The IVF Doom in Houston Fertility Institute

wholala

From the beginning to the end of IVF is total about 40 days. I spent about $ 19,600, there is no fertilized egg can be transplanted, and Doctor Haddad only met us once. This is really the most fail thing ever made, the hospital has also repeatedly told us to continue to the next cycle, which they care about.
I am 35 years old, and my wife 33 years. More than two years we were married, we have not been able to have a baby, so we decided to find a hospital can do IVF to achieve our aspirations. I checked in sart.org for the best hospitals in Houston. The highest success rate of Houston is Houston Fertility Institute.
    On May 15, 2013, our first appointment to meet with a doctor that began a nightmare. 2:30 pm we came to the clinic's office in Katy. I first met the Dr. Witz, he learned that six months ago, my wife had a hysteroscopy surgery, then called the nurse and let the nurse arranged for me the semen analysis and wife blood tests and ultrasounds, and hysteroscopy.
    On May 17, husband did semen collection. When we went home, we cannot understand why the doctor wants us to do hysteroscopy surgery, because we are using the IVF technique. On May 19 my period came, the day happens to be the weekend. Monday morning I called the Houston Fertility Institute (HFI), requested an appointment with the doctor talking about the hysteroscopy, because if we do not want to give up this cycle, wife need to begin checking the third day of the period, but we were told that the doctor left for a vacation! We should wait until the doctor finished his two weeks’ vocation to discuss the IVF procedure. The phone from the clinic told us to re-extract semen because five days are too long of abstinence, but the form we filled out for semen analysis says 2-5 days can be ok. After our discussion, we felt that this branch is not particularly trusted, and decided to go to Houston Fertility Institute Medical Center Office which is on Fannin road, and where we met Doctor Haddad who has the highest success rate of IVF in Houston.
    Through our efforts to make appointment, finally we saw the doctor Haddad at 2:30 pm on May 21, because we cannot miss this cycle and it is already the third day of the period. He described the whole process of IVF, and agree that we do directly IVF, if that fails then hysteroscopy, and he said five days of abstinence is feasible for sperm analysis, do not know which parts are out of the problem. That moment we were so happy, because of our efforts, our IVF began on the right track.
May 23, we came to the clinic to do blood analysis and ultrasound, as well as re-extract semen. We went with the translation to help us correctly understand the nurse's instructions. Nurse Asia gave us IVF Calendar and the first prescription. IVF Calendar is to tell us what to do every day, and the prescription ask permit ourselves to go to the pharmacy buy the medication, and the clinic recommended a pharmacy.
Now pay: consulting fees twice for $100, husband’s blood tests $300, semen testing $100; wife’s prenatal panel screening $475, the first diagnostic of blood tests and ultrasound $300.
A few days later, test results came out, all the data indicate that our situation is very good. Left ovary 8 eggs, the right 7eggs. Estradiol, progesterone and other indicators are very good! In the afternoon, the nurse opened the second prescription, Desogen, birth control pill was taken one pill daily till June 8. We don’t know the dosage of the medication and need to wait for further blood data, especially AMH. The doctor will give the accurately dose of injections when the results came out, so we told Asia to let us know as early as she can. Because medicine is really expensive, especially injections, so we order the exact number we need in the pharmacy, and do not waste any. Perhaps nurses really busy, every morning we got the blood test, we waited for the blood results and called them for the night dose, and then called the pharmacy to order the medication immediately. In the late days of IVF we spent $ 500 injections a day! The injection took 14 days!

June 4, wife did a blood test and ultrasound. Clinic wanted us to pay the cycle procedures & physician fee $ 6,600. Maybe we do not have any experience, and did not ask them the breakdown of this fee, resulting our losses.
June 6, we came to the clinic to learn injections.
June 8 we started the first injection. Unfortunately, the nurse who original charge our case transferred to other clinics. Nurse Judy told us the dose began with two vials of Bravelle and three vials Menopur, but its total different with Asia’s dose, she said three vials Bravelle and two vials Menopur. To ensure it, we repeatedly asked Judy to confirm with Doctor Haddad. Finally Judy texted us that’s her mistake! It should be three vials Bravelle and 2 vials Menopua per day.
June 12 wife did a blood test and ultrasound, eggs are still small, but there are 15 basis follicles. Afternoon letters from the nurse told us to increase the dose, 4 vials Bravelle and 2 vials Menopur daily until June 14.
During the time we paid the operation fee $ 2,800, laboratory fees $ 2,700, and anesthesia fee $ 250.  
June 14 wife did a blood test and ultrasound, left and right side are total 18 eggs, but average only 5-6mm. Nurse messaged us to inject Cetrotide on May 15. The biggest three eggs are 8mm, but the other 15 are all 4-6mm. According to my understanding, it’s too early to use the Cetrotide that will inhabit the eggs growing! Call the nurse to ask, the nurse just said “the doctor's idea”! We have no other choice to coordinate the treatment.
June 17 wife did a blood test and ultrasound, and eggs development is not satisfied. There are only 12 eggs between 8-12mm, nurses messaged us to change dose to 4 vials Bravelle and 3 vials Menopur, and 1 vials Cetrotide daily!
June 19 we did a blood test and ultrasound, and there were 10 eggs between 10-16mm, but the follicle size are big difference. Doctor decided to cancel the oocyte retrieval which was scheduled on June 20 originally and we need two more days injection.
June 21 we did one more blood test and ultrasound. Due to progesterone 1.85, the clinic decided to change the fresh embryos IVF to the frozen embryos. Those eggs would be frozen immediately after ovulation, and after the period to be transplanted. Nurse messaged us 4 vials Bravelle and 3 vials Menopur, and 1 vials Cetrotide daily. Generally, when two or three follicles are at 18mm or above, the patient will be given the oocyte retrieval. We already got four in 18mm, 5 in 15mm, and 4 in 13mm. According to this schedule, we should take the Ovidrel that exact night, and the next day for the oocyte retrieval. But because that day was Friday, after that was the weekend, on weekend clinics are off, so the egg retrieval was placed in the next Monday.

21:00 on June 22, Saturday, inject Ovidrel to promote ovulation. Because of two more days’ injection, we were afraid of large follicles are already ovulated! But the clinics were off, so the only thing we can do was to wait. Belly was very swollen and hard because of the injections. It cost us $ 6,300 for the medication! We need to wait until Monday to do the operation!
9 am June 24, egg retrieval. We were told the surgery was not done by Haddad. The doctor is a very handsome young doctor. As patients, the only thing we can do is to accept and believe. Out form the operating room, my wife had pale skin. The nurse said that only took eight eggs! Report will be given within 24 hours.
The next thing really angered me! After surgery from June 24, the whole one week, the clinic didn’t give any message. Ask them to report the results to fertilization and embryo case. They said haven’t gotten yet! Call them every day, which became my work. Finally the nurse said six mature in the eight eggs. No other information again! Day 5 after the egg retrieval l, we called them and were responded still don’t know how many eggs were fertilized, maybe one or two. We have numerous phone calls to them but no new reply, and suddenly a week after the egg retrieval, the nurse called us and said there is no fertilized eggs left to five days, which were all died! Then she explain us two fertilized, that time I was angry that there is no use for me to know these information. Then the nurse asked us to schedule the next cycle, I want to say the only thing you care is money. We ask the report, which they said they will give us 24 hours after the egg retrieval, but now they need to ask for the instructions from the Doctor. Always wait! Finally, nurse said it’s ok if I fill out one form which apply for getting the report. They sent me the report and then I filled it out. I was told the form that they sent to me is incorrect, then I got the right one. I got my report after ten days of my form.
The clinic $ 13,275 and the pharmacy $ 6300, totally paid was approximately $ 19,600. Asked our clinic for the refund of embryo transfer facility, laboratory and physician fees. It is really hard! If you do not ask, no one will tell you the refund. You should continue call them to ask, but different people gave different answers. Someone said you can get part, but someone said you can get nothing for the lab fee. Till today, it’s almost one month from the surgery, the total I got refund was $ 2150. For this refund, I wrote lots of messages to get. IVF done without a follicle transplant, got to be a nightmare of pain and hard to forget.

Crystal120410

First off this is a veterans board and unless you have been on the IF board for 6 months you don't belong here. A lot of what your complaining about is money. Most of us here spent our first $20k many moons ago. There is no guarantee in the world of IF and sometimes things with your body don't go well at all. HFI is a great clinic and there is a reason why they have great SART numbers. In this game you are always your best advocate. I wish you the best and good luck but its probably not the best idea to come on a board where you can get support and knowledge and start bashing clinics. If you don't like one dr in the practice go to another one. I highly recommend Dr. Witz at clear lake or Dr. Griffith at the woodlands I believe.

luvboston

Stop bitching and grow up we have spent about 100k if not more.