Sonja B. Kristiansen, MD, board certified Reproductive Endocrinologist Infertility specialist, founded Houston Infertility Clinic (HIC) in January of 2002 and serves as the facility's Medical Director.

HIC is a state-of-the-art laboratory that provides the latest Assisted Reproductive Technological procedures including, ICSI, PGD, MicroSort Sperm Sorting -Gender Selection, Blastocyst Culture, Assisted Hatching, Embryo Glue, Egg Donor, Surrogate Carriers and Fertility Preservation for cancer patients. An onsite egg retrieval suite with anesthesia services provided by board certified Anesthesiologists offers the patient a complete service package reducing total in-vitro fertilization costs. Full Andrology services for male factor infertility as well as consulting urologists for sperm retrieval techniques are also provided.

Board certified in Embryology and Andrology, our PhD is onsite daily and is actively involved with all lab procedures performed. He is well published in the areas of in-vitro fertilization, ICSI, semen and embryo cryopreservation, embryo culture systems, reproductive endocrinology, embryology and andrology. He is also board certified as a Reproductive Laboratory Inspector by the Reproductive Laboratory Accreditation Program, making him uniquely qualified among most infertility lab directors.

Having completed more than 700 IVF cycles with pregnancy rates that compare well nationally, HIC is now utilized by several other Reproductive Endocrinologists in the Houston area. HIC is committed to providing couples the most advanced infertility treatment available in a private and compassionate environment. Centrally located in Houston, HIC is off I-10/Katy Freeway at the Campbell exit, between the 610 Loop and the Sam Houston Tollway. Free covered parking is available.

For a complete list of services available through Dr. Kristiansen and HIC please click here or call our office. For definitions and illustrations of medical terms and procedures click here.

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Out of Town?

Dr. Sonja B. Kristiansen, MD and Houston Infertility Clinic (HIC) often provide infertility care for patients outside the Houston area. HIC is centrally located in Houston, Texas off Interstate 10, just outside the 610 loop near the Galleria area, with a variety of hotels, shopping, and restaurants nearby in a broad price range. Houston has many cultural venues to enjoy while visiting such as, theater, opera, ballet, museums, and NASA’s Space Center Houston. Galveston Island is a short drive from Houston and offers several resort hotels.

For patients traveling or living outside the Houston area Dr. Kristiansen offers a call back service for scheduling appointments, answering medical questions and coordinating your care with your OB/GYN for all IUI and IVF procedures. Extensive written and video instructions which she has personally prepared are also provided to you. Your initial consultation may occur over the phone or in person, however, your medical records must be provided in advance in either case.

At the end of the consultation, Dr. Kristiansen will advise you of testing that must be done before treatment can begin. A calendar will be provided instructing you what tests are required and the day of your menstrual cycle on which these tests must be performed. You may then opt to have these tests performed in your hometown with your local OB/GYN or make arrangements to come to Houston.

Upon receiving the diagnostic test results, your treatment plan will be determined. Again, a calendar with daily instructions will be provided stating when to begin administering your medications, when blood tests and vaginal ultrasounds that monitor follicle growth should be done and an approximate date that the IUI or IVF procedure would be done. Once again, you may opt to come to Houston for the entire treatment cycle or coordinate the early blood test and vaginal ultrasound exams with your local OB/GYN and return to Houston two to six days prior to the IUI or IVF procedure.

Once it is determined that your follicles have matured, your procedure will be scheduled. Male partners must be present the day of the IUI or IVF procedure to provide a semen specimen. It is strongly recommended that a semen specimen be frozen prior to the date of the procedure in the event of illness or difficulties traveling at the last minute, and to decrease the pressure of producing a specimen on demand.

Patients undergoing the IVF procedure will need to return for the embryo transfer three to five days after the egg retrieval. A pregnancy test from a blood sample will be done fourteen days after the IUI or IVF by your local physician. Dr. Kristiansen will continue to coordinate with your local OB/GYN advising what medications, ultrasounds and blood work is needed if your test is positive.

Driving Directions

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Success Rates

Most patients understandably want to know what is the success rate for each doctor and facility. However, success rates can be confusing and misleading at times. A very good facility and doctor may have average to good numbers compared to another’s excellent numbers. There may be valid reasons for the differences. Some facilities and doctors prescreen patients and select only those with a high probability of success of achieving pregnancy, therefore maintaining an excellent success rate. This prescreening often discourages patients who have an average to lower chance of conceiving their own biological child. A facility that takes patients with complicated medical histories such as previous failures at another program, prolonged unexplained infertility, abnormal testing, or patients age 38 and older may have a lower overall success rate because they have a different mix of patients who present with a more difficult challenge. The facility that takes a broader spectrum of patients with lower numbers may actually be the better facility.

Dr. Kristiansen feels that following a complete evaluation and frank discussion of the probability of achieving a successful pregnancy and the associated costs, it is the patient’s decision. Her overall success rate compares very well nationally, particularly with the over age 35 population. The overall national pregnancy rates per IVF attempt is 30.6 percent according to the latest 1999 Center for Disease Control report. It is important to note that the average patient without infertility problems has only a 20 percent chance of pregnancy per cycle under ideal circumstances.

Participation in SART, where numbers are reported annually but not posted until almost three years later through the CDC website, is one way to measure a facility's success rate. However, keep in mind again that the patient population medical history may be more selective from center to center. Many physicians and IVF lab facilities report together while others report separately. Until January 2002, Dr. Kristiansen performed her IVF procedures utilizing OGA’s lab facility at Women’s Hospital in the Texas Medical Center and their numbers are reflected on the CDC website. Dr. Kristiansen and HIC has begun participation in SART but those numbers won’t be published for two more years.

Overall, Dr. Kristiansen and HIC saw an increase in their success rate compared to that of the previous lab. The first IVF cycle at Houston Infertility Clinic began in January 2002 and 175 cycles were completed for the calendar year with an overall success rate that compared very well nationally.

When choosing a physician or IVF lab facility it is important to look at all aspects of your treatment. Compare the total costs and beware of hidden fees. Be willing to spend your own money wisely to get the best medical care possible. Receiving the best medical care possible is important. Ask your OB/GYN or family doctor for a referral. Ask friends, family, and co-workers who they recommend. Look for board certification of doctors and laboratory personnel (Embryologist/Andrologist). Verify the persons listed are actually there onsite performing your procedures, not overseeing from another facility. Avoid gimmicks, ask questions, read, be a good consumer.