Dr. Lisa Becht, United States

The way this HRC office treats clients borders on fraudulent. The doctors seem uninterested in learning how poorly the front desk treats patients, or they are unaware of it. On such an important journey, you have no choice but to trust the fertility professionals you select, and I cannot say I saw that trustworthiness in this team.

I needed to find a reproductive endocrinologist in California, and my former clinic in another state recommended HRC, presumably because of its history of reproductive medicine innovation in the 1990s. I live in Mission Viejo, so I was pleased to find an office here and scheduled an intake appointment with Dr. Becht. I was impressed by her fertility preservation experience and watched some of her online videos and interviews. Before the appointment, the office sent me a portal to complete my medical history, which I did. The day before the appointment, they sent a Docusign link for paperwork. It did not work, but on the morning of the appointment an administrator called, and after I explained the problem, she sent a working link. The first document asked me to consent to receiving protected health information through unsecured channels such as text or email and to waive liability if this harmed the patient. The form stated that consent was optional, not required to see the doctor, and could be withdrawn at any time, but there was no way to decline it while electronically signing the rest of the packet. I did not want to sign it, and I do not know why anyone would, but because it said it was optional, I planned to address it at the appointment. When I arrived, I explained the issue and requested paper forms, but the receptionist said they did not provide them. They resent the link, beginning several rounds of discussion with an administrator who repeatedly came to the waiting room, left to call a manager elsewhere, and returned without a solution. Although I arrived on time, after 30 minutes the administrator noted that I had missed half my appointment and would receive only the remaining time. She left to speak with her manager, then returned and said it was my fault that most of the appointment had been missed because the paperwork had to be completed in advance. We continued going back and forth until the issue was resolved 45 minutes after the appointment time, at which point I left without being seen. I found it remarkable that throughout this process only my mother and I were in the waiting room, while the doctor was supposedly waiting in another room 15 feet away, yet Dr. Becht never came out once to ask what the problem might be. If you are reading this, you may be seeking an IVF or reproductive medicine clinic for the first time and may not know this, but as someone who has used this specialty before, I can assure you that you will interact with and visit a reproductive medicine practice constantly. You will spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars and may have dozens of appointments. You will know everyone who works there by name and deal with them frequently. Beyond caring greatly about this appointment, I took time off work and paid $375 out of pocket. I was astonished that the practice treated a prospective patient this way during intake, the patient's first impression of future care. Their inability to prepare their own forms correctly suggests they cannot manage their business well. The doctor's leaving me waiting for 45 minutes without checking suggests she did not care much. The administrator blaming me for their error showed that these people were difficult and unreasonable, and I did not want to interact with them regularly. If you have half a day and $375 to spare, you can schedule an intake appointment and see whether they treat everyone this way or only me. In your position, however, I would simply find a better doctor and medical practice.

Do not go here! So rude and disrespectful! I did not receive any email. I gave them my phone and showed them all my inboxes, but the front desk woman insisted it was there! They are scammers!

Everything is about money! After two cycles here, even the name HRC is traumatic to me. I do not recommend this place, ever!

Stay away from this clinic. They are in business to take your money. They charged nearly $5,000 to test 4 embryos, while the average testing cost is $150–200 per embryo. What a rip-off. Unfortunately, all of them were abnormal. Then they discarded my embryos without confirming that this was what I wanted. They kept pointing to the signed consent form, but please have the courtesy to call or email me to say that you will dispose of my embryos. A patient procedures staff member called and referred to my embryos as "tissue." This is a sensitive and difficult subject for us as patients, so I wish they would communicate with compassion and consideration for our circumstances. This practice is terrible. Stay away from this office.

Many thanks to Dr. Frederick and our coordinators Michelle/Priscilla for their patience, kindness, and knowledge during a truly frightening and stressful time with infertility. Dr. Frederick's approach is realistic and kind, and she genuinely wants you to succeed in your dream of having a child. The office is very clean and organized. Highly recommended!

My consultation with Lisa was terrible. I wanted to freeze my eggs, but she kept talking about IVF. Mandy initially promised a discount, and then Lisa said no. The package they gave me was shipped directly from China even though I live locally in Newport Beach. Overall, very disappointing.

I have wanted to write this review for more than two years. After two failed IVF cycles at another clinic, we began working with Dr. Potter and Stephanie. Throughout the process with Dr. Potter and Stephanie, I felt extremely cared for and understood. Best of all, we now have a beautiful son from one successful IVF cycle, and he is the absolute joy of our lives.

I had an egg retrieval at HRC Newport in February, but no eggs were successfully frozen. When I spoke with the doctor after the procedure, I learned that I was unlikely to retrieve good-quality eggs in the future. The doctor clearly told me that he could change the medication protocol for another cycle, but he did not think the outcome would be any better. He also said my chance of conceiving naturally was extremely low, which caused me severe emotional stress and anxiety. In March, at a friend's urging, I went to another fertility center and had a successful egg retrieval. The service at HRC was also extremely frustrating. Each patient beginning a cycle is supposed to have a staff member who follows them throughout, but HRC said they were currently short-staffed. In practice, whoever was available would help me, and the experience was very poor. As a patient, I sometimes felt panicked when problems arose. For example, before surgery, when I had many questions to confirm, no one followed up with me, and staff had to bring in someone from finance to translate the relevant information. A word of advice to others: HRC does market itself well, and I chose HRC because of its advertising. But good marketing does not mean good medical care! I am sharing my personal experience and urge you to look carefully and compare several providers. I had a very disappointing experience at HRC Fertility Newport Beach in February. I went through an egg retrieval cycle but ended up with no viable eggs to freeze. After the procedure, the doctor told me that I likely wouldn’t produce good-quality eggs in future cycles, and even if we changed the medication protocol, the outcome probably wouldn’t improve. He also said my chances of natural pregnancy were extremely low — this caused me serious stress and anxiety. In March, I went to another fertility clinic (thanks to a friend’s recommendation) and successfully retrieved multiple eggs. That alone says a lot. The service at HRC was also extremely frustrating. Each patient is supposed to have a dedicated coordinator throughout the process, but they told me they were short-staffed. In reality, whoever was available helped out — there was no consistent point of contact. Before my procedure, I had a lot of questions, but no one followed up with me. At one point, they even had someone from the finance team translate medical information for me, which was completely unprofessional. HRC does a great job with marketing — that’s why I chose them in the first place. But good advertising doesn’t mean good results. I strongly suggest anyone considering this clinic to research other options and compare multiple providers before making a decision.

The fertility center is terrible. - Dr. Frederick uses a one-size-fits-all protocol with the maximum dose of hormonal medication and gives little consideration to individual needs, effectiveness, or side effects. (This matches other patients’ experiences, though unfortunately they learned too late.) - Staff provide information that contradicts Dr. Frederick, requiring frequent calls to clarify matters with the doctor. - Staff such as ‘coordinators’ are not qualified to give medical advice but frequently do so. - Staff, including multiple employees and even supervisors, do not know how to calculate times across daylight saving changes, creating needless extra stress around time-sensitive hormone injections before egg retrieval. - Billing staff ignored questions about a series of inexplicable, conclusory charges. - As if the process were not stressful enough, we had to chase them for replies, explanations, and accurate information. After billing us, HRC Fertility ignored us for about a week while having already decided not to continue our treatment. Without warning, we received a ‘chemistry letter’ stating that they were unilaterally ending the relationship—four days before our scheduled embryo transfer! Worse, this happened near the end of the first week of December. Imagine missing an embryo transfer and then scrambling to find a new fertility doctor/clinic, complete all new-patient intake, scheduling, and appointments, and transfer your precious embryos away from a hostile clinic, all during the year-end holidays! Do not be misled by the hype and marketing. HRC Fertility is awful: a bare-minimum fertility factory that does not care about your time, money, well-being, or circumstances.

If I could give -100 stars, I would. Unfortunately, one star is the minimum.

Very unprofessional. They took my $75 deposit, then called two hours before my initial Zoom consultation to change it to a regular phone call. I explained that my appointment was a Zoom video call and asked for the deposit to be refunded to my card, but they refused! I disputed the charge and advise caution about how this company operates. Other fertility centers do not require deposits and act professionally.

This clinic is highly unethical. At my first exam, they gave me incomplete and inappropriate instructions, so I had to return less than two weeks later. I confirmed beforehand that the repeat visit would be free, but they still charged me afterward. I called and spoke with the manager, Maria, who kept talking in circles. She eventually said she would email me, then wrote that I would still be charged and gave a nonsensical reason unrelated to what we had discussed. They should be ashamed. Thank you, HRC, for making an already bad experience even worse 👎

From the beginning, this fertility clinic made my wife and me feel supported, informed, and hopeful during an emotional and vulnerable journey. We worked with Dr. Becht, who is an exceptional physician—not only highly skilled and thoughtful, but also deeply compassionate. We always felt heard and respected and trusted every recommendation and decision she made. That trust was essential to us. I would recommend her without hesitation! The entire team was equally outstanding. We were very fortunate to have Amanda as our coordinator. She always responded promptly to our unusual questions and concerns and helped us tremendously through every high and low. Every coordinator and staff member treated us with kindness, patience, and genuine care. They took time to explain each step, answer our questions, and ensure that we felt valued and supported throughout the process. They never rushed us or made any concern seem unimportant. What impressed us most was how safe and reassured we felt entrusting them with something so important. My wife and I are deeply grateful for the clinic's expert medical care, empathy, and unwavering support. They did more than guide us through treatment; they stood beside us at every step. We highly recommend the clinic's doctors and team. If we have a second child, we will definitely return! Special thanks as well to Tu and Dhinalie for their attentive help and support! Thank you, HRC, for helping us build our family :)

This was my second time as an IP, and communication with the clinic's Chinese-speaking staff was truly terrible. Tracy was careless and unprofessional in the way she spoke, and she handled matters slowly. The WeChat messages seemed to be direct English-to-Chinese translations and were impossible to understand.

The best fertility specialist. A Google review alone cannot fully convey her kindness, intelligence, thoughtfulness—because every woman's fertility needs are different—and overall attention to the care plan. She practices at HRC Fertility in Newport Beach. If you want a fertility specialist who truly cares and will not treat you like a number or statistic, I would recommend no one else. You will not regret meeting her!

Dr. Becht is the most caring person in this practice—extremely supportive and always willing to help throughout the process. Words cannot express what it was like to receive treatment from her and her team.