About SGF

Even in blizzard conditions, you can still count on the dedicated staff of Shady Grove Fertility when it comes to delivering exceptional, uninterrupted care to our patients.

Shady Grove Fertility Stays Open 365 Days a Year

Our patients count on us and we count on each other. Because of that commitment, we stay open 365 days a year, no matter what Mother Nature has in store. When inclement weather is forecasted, our team starts early, preparing and planning to care for patients through the weather. Each Shady Grove Fertility office makes the difficult decision to stay open or to close based on the condition of their location and what’s in the best interest of the patients and staff.

When a tough decision comes down to an office closing, it’s an all-hands-on-deck operation to make sure every patient is cared and provided for. We make sure all non-critical appointments are either rescheduled or relocated.

At Shady Grove Fertility, Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

During Blizzard 2016, while some offices were forced to close for safety reasons, our surgery centers and embryology laboratories remained open. All time-sensitive procedures, such as egg retrievals, occurred at each of these locations, allowing patients to continue treatment cycles as planned.

To stay open, dozens of dedicated staff stayed in local hotels so they were able to get into work to take care of their patients. One team member recalls, “Physicians and staff walked from their snowed-in neighborhoods, others picked up stranded teammates, and many worked through the weekend and into all hours of the night to be sure every last detail was thought of and our patients’ best interests came first. We call it “the Shady Grove way.” It’s doing whatever it takes no matter what. With Shady Grove Fertility, creating families and being a family is our mission.

If you are ever unsure about the status of an upcoming appointment due to anticipated inclement weather, please check Shady Grove Fertility’s website for the latest office information. If you’re interested in learning more about fertility treatment or what makes Shady Grove Fertility unique or to schedule an appointment, please call our New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967. 

While our offices remain open year-round, certain treatment types or cycle start dates may not be available every day; for example, a cycle scheduled to begin on a holiday may need to be adjusted or may not be offered at your local office.
 

As we light the candles on our 30th birthday cake this year, we’re also celebrating all the moments and milestones that led us to one of our most beaming accomplishments yet: 100,000 Shady Grove Fertility babies born. When we first opened our doors in 1991, one SGF baby was born approximately every 20 days. Today, 14 SGF babies are born every single day from hope — hope for answers, brighter tomorrows, and a family.

SGF came to be because our two founding physicians, Dr. Michael Levy and Dr. Art Sagoskin, wanted to offer the Rockville, Maryland community a ‘patient comes first’ approach to care. Their honest and simple mission has since grown into a mantra for more than 70 physicians practicing across 41 offices nationwide, one office in Santiago, Chile, 11 state-of-the-art embryology labs, and international partner clinics throughout the UK and Canada.

Yet, as we’ve grown in size, we haven’t outgrown our touch for personalized patient care. We smile at every birth announcement received in the mail. We cheer alongside you at the first sight of your baby on the ultrasound. And we’re there for the quiet times you simply need a hand to hold.

We’re here for all the moments and milestones.

“The fertility journey is made up of moments — some big, like hearing a baby’s heartbeat, and some small, like the time a nurse said just the right thing on a day a patient needed encouragement the most,” shares Dr. Levy. “On our 30th anniversary, we honor and celebrate all the moments made possible if not for the sheer grit and resilience of our patients as well as the tireless efforts of the entire SGF care team. This campaign celebrates moments that happen while patients are in our care and those moments beyond, like baby’s first steps, a child winning that soccer championship, your son’s high school graduation, or father and daughter walking arm in arm down the aisle.”

“A patient’s relationship with SGF is lifelong,” adds Dr. Sagoskin. “Your moments matter to us long after you leave our care. When you come to SGF you become part of a 30-year strong community. You become part of our family.”

Our Story is the Story of Our Patients

“I can look back 30 years and there are so many meaningful moments,” reflects Dr. Levy. “I still get pictures of 25-year-olds! There are so many stories that are just incredibly moving to me.”

Earlier this summer, we invited our SGF family to be a part of our commemorative video storybook by sharing photos and videos that reflect their SGF story on social media with #MomentsMadePossible. It’s our wish that this video storybook will inspire others and provide hope to those who need it most.

“While we joyfully celebrate 100,000 babies born, what we do is so much more than a tally of babies born,” says Vicki Gerber, Executive VP of Operations “The magnitude of our efforts reverberates for many years and generations to come. Every team member at SGF is an integral part of the care community. We take pride that our mission is one of restoring hope when it’s lost, calming fears in the face of uncertainty, and offering solutions after a setback. And we do it with an assembly of professionals who have the biggest hearts. That’s what makes SGF truly special.”

We promise to do what’s best for our patients every single day. And not just for the patients we’re walking alongside now, but also for the ones who will someday find the courage to say, “I need help.” Our dedicated practice leaders, passionate physicians, and all team members will continue to raise awareness of infertility and give a voice to many who keep their path to parenthood private. Let your voice be heard on social with #MomentsMadePossible. 

Here’s to another 30 years of moments made possible with SGF. And importantly, here’s to you.

Your dream of growing or expanding your family is within reach. Schedule an appointment to get started today. Please contact our New Patient Center at 877-971-7755 or submit this brief online form.

Helping patients overcome infertility is not simply a job, it is a mission for Shady Grove Fertility physicians. With compassion and dedication at the forefront of patient care, seven SGF physicians have earned their place on Northern Virginia Magazine’s 2021 Top Doctors for infertility list.

Local physicians throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. earn their “Top Doctors” badge based on peer nominations and physician-led panels representing 50 specialties. A research team then vets each nomination to ensure the physician is in good standing with the Virginia Department of Health Professionals.

“2021 marks SGF’s 30th anniversary, a milestone that is made possible by the trust, relationships, and commitment forged between our patients and physicians,” reflects Eric A. Widra, M.D., SGF’s Medical Director, who sees patients in SGF’s K Street – Washington, D.C. location. “We are privileged to assist our patients during their family-building journeys and will continue to lead the charge by providing innovative, patient-centric, effective options for overcoming infertility.”

The Seven SGF Physicians Selected as Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top Doctors

SGF’s board-certified reproductive endocrinologists offer patients a warm and collaborative approach to patient treatment and care while providing a full range of diagnostic and treatment options for male and female infertility. Practicing personalized care has always been at the heart of SGF, which is why 96 percent of SGF patients say they would recommend SGF to a family member or friend.

The seven SGF physicians honored as Northern Virginia Magazine’s 2021 Top Doctors include:

• Andrea E. Reh, M.D., from the Arlington office
• Paulette E. Browne, M.D., from the Fair Oaks office
• Naveed Khan, M.D., from the Leesburg and Dulles-Aldie offices
• Eric D. Levens, M.D., from the Fairfax office
• Anitha S. Nair, M.D., from the K Street and Arlington offices
• David S. Saffan, M.D., from the Fairfax office
• Eric A. Widra, M.D., from the K Street office

As the largest fertility center in Virginia, SGF offers infertility services throughout Northern Virginia (see all Virginia locations), as well as:

• two Richmond-based offices (Henrico Doctors’ – Forest and Stony Point), and
• two Washington, D.C.-based offices (Sibley Hospital Campus and K Street).

Dr. Widra Shares Inspirational Patient Story in an Exclusive with Northern Virginia Magazine

In honor of the Top Doctors recognition, Northern Virginia Magazine featured Dr. Widra and requested his favorite patient story:

“I was asked for my favorite patient story, but that is an impossible task. Through my career, I have had so many ‘favorite’ cases, that I can’t choose one. I have had cases where a woman donated eggs to her sister to start her own family after years of struggle. A family who turns to IVF to help them eliminate an inherited disease in their family history. Couples who continually miscarry and are finally able to have a healthy child through IVF and genetic testing of their embryos. The woman whose uterus was lost to cancer or surgery and now has a family by using a gestational carrier. The couple who thought they couldn’t have kids because of a low sperm count. The same sex couples who can’t start families without us. All of these are a tapestry of favorites that I have been privileged to help.

Each day, we have a list of patients who have come in for testing and we review their results in the afternoon. Many of these are having their first pregnancy test after a treatment. As I click on their names, I have the same rush of hope and anticipation for a positive result that I had on my first day as a fertility doctor.”

“I’d like to extend my congratulations to all the honored physicians in Northern Virginia Magazine along with a deepest appreciation for all peers who believe in our passion to make parenthood possible for members of the Northern Virginia community,” says Dr. Widra.

Additionally, SGF celebrates its referral network of 4,000-strong physicians annually who help make it possible for SGF to fulfill patients’ dreams of having a baby.

WATCH: Complimentary Webinars

For people struggling to conceive, it may be time to consult a fertility specialist. Contact the SGF New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967 or complete a brief online request form to schedule a virtual consult with an SGF physician. A virtual physician consult is the first step toward pursuing a pregnancy with the help of SGF.

We humbly recognize 15 Shady Grove Fertility physicians who have been honored as Top Doctors in infertility by Washingtonian and Baltimore magazines.  

Both Top Docs lists are the products of thousands of votes from peer physicians representing dozens of specialties. We would like to congratulate all top doctors who have received this special recognition.

The 13 Physicians of Washingtonian 2020 Top Docs

Nearly 13,000 physicians in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area nominated colleagues in each of the 39 specialties to determine the Washington region’s “Top Doctors.” This list is referred to as “the region’s very best,” and is intended to help readers find the best medical care in their communities. This year, the 13 SGF physicians selected as Washingtonian’s Top Doctors are reproductive endocrinologists,

• Michael Levy, M.D.,
• Arthur Sagoskin, M.D.,
• Eric Widra, M.D.,
• Anitha Nair, M.D.,
• Andrea Reh, M.D.,
• Kimberly Moon, M.D.,
• Naveed Khan, M.D.,
• Paulette Browne, M.D.,
• Eric Levens, M.D.,
• Jeanne O’Brien, M.D.,
• Frank Chang, M.D.,
• Joseph Doyle, M.D.,
• and reproductive urologist, Paul Shin, M.D.

“When Dr. Sagoskin and I founded SGF, we were two physicians who wanted to provide our Rockville community with fertility care that put patient needs first,” expresses SGF Co-Founder Dr. Michael Levy. “Today, I am proud to work alongside some of the best reproductive endocrinologists in the region.”

The 2 Physicians of Baltimore Magazine 2020 Top Docs

Stephanie Beall, M.D., Ph.D., and Howard McClamrock, M.D., are among the hundreds of physicians representing dozens of specialties in the 34th edition of Baltimore magazine’s Top Doctors issue. The two reproductive endocrinologists were selected among the estimated 14,000 physicians licensed to practice in the magazine’s readership area.

“I’m honored to be recognized by Baltimore magazine as a Top Doctor in the region, and it’s my patients who are at the top of my priorities,” shares Dr. Beall. “Fertility is a precious gift that all too often is taken for granted until it’s hard to obtain or taken away prematurely. For me, it is incredibly satisfying to help build families.”

Dr. McClamrock added, “Part of what makes Shady Grove Fertility a world-class fertility practice is the bond we are able to create with our patients. To the Baltimore community, thank you for trusting me and my fellow physicians to be a part of one of life’s most sensitive journeys.”

Shady Grove Fertility is Made Possible by Families

Additionally, we celebrate our referral network of 4,000-strong physicians annually who help make it possible for SGF to fulfill patients’ dreams of having a baby.

For people struggling to conceive, it may be time to consult a fertility specialist. Contact our SGF New Patient Center at 1-888-761-1967 or complete a brief online request form to schedule a virtual consult with an SGF physician. A virtual physician consult is the first step toward pursuing a pregnancy with the help of SGF.

Written by an anonymous Shady Grove Fertility patient:

I remember the dread, the sadness, the emptiness, the longing. I remember how it tore a hole in my heart. A hole that felt as though nothing but a child in my arms, finally, could repair. I remember how the days in May leading up to the one most dreaded day, Mother’s Day, seemed to tick by at a snails pace, as if to torture me. I remember the lump in my throat every time another blissful baby announcement would arrive. I remember the pit that would deepen in my stomach every time someone would ask about me, and their insensitive, innocent comments that would leave me in ruin. I remember the jealousy, the regret, the anger, the bitterness. It was all real and all painful.

But friend, it was temporary. Temporary. What? Wait. Listen. I promise you. I beg you.

You will get through this.

These dark clouds, this storm, it will pass and the light will emerge again. And it will be a beautifully blinding light. But only if you promise to never give up. Only if you stay in the fight. You may not see the finish line yet but it’s there and it’s closer than you think. But you have to finish the race. Finish the work you have started.

But don’t try this alone. Turn to your team, grab them by the arm, and take the last laps in a pack together. You don’t have to fight this fight alone. You’re not meant to. Let your strength be renewed by leaning on that of others. You have a legion, a community, a tribe around you who desires nothing more than to see you finish the race, and finish it strong. Go find them, and hold them close to you. Let them in. They’re there if you seek.

And when you do cross that beautiful, long awaited finish line, the victory, my friend, is sweeter than you can even imagine. You’ll come to know a love like you’ve never known before and you will be thankful that you didn’t give up.

Never give up. I beg you. You can do this. You deserve this. You will make it. You are strong enough. The prize and the victory are yours for the taking. If you believe and if you never, ever give up.

 
To learn more or to schedule an appointment, please call our New Patient Center at 1-877-971-7755 or complete our online form.