Barry Witten, MD — An Honest Editorial Review
Among fertility clinics in Missouri, the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine (SIRM) St. Louis has been a long-standing option in the Creve Coeur corridor off Highway 270. Dr. Barry I. Witten is one of the senior reproductive endocrinologists practicing at SIRM St. Louis, with nearly four decades of experience in reproductive medicine in the St. Louis area. The practice sits at 555 N. New Ballas Road, Suite 150.
Dr. Witten is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and in the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He previously served as Division Director of Reproductive Endocrinology at Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis, and he holds an academic appointment as Assistant Clinical Professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.
Training and Credentials
Dr. Witten earned his medical degree from the University of Pretoria, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Medicine (South Africa) in 1975, and pursued additional graduate training at the University of Witwatersrand. He completed his OB-GYN residency at St. John's Mercy Medical Center in St. Louis before entering REI practice. He has been named to St. Louis Magazine's annual "Best Doctors" list for more than a decade. Browse his PubMed publications.
Services and Specialties
Services offered through Dr. Witten's practice at SIRM St. Louis include:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) with fresh and frozen embryo transfer
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction
- egg freezing and fertility preservation
- donor egg IVF and third-party reproduction
- Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A / PGT-M)
- Management of PCOS, endometriosis, recurrent pregnancy loss, and male-factor infertility
Success Rates and Lab Quality
SIRM St. Louis reports cycle outcomes to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology; confirm the current clinic profile on SART's clinic search and on the CDC ART Success Rates report. Raw clinic-level averages blend very different ages and diagnoses — always compare within your own age band and diagnosis category. Our how to read IVF success rates guide covers the most common interpretation traps patients run into.
Patient Experience
Dr. Witten's 5.0/17 Google rating is small in sample size but uniformly positive. Recurring themes in public reviews point to a calm, patient-first consultation style, detailed explanations of stimulation protocols, and strong continuity from the initial workup through retrieval. Patients considering SIRM St. Louis for long-distance care often note that the Creve Coeur location is about 20 minutes from downtown and close to several hotels along the Highway 270 corridor, which helps if monitoring visits are frequent during stimulation.
Considering At-Home Insemination?
Not every fertility journey begins in a clinic. At-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option that suits patients with no known fertility diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before committing to clinical treatment.
At-home insemination kits like those from MakeAMom come with step-by-step instructions designed for donor or partner sperm. Kits are a one-time purchase that can be reused until conception succeeds, require no clinic visit, and arrive in plain, discreet packaging. Many patients use them as a first step while working toward a fertility consultation — or alongside ovulation tracking while they wait for an appointment slot.
If you have a known fertility diagnosis, have been trying for 12 months without success (six months if you're over 35), or your physician has already recommended IUI or IVF, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist is the right next step.
Insurance and Cost in Missouri
Missouri does not mandate comprehensive fertility coverage on commercial health plans, though there have been targeted benefit expansions — including some state-employee and public-plan additions in recent years — and coverage can vary dramatically between employers. Out-of-pocket IVF cycles in the St. Louis metro typically run in the mid-teens to low twenties of thousands of dollars before medications. Confirm in-network status, lifetime maximums, and medication coverage before your first consult. See our fertility insurance mandates by state guide and IVF cost by state breakdown.
Location and Contact
Address: 555 N. New Ballas Road, Suite 150, St. Louis, MO 63141 Phone: (314) 983-9000 Website: stlouisfertilitycenter.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. Witten accepting new patients? Availability at SIRM St. Louis changes throughout the year and by physician. Call (314) 983-9000 to confirm whether Dr. Witten or another REI on the team is the right fit for your timeline.
Does SIRM St. Louis accept insurance? The practice contracts with many major commercial insurers in the St. Louis region. Missouri has no comprehensive state IVF mandate, so coverage depends heavily on your specific employer plan. Request a written benefits verification before starting a cycle.
What should I bring to my first visit? A recent semen analysis (if available), any prior imaging or HSG reports, a current medication list, your partner's relevant records, and your insurance card. If you've tracked ovulation or basal body temperature, bring that data as well — it gives the physician a head start on protocol planning.
Editorial note: Independently written by the Fertlo editorial team; not sponsored by the practice. See our editorial policy.