Houston Fertility Institute (HFI) is one of the longest-running assisted reproductive technology programs in the American Southwest, serving patients across the greater Houston metropolitan area from its flagship location near the Texas Medical Center—the world's largest medical complex. Founded decades ago by reproductive endocrinologist George M. Grunert, MD, HFI built its reputation as a pioneering IVF program during a period when assisted reproduction was still emerging as a clinical discipline. Today the clinic operates as Aspire Houston Fertility Institute (Aspire HFI), the name adopted after Houston Fertility Institute joined the Aspire Fertility and Prelude Network family, though longtime patients and referring physicians throughout Harris County still widely recognize the practice under its historic HFI name. Under any banner, the program now encompasses 14 clinic sites across the greater Houston area—from the Texas Medical Center corridor to Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Katy, Pearland, Kingwood, and Cypress—making it the largest fertility care network in the region. The practice has welcomed more than 30,000 babies since its founding and earned Castle Connolly Top Doctor recognition for three of its Houston physicians in 2026.
Physicians and Clinical Team
Houston Fertility Institute's clinical strength has always centered on a deep bench of board-certified reproductive endocrinologists (REIs). Every physician on the HFI/Aspire HFI medical staff holds dual board certification from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and in the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility—the gold standard of clinical credentialing in the field.
George M. Grunert, MD is the founding physician of the HFI program and one of the most experienced reproductive endocrinologists in Texas. A Rice University undergraduate and Baylor College of Medicine graduate, Dr. Grunert completed his OB/GYN residency at Naval Regional Medical Center in Oakland before undertaking his REI fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. He established the IVF laboratory and clinical program that became Houston Fertility Institute and has directed it through multiple decades of technological advancement—from early IVF to blastocyst culture, vitrification, and preimplantation genetic testing. Castle Connolly recognized Dr. Grunert as a 2026 Top Doctor, one of the longest-tenured Castle Connolly honorees in Houston reproductive medicine.
Randall C. Dunn, MD is another Castle Connolly 2026 Top Doctor and a cornerstone of the HFI physician roster. Dr. Dunn brings deep expertise in advanced IVF and has been associated with the Houston Fertility Institute program for many years, providing continuity of care that long-term HFI patients value highly.
S. Kemi Nurudeen, MD serves as Director of Fertility Preservation for the program. She graduated magna cum laude from Texas A&M University, earned her medical degree from Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine, and completed her OB/GYN residency at Georgetown University Hospital—where she was selected as Chief Resident. Her REI fellowship was completed at New York Presbyterian Hospital–Columbia University Medical Center. Dr. Nurudeen specializes in fertility preservation, diminished ovarian reserve, ovarian aging, and third-party reproduction. Castle Connolly named her a 2026 Top Doctor.
Ryan Steward, MD serves as Director of Assisted Reproduction Technologies and Preimplantation Genetic Testing. He earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, completed his OB/GYN residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston–Memorial Hermann Hospital, and pursued his REI fellowship at Duke University. Dr. Steward is double board-certified in OB/GYN and REI, with a clinical focus on advanced IVF, fertility preservation, reproductive genetics, and recurrent pregnancy loss.
Timothy Dunn, MD completed medical school at Baylor College of Medicine—graduating with Highest Honors—followed by an OB/GYN residency at the University of Alabama–Birmingham (where he was named Administrative Chief Resident) and an REI fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine. He brings particular expertise in IVF, reproductive surgery, and the evaluation and treatment of male factor infertility. His fellowship and practice at the same institution where his father, Dr. Randall Dunn, has spent his career reflects the program's multigenerational roots in Houston fertility medicine.
Sandra Bello, MD holds the title of Chief of Reproductive Surgery and oversees the program's complex operative gynecology work, including hysteroscopy, laparoscopy for endometriosis, and uterine anomaly correction. Additional Houston physicians include Mazen Abdallah, MD; Alexa Clapp, MD; Nischelle Kalakota, MD; Maya Kriseman, MD; Reem Sabouni, MD; Rhiana Saunders, MD; Josh Skorupski, MD; and Jason Yeh, MD (Director of Patient Education). Advanced practice providers including Kristen Cernosek, MSN, APRN, FNP-C; Tonna Daniels, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC; Sarah Loewenthal, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC; Kelly Nowicki, MSN, APRN, FNP-C; and Julie Daniel Salazar, MSN, APRN, FNP-C support patient access at monitoring locations throughout the metro area.
Services and Treatments
The Houston Fertility Institute program offers one of the most comprehensive treatment menus in Texas:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), including conventional and mini-IVF protocols
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) for male factor infertility
- Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), both non-medicated and medicated
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A for chromosomal aneuploidies, PGT-M for monogenic diseases, PGT-SR for structural rearrangements)
- Egg Freezing (elective oocyte cryopreservation) and oncofertility preservation
- Egg Donation—the clinic operates a dedicated egg donor bank described as the largest third-party reproduction program in Texas
- Gestational Surrogacy coordination
- INVOcell (intravaginal culture device as a lower-cost IVF alternative)
- LGBTQ+ family building, including services for same-sex couples and single parents by choice
- Male Fertility Evaluation, including semen analysis, hormone testing, and surgical sperm retrieval
- Recurrent Pregnancy Loss evaluation and management
- Diagnosis and treatment of PCOS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and tubal factor infertility
- Genetic counseling and family balancing
- Fertility diagnostics (AMH, antral follicle count, HSG, diagnostic hysteroscopy)
- International patient services
Laboratory and Success Rates
The HFI/Aspire HFI IVF laboratory is anchored at the clinic's primary Houston site and has operated as a clinical embryology program since the clinic's founding—giving it one of the longest continuous ART laboratory track records in the Southwest. The laboratory director holds advanced credentials in high-complexity laboratory direction, andrology, and embryology. Embryologists on staff carry doctoral and bachelor of science degrees in reproductive biology and related life sciences.
The laboratory uses vitrification (rapid-freeze) protocols for all egg and embryo cryopreservation, time-lapse embryo imaging to monitor development without disturbing culture conditions, and a rigorous dual-witness chain-of-custody system to safeguard every patient's samples at each stage of handling. Preimplantation genetic testing is performed in collaboration with certified reference genetics laboratories.
The program reports IVF success rates that exceed the national average on an annual basis. Because patient populations, diagnostic profiles, and laboratory protocols differ substantially from clinic to clinic, prospective patients should review independently verified outcome data before drawing comparisons. Aspire HFI reports its annual cycle outcomes to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology; multi-year data is publicly available at SART's public clinic summary report for Aspire Houston Fertility Institute. National benchmarks from the CDC's ART Surveillance Report allow patients to contextualize any individual clinic's outcomes against the full U.S. ART patient population.
Patient Experience
The hub-and-spoke model that HFI pioneered in Houston—monitoring at neighborhood satellite offices, surgical procedures at a dedicated IVF center—is now widely replicated but remains one of the practice's most distinctive patient-experience strengths. With 14 access points across greater Houston, patients can schedule early-morning bloodwork and ultrasound monitoring close to home in Katy, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Pearland, Cypress, Kingwood, Willowbrook, or the Memorial City area, then travel to the Piney Point surgery center only on procedure days. This significantly reduces the time burden of daily monitoring cycles, which otherwise require early-morning visits six to ten consecutive days during an IVF stimulation phase.
Patient feedback across review platforms consistently highlights several themes: attentive and responsive nursing staff, physicians who communicate clearly and calmly during stressful decision-making moments, and same-day callback times for clinical questions routed through the patient portal. The patient portal provides real-time access to lab results and cycle calendars. The clinical team also includes mental health and wellness support, recognizing that fertility treatment carries a substantial emotional and psychological toll alongside its physical demands. Multilingual support is available in English and Spanish, with additional language assistance accessible through the broader network.
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 Financing
Texas does not have a state mandate requiring private health insurance plans to cover IVF, intrauterine insemination, or other assisted reproductive technologies. This means most commercially insured patients in Houston bear significant out-of-pocket costs for fertility treatment, with IVF cycle fees commonly ranging from $12,000 to $20,000 or more depending on medications, genetic testing, and the number of cycles required. Patients with employer-sponsored coverage through large Houston employers—particularly those in the energy, healthcare, and technology sectors—should verify whether their plan includes any fertility benefit, as employer-funded fertility coverage has grown substantially in recent years.
HFI/Aspire HFI maintains a team of in-house financial counselors who provide transparent cost consultations before treatment begins. For patients paying out of pocket, third-party financing is available through partners including LendingClub Patient Solutions, CapexMD, Prosper Healthcare Lending, and PatientFi—all of which offer fertility-specific loan products with deferred-interest or installment payment structures. The clinic also partners with BUNDL Fertility for shared-risk multi-cycle packages. For qualifying patients, Aspire HFI's own financial assurance program provides reduced-cost subsequent IVF cycles if the first fresh retrieval cycle and embryo transfer does not result in pregnancy and no frozen embryos remain—an arrangement designed to share financial risk between the clinic and patient.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the relationship between Houston Fertility Institute and Aspire Houston Fertility Institute? Houston Fertility Institute (HFI) was founded by Dr. George Grunert and operated for decades as an independent practice before joining the Aspire Fertility and Prelude Network family. The practice now operates under the Aspire Houston Fertility Institute brand while maintaining the same physicians, laboratory, and clinical programs that HFI patients have known for years. The original clinic website (hficlinic.com) redirects to aspirehfi.com.
How many doctors specialize in reproductive endocrinology at Houston Fertility Institute? The Houston Fertility Institute program (Aspire HFI) fields more than a dozen board-certified reproductive endocrinologists across the Houston metro area, making it one of the largest REI physician groups in Texas. All are dual board-certified in OB/GYN and REI by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Does Houston Fertility Institute report IVF success rates to SART? Yes. The clinic submits annual IVF outcome data to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Multi-year success rate data is publicly accessible through SART's online clinic summary report, allowing prospective patients to evaluate outcomes by age group and cycle type.
What financing options are available if my insurance does not cover IVF in Texas? HFI/Aspire HFI offers financing through multiple third-party lenders including LendingClub, CapexMD, Prosper Healthcare Lending, and PatientFi. The practice also offers multi-cycle shared-risk packages through BUNDL Fertility and its own financial assurance program, which reduces the cost of subsequent cycles for patients whose first fresh IVF cycle does not result in pregnancy.
For a broader overview of fertility care providers across the state, see our guide to fertility clinics in Texas. If you are researching treatment options, our comprehensive IVF guide walks through the full process, typical costs, and what to expect at every stage of a cycle.