Verified
This patient has provided documentation of treatment at this clinic.
2022, Unsuccessful
Dr. Witz is very knowledgeable and willing to try and tweak new protocols to best fit you and your needs. At the consult he was very endearing and seemed like he would be present a lot during the actual treatment cycle. After not seeing him for my first for monitoring visits, when I did finally see him I was very excited, however he spent less than 2 minutes with me. After our egg retrieval failed we had a re-group visit with him- he could not explain why we had such poor results and we didn’t feel genuine reactions from him. It seemed like he did not know how to handle complex cases.
[Aspire Houston Fertility Institute] Strengths are a lot of doctors to choose from, and you can easily switch to another one within the system. Weakness are that the offices are old and outdated. A fertility clinic should feel relaxing- theirs is dark and gloomy. Financial department does not communicate with each other and they raise their prices constantly. Appointments do not run on time, no matter which clinic you choose. I had the worst cycle out of my 3 egg retrievals at this clinic because I was not monitored closely enough and was given the wrong protocol. Patients who don’t require extra care or attention, or don’t have complex cases, will be successful here.
How was your experience with Craig Witz at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute?
Dr. Witz is very knowledgeable and willing to try and tweak new protocols to best fit you and your needs. At the consult he was very endearing and seemed like he would be present a lot during the actual treatment cycle. After not seeing him for my first for monitoring visits, when I did finally see him I was very excited, however he spent less than 2 minutes with me. After our egg retrieval failed we had a re-group visit with him- he could not explain why we had such poor results and we didn’t feel genuine reactions from him. It seemed like he did not know how to handle complex cases.
What's one piece of advice would you give a prospective patient of Craig Witz at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute?
Be aware that he is not willing to try experimental treatments and is pretty set in his ways.
During treatment, were you treated like a number or a human with Craig Witz at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute?
We only spoke to him at the consult and 1 or 2 times during monitoring during the stimulation process. He had ultrasound techs performing ultrasounds, and was not present for my actual egg retrieval. He was also not available by phone, text, or email, and any communication had to be done with an in person consult not covered by the fee already paid for the IVF cycle. Nurses also consistently mixed up information about me and did not seem to enjoy their job.
Describe the protocols Craig Witz used in your cycles at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute and their degree of success.
We tried the long Lupron protocol since I have endometriosis and poor egg and embryo quality. I retrieved 9 eggs, only 4 mature, 3 fertilized, and no blastocysts.
Describe your experience with your nurse at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute. (Assigned nurse: Maria )
The day of my baseline scan I asked if I could meet my nurse to the first person sitting at the counter. She responded and said “well I guess it’s me because xyz is busy”. It is near impossible to communicate with their nursing team. There is not a direct line to call the clinic so you either have to leave a message with their answering service or call the nurses line and pray that one of them decide to pick up. Sending a message on the portal will get you a response hours or days later, and if you happen to have a question after hours, you get routed to the on-call nurse who can take even longer to get back to you. There is no way to email or directly correspond with your nurses.
Describe your experience with Aspire Houston Fertility Institute.
Strengths are a lot of doctors to choose from, and you can easily switch to another one within the system. Weakness are that the offices are old and outdated. A fertility clinic should feel relaxing- theirs is dark and gloomy. Financial department does not communicate with each other and they raise their prices constantly. Appointments do not run on time, no matter which clinic you choose. I had the worst cycle out of my 3 egg retrievals at this clinic because I was not monitored closely enough and was given the wrong protocol. Patients who don’t require extra care or attention, or don’t have complex cases, will be successful here.
Describe your experience with your monitoring appointments at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute.
I could choose the time of monitoring appointments but they never ran on time. It was first come first serve, so you check in at 9:45am for your 10:30am appointment and you will be seen before the 9:45am patient. They only have 1-2 people drawing blood for 30+ people trying to be seen.
Describe the costs associated with your care under Craig Witz at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute.
$13,350 For a retrieval, 4k for meds.
Describe Craig Witz's approach to eSET (elective single embryo transfer) vs. multiple embryo transfer at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute.
He does not believe in multiple embryo transfers due to the risk it places on the mother.
What specific things went wrong at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute?
- Failed to call with results
- Provided conflicting information
Describe the specific things that went wrong at Aspire Houston Fertility Institute.
I was told that the day after my retrieval I would get a call to learn about how many of my eggs were mature and fertilized. The clinic closes at 5, and by 4pm I still had not received a call. I started to call on my own and because they don’t have a direct line, my calls were not being answered. The nursing line also did not pick up my calls. I sent portal messages, only for my nurse to finally answer and say “sorry I’m not sure why they didn’t call you, but here are your results” with no empathy or compassion, or explanation since it was out of the nurse’s scope. Later at 6:30pm that night I get a message from embryology with the results, with no apology for the delay and no explanation as to why my results were so poor.