You may have noticed that demand for fertility care continues to grow as more people face infertility issues, delay starting families, and seek medical support to conceive.  In fact, infertility affects approximately 1 in 8 couples in the United States. At the same time, the fertility industry itself has expanded rapidly, attracting significant investment and consolidation.

Over the past decade, many fertility clinics across the U.S. have been acquired by, or partnered with, private equity firms. This shift has happened quietly, and most patients are never told about it. While some clinics remain physician-owned and independent, like Collab Fertility, others are now part of large investor-backed networks.

As a reproductive endocrinologist and the founder and medical director of Collab, I have watched these changes closely. I founded Collab to address the growing need for high-quality, personalized fertility care in the Bay Area and to build an environment where clinical decisions remain firmly in the hands of physicians and in the service of patients.

Private equity investment in health care services is not inherently negative, but ownership structure can influence how care decisions are made. And in a field as personal and complex as fertility medicine, those differences can matter.

What is private equity in health care?

Private equity firms invest in businesses with the goal of increasing their value and selling them for a profit, typically within three to seven years. In health care, this often means purchasing medical practices and operating them as part of a larger corporate network. Fertility clinics have become a particular focus for investment because IVF is a rapidly growing field with high demand.

Private equity ownership can bring resources for expansion and operational efficiency. However, these models are ultimately accountable to investors. Research examining private equity acquisitions across medical specialties has found that such ownership can lead to increased prices and higher utilization of services. In some settings, cost pressures may also encourage practices to increase patient volume or rely more heavily on physician extenders. While these providers play an important role in many care settings, higher-volume models may reduce the amount of direct physician involvement in patient care.

Physician-owned clinics, by contrast, are typically structured so that medical decisions remain in the hands of physicians whose primary focus is patient care, individualized treatment, and long-term outcomes.

How do you choose an IVF clinic?

Choosing a fertility clinic is one of the most important decisions you’ll make on your path to building a family. Success rates matter—but they’re only part of the picture.

When evaluating a clinic, patients may want to consider:

• Who is the owner of the clinic and who is in charge of operational decisions
• Whether physicians are directly involved in care decisions
• The experience and accreditation of the embryology lab
• Are eggs, embryos, and sperm frozen and stored on site
• The clinic’s success rates and transparency around outcomes
• How personalized the care feels during consultations
• Whether additional services support the whole patient

At physician-led clinics like Collab Fertility, care decisions are made by the medical team caring for you, not by outside investors or corporate leadership.

Our approach is intentionally personal. We are passionate about helping people grow their families and take the time to understand each person's medical history, goals, and concerns to design a treatment plan tailored to them.

We also believe that successful IVF depends on more than medication and procedures. The Collab Way is our unique model that integrates personalized nutrition, guidance to reduce exposure to microplastics and endocrine-disrupting chemicals, stress-reduction strategies, and referrals to trusted wellness partners, including therapists and acupuncturists. This whole-person approach supports patients physically and emotionally throughout treatment.

Behind every successful IVF outcome is also an exceptional embryology lab. Our highly trained embryologists work in a state-of-the-art lab environment using precise protocols and advanced technology to support optimal embryo development.

Does insurance cover IVF treatment?

Insurance coverage for IVF varies widely depending on the state and individual insurance plans.

In California, legislation such as SB 729 is expanding fertility coverage and access for many patients. However, many individuals still rely on a combination of insurance benefits and self-pay options.

If you’re navigating fertility coverage, understanding your options early can help you plan for treatment. You can learn more about new coverage laws in our guide to SB 729 and IVF coverage.

Here at Colllab, our dedicated financial counselors are committed to helping you understand your insurance coverage. We will help you get the most out of any and all available fertility treatment benefits. We will work diligently to find relevant discount programs so you can focus on growing your family.

Collab is in-network with United Healthcare, Cigna, Hill Physicians, Health Net, and Carrot. For non-contracted health plans, we will provide a detailed receipt of services and will help you submit directly to your insurance carrier to maximize any reimbursement.

We also partner with PatientFi, CapexMD, and Maven Wallet to provide affordable, stress-free financing options for fertility treatments.

What is the IVF treatment process?

Every fertility journey is unique. At Collab, we create a personalized treatment plan based on your medical history and family-building goals. Some patients conceive with less invasive treatments such as IUI, while others benefit from IVF. Because fertility care is never one-size-fits-all, every protocol is carefully individualized. When IVF is the right approach, the process generally involves several steps:

1. Initial consultation and testing – evaluation of hormone levels, ovarian reserve, and sperm health
   
   
2. Personalized treatment planning – selecting the protocol that best fits your medical history and goals
   
   
3. Ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval
   
   
4. Fertilization and embryo development in the lab
   
   
5. Embryo transfer and early pregnancy monitoring
   
   

At Collab Fertility, your journey is guided by an experienced clinical team—including compassionate and supportive nurses—and enhanced by advanced embryo selection and genetic testing. We also provide options for fertility preservation, including egg freezing and embryo freezing, which can be important for patients facing cancer treatment.

We also support patients who are starting families later in life, using donor eggs and sperm and gestational carriers, and those navigating male-factor infertility.

Why physician-led fertility clinics still matter

Fertility treatment is deeply personal. Patients often navigate emotional decisions, financial investments, and time-sensitive medical choices all at once.

In physician-owned clinics, clinical evidence and patient values guide medical decisions rather than investor timelines. Physicians maintain autonomy in treatment recommendations, and care teams can focus on long-term outcomes rather than short-term financial metrics.

This model allows us to maintain the type of care we believe fertility patients deserve: thoughtful, individualized, integrative, and grounded in trust.

The bottom line

Fertility care works best when decisions are guided by medical evidence, personalized protocols, and long-term well-being — not short-term financial timelines.

Understanding who owns and leads your clinic can help you make an informed decision about where to seek care during one of the most important journeys of your life.

Because I believe that building a family deserves thoughtful, individualized care. If you’d like to learn more about Collab and see how we can help you grow your family, reach out to us. We would be honored to guide your fertility journey. 

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Proudly Supporting Local Communities
Collab Fertility is honored to serve families in the East Bay like Danville, Alamo, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga, Piedmont, and Walnut Creek, as well as many other communities in the Bay Area and beyond, including Oakland, San Ramon, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Santa Rosa, Novato, Napa, Sonoma, and more.

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