigned a relatively new nurse who was horrible - she was not compassionate and over-worked. She also didn't have answers to our basic questions but always stated that the doctor wasn't available to answer them. The 2nd nurse was someone who had been at the clinic a long time and was much more understanding and knowledgable. Although you could tell she was also overworked and had limited time.

It was a nice clinic but the staff seemed overworked.

The first round of IVF was between $15 and $20k, I can't remember exactly. If you get genetic testing (PGS), I think it was $5k and that covered 10 eggs. If your first round doesn't work, you get a discount on the 2nd round, so I think that was more about $10k to $12k.

We knew for certain we only wanted to transfer one embryo (and we never had more than one at HFI) so this wasn't discussed.

I’m a Latina and when you receive the blow that infertility is a battle you’re going through it can be crippling bc our culture is so deep rooted in family that you think you’re broken. Dr. Witz was repeatedly kind but frank when I needed it. My Husband and I both say that we would not have survived the process (clomid, IUI 3x and IVF 2x then a FET 1) had we not had Dr. Witz. It’s easy to feel like a petry dish but he helped us stay human and helped us look for the humor in the awful.

Be prepared to hear what you don’t want to hear. Infertility doctors are not genies. Do your research, go in with your questions, don’t stop asking until you get a clear and understood reply, be prepared to hear real answers.

I’m a pull the bandaid off kind of person and Dr.Witz understood that and rolled with it. Infertility is awful and we’re all trying to survive it. Dr.Witz had a dry sense of humor that matched ours and he consistently tried to set attainable goals. There are no guarantees in infertility but he definitely tries to help to build your family.

We started our path with a round of clomid followed by 3 rounds of IUI. Dr. Witz was very confident that IUI would do the trick due to my PCOS past, but wanted to give it a shot as it was less invasive and definitely more cost affordable. We weren’t successful but both Dr. Witz and I wanted to at least try. We took some time to save up and moved forward with IVF. It was fairly normal round though I ended up hyperstemming after the egg retrieval and had a 5 day stay in the hospital. Dr. Witz came every evening to check on me though it was in the complete opposite direction of his home. We delayed the transfer bc he wanted me to recover emotionally and physically. We transferred a month later and had a successful positive pregnancy. Dr. Witz kept me in his care until I was 14 weeks along. I se him once a week through those 14 weeks, and twice a week I had blood work. We exhausted all our avenues with Cycle 1 and when we decided to try for a sibling we knew it would be Dr. Witz that we’d be calling. Our second IVF round was not as complicated and we had better success. No hyper stimulation, though we did start progesterone earlier and carried it through longer I think. With our successful retrieval with tried a frozen embroy transfer but we didn’t get a positive result. It was a tough blow. Dr. Witz met with us afterwards and laid out the cards for us. He was blunt but also kind. It’s a fine line to walk when there are so many emotions running.

Nurses can make or break a clinic. The nurses I dealt with, Carolina and Maria were the best. They knew who I was, what I was going through that day and were my champions throughout the process.

The clinic does need help with scheduling but every doctor office I have ever visited is always running behind. Bring a book or enjoy some Pinterest but it’s no different that waiting on my kids pediatrician,

Our IVF rounds cost between $12-17k, IUI $2 , FET $7k

Dr. Witz doesn’t like to transfer more that 2 at a time in order to be responsible with his patients

Dr. Witz is very knowledgable in infertility and the plan of action needed to achieve success. He did elaborate diagnostic testing and HSG and a hysteroscopy to rule out any issues that may be causing my miscarriages. He recommended IVF with chromosomal (PGS) testing for an accurate pregnancy. He felt confident we would get pregnant on our own again, but if we chose to, we could do IVF. We actually chose to speed up the process and try IUI. It was successful and I am now pregnant!

Don't be afraid to ask questions!

Dr. Witz took the time to understand me and my husband. He did as much diagnostic testing as he could to find out why I have had two consecutive miscarriages.

RPL blood panel, hysteroscopy, HSG. All results came back normal. We ended up doing IUI with Clomid, Gonal-F, and Ovidrel, along with progesterone. I am pregnant as a result from one IUI.

Cecelia knows and understand the struggle of infertility and she treats you as an equal. She is helpful and replies to emails quickly.

Waiting room at piney Point seems a bit small. They are usually on time with appointments and even waited for my husband who was stuck in traffic. Staff is polite and welcoming and always say bye. Some people bring their kids, so be aware that you may see a kid in there and it could trigger emotions.

IUI with meds was close to $3500

He is always willing to answer questions and if something doesnt work he changes the course of treatment. We had so many setbacks and he was always compassionate about them. After our stillbirth of our daughter he reached out to my MFMs to better understand my complicated pregnancy and what we could do in the future to try and prevent another loss. Infertility is hard enough then add in pregnancy loss! Having a great doctor is so important.

Try and live day by day

My doctor always gave me all the information I needed even when I asked crazy questions.

For my frozen transfers we have to use letrozole to help me grow a follicle because just giving me estrogen doesnt build my lining up.

She was my rock during everything. Always calls me back when I need her. Having a great nurse makes the experience so much better!

Strengths that they care and they tailor your needs to you individually. Communication, they always answer the phone or message you back fast on the portal page. Blood work comes back same day which is very important in managing dose of meds. Weaknesses they are super busy so sometimes there is a wait.

My insurance covers diagnosis testing. IUI was 1,400 i think and our IVf olus medications was 18,000

The conversations with him felt rushed and not very detailed. He did lots of tests and I never got any answers as to why I wasn't conceiving. "unexplained infertility" was the diagnosis, and then they wanted tons of money for the next steps. That's why I stopped going, it felt like they were very money hungry at that point.

Listen carefully and ask him to explain all of what he says slowly and thoroughly.

I mostly felt like a human, but the conversations felt rushed and not very thorough.

I don't remember any specifics so excellence or lack there of was not an issue.

The office atmosphere is really nice. Just know that this clinic is not cheap, and they do not work with you on payment plans. They expect payment in full at the time of services, which is unreasonable and impossible for many people.

My insurance covered all of the testing up to the diagnosis of infertility. After that the prices were very high, even for taking Clomid because they require you to have ultrasounds etc and pay upfront($800).

I felt like I was being forced into IVF vs. being able to discuss all options, even when they didn't have my records or test results back yet. It came off as either do IVF, or never have a child. Which, if my test results indicated that, it would be one thing. But it felt very rushed and like there was no interest in what was actually going on with me.

Be assertive in what you want, or what you expect. You are your own advocate, and need to stand up for yourself. You do have choices in treatment options, or at least the choice to discuss the pro's and con's of all of them.

We were looking to move to Dr. Witz, unfortunately I felt like just a number in their system looking for a quick result. They didn't even have all of my medical records from my previous clinic before make extreme suggestions on next steps. It felt like instead of being interested in me as a patient, they were interested in me as a number or $$.

The clinic was nice, and the staff appeared to be nice. Their billing department was not as helpful as I was expecting in helping to understand the different costs associated with treatments.

IUI's started at $2,000+, IVF was significantly more expensive then other clinics in the area.

Dr. Witz was extremely knowledgeable and capable. He answered all of our questions honestly and thoroughly, with numbers and science to back up his answers. Although he was sometimes a bit blunt, we preferred this honest and candid demeanor. At the end of the day he was an understanding and compassionate professional.

Ask questions, and know that he can be blunt but is extremely caring.

The nurses in the office were phenomenal and remembered everything. I felt very confident and comfortable with Dr. Witz and the Webster office staff.

In general, the nursing staff was excellent. They were caring, and capable. One of the nurses did not explain things well nor answer questions correctly, but once we figured this out we were sure to double check the instructions she gave us. Other than that, though, she was extremely friendly and caring.

We had some issues with the billing portion of our treatment and were very dissatisfied with the honesty of the billing department. It took a while, but we were able to sort out our problem. The Piney Point surgery center seemed much colder and impersonal than the Webster clinic, but the care there was satisfactory as well.

Dr. Witz is fantastic! I would recommend him to anyone TTC. He makes the process better by explaining the process, answering questions, and really connecting with you. You're not just a number with him.

Ask questions!

He is so caring and understanding. He is great at answering any questions you may have and he really listens to your concerns.

The whole nursing staff is fantastic! They're always willing to talk through whatever questions or concerns you have. They're very compassionate and caring people.

HFI is focused on service, quality care, and results. I feel like I am getting the best care possible with Houston Fertility Institute. I couldn't imagine going through such a difficult and emotional process with a better group of people- Dr. Witz and the team at HFI are the absolute best in Houston!

He is probably my favorite doctor I've ever had. Very honest, and explained things in great detail. Took the time to call and check on me often, always got me in for an appointment to check on things if I felt the slightest bit of doubt.

Trust him, he knows what he's doing.

When I hylwrsrimulated due to PCOS he was genuinely concerned. Called to check on me even after hours.

I don't remember exactly. One IVF cycle that resulted in hyperstimulation due to pcos, and a freeze all cycle. Frozen transfer the next month that resulted in a twin pregnancy.

Wonderful staff! Called immediately with all results

I visited the Katy office while Dr. Wits was there which was a much better fit for us. The Piney location wait times could get a little long sometimes because of the amount of patients treated at that location which is also their surgery center.

Approx 15k total

Counseled us on the risks of implanting two (which was our preference) advised not to transfer more then that