Lisa Hansard

Dr. Hansard, though incredibly busy, has taken her time with us as patients. That's invaluable. She prescribed a straight-forward plan for prenatal testing, and once all results were in, we had another consult to decide on "next steps." She has been up front and a clear communicator, while maintaining an incredibly warm demeanor. Trust her expertise immeasurably.

Trust her. Take notes while she's speaking. Don't be afraid to ask follow up questions. She will answer any questions you have.

We are a same-sex couple, so we are relying on donor sperm and IUI. Before we begin IUI, Dr. Hansard started me (as I will be carrying) with prenatal genetic testing, an ovarian reserve assessment, and a couple other blood tests (including thyroid and CMV) to understand my baseline. She recommended expanded genetic testing once we had chosen a donor. We plan to begin our first round of IUI in a couple months, so we don't have results as of right now.

To this point, my insurance coverage has been solid. I've paid out of pocket for each visit/consult ($40). Each lab visit for blood work has been approximately $25, and I've been three times. HSG was only partially covered, so I owed approximately $200 (total cost $600). This does not include the cost of donor sperm ($900/vial, recommended purchasing 4 vials).

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Dr. Hansard provided information and answered questions without rushing you through things. She went through steps to figure out why I wasn't able to get pregnant unlike my OB/GYN who told me to keep trying after two miscarriages. For surgery to remove a fibroid, she identified Stage 4 endo, removed it, and answered questions about it afterwards with a plan for my best chances.

Although some of the advice may seem contrary to what you read online, she's recommending evidence-based approaches to issues.

After surgery for removal of fibroids and stage 4 endo, she recommended to try naturally for one month, 3 IUIs, and moving on to IVF. This was based on the expectation of my endo growing back and if I didn't get pregnant right after surgery, to move on to more aggressive approaches. For my first IUI, I was on clomid but it seemed to thin my uterine lining too much so I was on femara for my last two IUIs. I had my AMH tested by a previous OB/GYN a year and a half before egg retrieval so Dr. Hansard didn't test me again. I responded poorly to the antagonist plan where my eggs were not growing quickly while doing the shots. She increased my dosage to grow more eggs but their growth slowed so that 8 eggs were retrieved, but only 3 were mature. The three fertilized but did not make it to blastocyst. She finally did the full 3 day bloodwork and found my AMH had drastically dropped from over 3 to under 1 in less than 2 years (from age 35 to 37). She put me on Coq10 and DHEA for 3 months to increase egg quality and plans to increase my dosage for the next egg retrieval.

Each IUI (2 ultrasounds, sperm wash, IUI) costs over $900. Egg retrieval including ICSI and PGS testing initially cost over $16,000 but the Ovation lab refunds you what doesn't occur (e.g. didn't get eggs to freeze, had less eggs for ICSI) and varies if you need additional ultrasounds from the clinic at $200 each. Each frozen embryo transfer is over $3000. Depending on the type of visit, some of the consultations were charged at $200 each.

The clinic provides an IVF orientation where they emphasized that SART recommends a single embryo transfer from frozen. Although I would prefer to transfer more, Dr. Hansard emphasized that the research doesn't show improved chances when there are additional risks with multiple embryo transfer.

Dr. Hansard may be a good fit for patients who want a doctor to take complete charge and not have to think about the course of treatment they're on. If you're a patient who needs to ask questions and actively participate in your health decisions, however, I strongly advise against Dr. Hansard. First, she presents some medical information as absolute certainty when it isn't. For example, while she was emphatic that a hormonal IUD would absolutely not impact egg retrieval outcome, numerous studies (and also my ob-gyn) say the research is more mixed. I didn't learn this until it was too late for me to remove my IUD; I would have much preferred to make an informed decision based on a more nuanced presentation of the information. Second, she reacts extremely defensively and unprofessionally to even the smallest questions about treatment. For example, she told me that the hormone-stimulating medications she'd placed me on would not exacerbate my endometriosis. I asked "are you sure?" (really, that's all I said) and she responded very angrily that she "did not go to twelve years of medical school to not be sure," and that she took this question to mean that I was "challenging her education level." (Later, I received a second opinion on this question from a leading endometriosis/fertility doctor in Houston, who said that the meds Dr. Hansard had given me could, in fact, make endometriosis worse.) Before I chose Dr. Hansard as my doctor, I wrote her to say that I was a patient who needed to ask questions and do my own research as a way of coping with my health anxiety and because of my career background as a journalist/researcher. During the confrontation I just described, I reminded her of this email--I'd been very upfront about my needs as a patient, and had tried to make sure we'd be a good fit. She responded: "well, there are questions and then there are questions." She and her staff frequently provided me with contradictory information about my treatment plan, and then totally reversed course at the very last minute because either she or her nurse misread an email I'd written about my health history: The day before I was to start my birth control pills - after months of Dr. Hansard telling me that I didn't need to monitor my ovulation cycle - her nurse asked me if I had a family history of blood clots (something, of course, that they could have asked when they were developing my treatment plan). I told the nurse that my father had had a blood clot in his leg, but that I wasn't sure if it constituted a history or not and that I would check. He said his blood clot was injury-related, and didn't constitute a family history (he's a neurologist, so would know). I wrote the nurse this exact information the very next morning. Dr. Hansard changed the treatment plan anyways.... and suddenly it was a course of treatment that DID depend on my ovulation cycle, and that we were basically just guessing on. On my last visit with Dr. Hansard, during the fight I mentioned above, I told her that the treatment reversal had really shaken me up .She responded that she'd changed course because of my family's history of blood clots. I reminded her of my emails to the nurse. She looked back through my chart, seeming to read the emails, and then - instead of apologizing - said, "you should never bring up a family history of blood clots if you don't have one." Somehow, she managed to blame me for a misread email. Ultimately, a few days before my egg retrieval surgery, the nurses called to tell me that Dr. Hansard had decided to go on a last-minute vacation. The doctor that performed my surgery, Natalie Burger, was much kinder and actually came back to the outpatient facility after I learned that my surgery had essentially failed (four eggs when we'd expected at least eight...) and took time to answer my questions and explain things to me, something Dr. Hansard never did.

A lot of ob-gyns say she's the best in town.... there are other good fertility doctors in Austin and other parts of the country, though, so I would pay serious attention to your instincts and go with someone else if you're not getting a good vibe from her, and know that you need a doctor who will really talk through things with you and field your questions without taking offense.

I don't remember, unfortunately. It's been 18 months.

Roughly $11,000 for egg retrieval treatment + $4000 for first few years of storage.

Dr. Hansard was always kind and compassionate, she was also knowledgable and straight forward. From the first appt. I knew that I had her un-divided attention and that her goal was the same as mine - to get me pregnant. She listened, asked the right questions, and then gave me clear instructions on what procedures she recommends, and why. I never felt misunderstood or embarrassed about what I told her, or what questions I had. I went into this process knowing that I don't want a doctor who is my friend, I want a doctor who is going to be smart and efficient. She was both.

Don't expect her to be your BFF. She's there for 1 goal, and that should be yours as well. Ask questions, do your own research and be prepared for every appt.

Consultation - we went over my history and my husbands. She took notes and listened quietly, asking questions as we went. Protocol was to run tests - mid-cycle ultrasound to check follicles and HSG after cycle. She also prescribed a Progesterone suppository as she suspected that my uterus was shedding too early (based on our conversation). The next cycle after all of this, we conceived naturally! Found out 1 day after our follow-up appt. with her in which we discussed IUI options, and she suggested I take a pregnancy test the next day.

Doctor Hansard was very upfront with costs - she was knowledgeable about my insurance and my husbands. She gave her honest opinion and suggestions. Most of my time at the fertility center was OOP, since I hadn't met my deductible. Initial appt was around $100 OOP, Progesterone suppositories were $60 for 30 day supply, not covered by insurance, I had 1 refill during that time ($120 total), HSG was $400 OOP, Ultrasound to check follicles was about $300 OOP. Once I was pregnant, I had two ultrasounds at 7 weeks and 9 weeks both $370, also had my blood drawn about 7 times to check levels ($24 each).

Dr. Hansard has shown interest in getting me to my end goal of having a baby. My situation is a bit different in the sense that embryos look great I have no problem making day 5 blastocyst but no implantation happens. It has been difficult to choose a course of treatment because we have done ERA’s and PGS, blood thinners, steroids and laparoscopic myomectomy( a few years ago with different doctor) and most recently a hysteroscopy and no success.

I would say to trust her because she is very knowledgeable but in my situation I don’t think it’s my doctor hindering my success but rather something else we haven’t figured out.

We tried following a femara natural cycle for FET, this protocol didn’t work because ovulation always occurred too early. So I decided to do a medicated cycle because it was more controlled. We repeated the ERA with a different protocol of medication using crinone instead of progesterone in oil for FET. We tried using Heparin and dexamethasone. So far I still haven’t had success.

The costs for: IVF cycle for egg retrieval, every monitoring appointment, medications, lab tests, FET cycles had costs associated with doctors fees, surgery center fees, embryology lab fees.

Dr. Hansard recommends transfering one embryo for my age that has been PGS tested. During my previous FET we transferred two embryos due to my history of recurrent implantation failure and embryos were not PGS tested.

She is very knowledgeable and confident. I always felt encouraged and hopeful after meeting her. Sometimes I think she made me feel like pregnancy was going to happen easily or quickly for us, which it hasn’t. I still appreciated her encouraging approach versus a more realistic standpoint that it might be a long process. Sometimes I wanted her to slow down and talk with me a little longer about the treatment plan. I think she gladly would have if I voiced that that’s what I wanted.

Ask all the questions you want and tell her how you’re really feeling. She’s excellent at helping to ease your fears.

She diagnosed me with stage 4 endometriosis after surgery to remove it. We tried naturally for 4 cycles then began IUIs. The first IUI was with clomid only. Then I did two more IUIs with clomid (days 3-7 of my cycle) and 200mg progesterone suppository at night, 3 days after the IUI. After none of the IUIs worked she recommended IVF. While we saved for IVF, she said we could do another IUI and add injections. We decided to wait and save.

The IUI (one ultrasound, the IUI procedure and sperm prep) cost about $600.

Dr. Hansard is a gem! She is incredibly kind-hearted yet has a very practical and honest approach to her work. I have never once felt like "just another patient in her day". She is incredibly knowledgeable and also very in tune with your emotional needs.

Trust her!

Given my age and history of miscarriages, Dr. Hansard immediately recommended me for IVF and all of my stimulation medications were set to the highest dose possible. It worked! Statistically, I should have only had 5 eggs retrieved but we ended up getting 12. Dr. Hansard also had me supplement my diet with CoQ10 to increase my egg quality and of the 12 eggs that were retrieved, 10 fertilized.

My insurance covered a portion of certain procedures so it's difficult to determine what the actual costs were.

Dr Hansard is always very kind and informational when we meet. Even my husband felt she talked through things very well. The only reason I wouldn't give a 10 is because she does speak very quickly. There have been a few times where we've left the appointment thinking, "wait, what do we do next?" I wish the nurses would give you a summary of your next steps or treatment options.

Take notes when she's discussing treatment options. You will forget. Also- use the time she has with you to ask her any specific questions you may have.

We started our consultation by running multiple tests: a lot of bloodwork on both myself & my husband, an HSG test, and a few different ultrasounds. Once we began treatment, the current treatment we're using is taking Femara each cycle then coming in for an ultrasound to see my follicles. After this we'll determine next steps from here.

I interviewed Dr. Hansard twice before I decided to go with Texas Fertility. The first time I was put off by what seemed like a very conservative, staunch point of view. She does things one way, not much interest in conversation otherwise and perhaps not as learned as her confidence would suggest (ie. alternative protocols, combining eastern medicine with the program etc). So I went with a clinic in Houston where the doctor was immensely compassionate, experienced, humble and clearly at the top of her game. I cried happy tears finally meeting someone who could have an intellectual conversation around things and no ego. Alas amazing as the Houston doctor was the office was a giant mess. Important calls went unreturned for a day or two. Getting through to anyone took a number of digital hurdles. So back I went to resee Dr. Hansard. In my desperation what once seemed like an unfeasible ego was now maternally hawkish. I could get behind the idea of her as powerful woman and maybe find success accordingly. In all fairness she was quite communicative and clear. In signing on I was very well aware that she would be on vacation during the stimulation phase of my cycle, I would be seeing her colleagues for the sonograms but she would be checking in at night to rule on any changes in my program. Again, not pleased with the level of care I was given by the other doctors in the practice but I made it through all that fine. She returned from holiday and I went in for my retrieval the day before Thanksgiving feeling really strong. I had done everything I possible could to support the IVF process. While I had a history of endometriosis and medium to low AMH all signs were looking good. But as it turned out all the follicles were empty. We didn't get a single unbroken egg. I came out from under to her telling me my eggs were atretic, they've never seen anything like it, I probably had a genetic problem and should consider a donor egg. No further information given. In doing my own research I very quickly found a number of studies and articles that have been written about it. There's a widely used term - Empty Follicle Syndrome. And most other clinics have experience as well as a standard protocol in dealing with it. That Dr. Hansard nor her embryologist could not or did not share basic professional medical knowledge widely available in respectably journals online was quite peculiar. We went back for a follow-up appointment when the dust settled and she back peddled a bit. Maybe with a longer protocol we could have some luck. But the chances were slim. The implication still was there's a problem with me not them. She also didn't know for sure what drugs to use. In then speaking to doctors outside the state everyone was quite familiar with the Empty Follicle Syndrome. While not very common, it's not unheard of and in most cases with an alternate protocol women can have a measure of success. They knew exactly what drugs to use and in fact we got 7 eggs. Only 1 made it to freeze but I'm not a lemon. It was worth every penny to go out of state. In talking to other patients of Texas Fertility they too expressed not being given completely educated information and major issues being undiagnosed that could have been detected only after the first round of IVF. Texas Fertility looks very solid on the outside but beneath the surface it is not a strong, educated institution. They adhere strongly to a one size fits all program and that just doesn't work for most people.

Go out of state, don't waste time with anyone but the best.

Dr Hansard was wonderful. She was referred to us by my OBGYN after we had 3 failed IUI attempts with him. Dr Hansard is very much about education and helping you understand all of your options. She felt strongly about us trying with our own eggs before going straight to a donor. We did, unfortunately my own eggs did not take. We ended up going with a donor and she was there every step of the way. We had a successful pregnancy and are now the parents of a beautiful baby boy. I would recommend Dr Hansard to anyone looking into IVF or having any issues with becoming pregnant.

Set up a consult and the attend her presentation on IVF. She has these monthly at St Davids North. It's very informative and definitely the first step in helping educate yourself on your options and next steps.

She was very insistent on my only transfering one fresh embryo during our donor transfer. I was worried as I'm 42 years old. But it worked! She was right.

First round of IVF using my own eggs was about $10K as we participated in a study. Second round using donor eggs (including retrieval and transfer), was about $35K.

So far through our year with her she has been absolutely great! We have had some set backs that were not forseable and we have adjusted course and she is even communicating with other doctors in the area to help create a plan of action!

She tells like it is! She does not sugar coat things and get your hopes up. She is honest and caring while giving you the best chances of getting pregnant, we love her!

All of our IUI’s were unscuessful, as we are facing a MFI issue. We underwent an egg retrieval where I was put on your standard medications to produce eggs nothing extra. We received unexpected news when we only one embryo was able to be frozen out of the 14 fertilized eggs. We are doing an FET soon and will go for round two with a new course of medication if needed to be more success ful.

Our total cost for the whole IVF process without FET was about $10000. Not including medications. Our ultrasounds were about 200 each and the majority of that cost went to the embryology lab ($6k). The facility fee was about $1700.

Dr. Hansard was very knowledgeable and was up to date with the latest research. She has the perfect mix of bluntness and caring. She was always on time with appointments and made us feel like we were important.

If you want a positive experience for a stressful situation like off, go see Dr. Hansard.

My infertility was due to advanced maternal age. Dr. Hansard prescribed a more aggressive treatment cycle so I could produce an optimal number of eggs. My egg retrieval was more successful than what was anticipated.

Total was about $19,000. This included genetic testing for embryo and medication.

Dr. Hansard does not recommend multiple embryo transfer because it risky to health of babies and mother.

Dr. Hansard is very willing to work with you and doesn’t not push her beliefs. She does select the protocol that has shown to work well for your personal situation. She is very compassionate and cares about her patients and does not push you into anything you are uncomfortable with! She explains everything in detail.

Open up to her about all your concerns and you will feel much better after discussing with her.

We did an estrogen priming protocol with clomid, follistim, and high dose menopur. This works well to recruit follicles in DOR patients.

13k for ivf and transfer and 7 k for meds.

Lisa Hansard is a good communicator and has a very positive attitude. I didn't feel though that she offered many options aside from the standard IVF conservative treatment options. I had to bring research and options to the table to discuss for subsequent cycles.

Only see Lisa Hansard if you do not have overwhelming challenges with your fertility. If your case is fairly straightforward and likely to result in a positive outcome, she would be a good choice.

Started with IUI's since I had never tried to get pregnant. When 6 IUI's ended in failure, we moved on to IVF. My first IVF cycle was a total failure with no embryos making it to the blastocyst stage. My second IVF resulted in 2 abnormal embryos.

IVF - 25K IUI - $2000

Dr. Hansard gave me an honest assessment about the way in which she thought I could get pregnant. She chose a less aggressive treatment after my previous fertility doctor thought I needed to move on. She also is very knowledgeable and provided me with good information about PCOS.

Ask her to be honest with you about your chances of conceiving. Ask her lots of questions. Her nursing staff is also incredibly supportive and willing to talk anytime.

200 per visit, roughly 1,000 for clomid IUI cycle.

Dr. Hansard was so sensitive to us and our needs. She explained everything in detail and was so very compassionate. She is the absolute best! [The staff] really hold your hand through the process and are always accessible. Dr. Hansard treated us like family and I will be eternally grateful. I wouldn't change a thing. I can honestly say that.

Relax! She is the best and has your best interest at heart!

Dr Hansard is very knowledgeable in all aspects of assisted reproduction. A very compassionate doctor who I knew always had my interests and concerns as a priority. Comforted me through all the ups and downs of trying to conceive. By far the best doctor I’ve had in my life, across all specialties!

I’m sure most of the procedures and protocols have changed since 2000-2001!

The billing department worked magic and somehow most of our treatment was covered by insurance.

I loved everything about my expierence with her. Our initial consultation lasted an hour and a half as she was trying to gather as much information as possible to know how to proceed. She was kind, honest, gentle and firm all at the same time. She even cried with me when we heard the baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

Be 100%honest with her about your history!

She was wonderful. Made me feel confident that we would have a baby and that she was confident that she could help us achieve this goal. She had excellent bedside manner and celebrated with us when we did conceive. She gave me hope in having a family and eventually helped us have our family!

Trust her

I found her to be cold. She did not take time to listen or answer our questions- and would act defensive when we asked questions as though we were questioning her expertise. If we had any concern with any part of the treatment she recommended, she became very defensive and dismissive of our concerns.

Go along with whatever treatment she suggests and don't ask too many questions and you should be treated nicely.

About 800 OOP per IUI