According to Dr. Paul Magarelli, a reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist who was recently appointed as dean of the program\u2019s clinical arm, the training program is turning San Antonio into the epicenter of the growing fertility market.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no place in the world that has a business school, a lab school and a clinical school specifically focused on access to care by providing trained people in the IVF industry,\u201d Magarelli said.<\/p>\n
Growing fertility market<\/p>\n
In vitro fertilization is by far the most common procedure of the growing list of assisted reproductive technologies that treat infertility, accounting for 99% of such procedures.<\/p>\n
In 2023, nearly 100,000 babies were born in the U.S. with the help of IVF, accounting for 2.6% of births, according to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. The technology was developed in the \u201970s, and the first IVF baby was born in 1978<\/a>. <\/p>\n One cycle of IVF involves a number of steps generally performed over the course of two weeks. First, the patient takes fertility medications that increase the number of eggs produced by their ovaries. The eggs are then retrieved and fertilized with sperm in a lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n If successfully fertilized, the eggs divide and become embryos, which are then placed back inside the ovaries. Pregnancy rates from IVF vary depending on a number of factors<\/a>, of which age is the most significant. Between 45% and 55%<\/a> of women under 35 achieve pregnancy through IVF, but many of them will require several cycles.<\/p>\n Even one cycle, though, is financially out of reach for many people experiencing infertility challenges. Including the cost of required medications, one cycle of IVF in Texas can cost anywhere from $16,000 to $30,000, according to CYN Fertility<\/a>. Fertility medications and procedures are typically not covered <\/a>by health insurance, making it inaccessible to many in the U.S., according to KFF, a nonprofit health policy group.<\/p>\n A history of infertility, defined as the inability to conceive after one year of trying, is typically necessary to receive IVF treatment, although the procedure is also less commonly used to avoid passing on genetic defects.<\/p>\n President Donald Trump, who earlier this year said he\u2019d be known as \u201cthe fertilization president,\u201d has promised to bring down the costs of IVF, a contentious topic<\/a> among some of his conservative and religious supporters. <\/p>\n The $9 billion U.S. fertility market is estimated to grow to nearly $20 billion<\/a> by 2034.<\/p>\n Behind the curve<\/p>\n IVF procedures are performed by reproductive endocrinologists, OB-GYNs who have completed an advanced fertility fellowship. Embryologists, responsible for managing sperm and egg cells in the lab to create a viable embryo, are also crucial, as are a number of support staffers in the weeks-long process.<\/p>\n These specialties are in high demand<\/a> given the multi-billion dollar explosion<\/a> in the U.S. fertility market over the last few decades. The program gives OB-GYNs and other health providers certificates showcasing training in IVF procedures that is on par and often more intensive than many academic training programs, Magarelli said, allowing them to assist reproductive endocrinologists in the procedures.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re so far behind the curve that the amount of graduates that we graduate equals the amount of folks who retire or die or leave the practice,\u201d Magarelli said. \u201cWe\u2019re at a net zero, and yet the need is hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds.\u201d<\/p>\n IVF Academy USA\u2019s solution: offer specialized training to OB-GYNs, nurse practitioners and physician assistants specifically in the IVF procedure. The practitioners who go through the 6-month training program gain more experience on IVF egg retrievals and transfers via hands-on training and simulations than in an average academic fellowship, Magarelli said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not substitutes for reproductive endocrinologists,\u201d Magarelli said, adding that the program has received some pushback from these practitioners. \u201cThey are additions. It\u2019s a brand-new field of medicine. We\u2019re adding to help because the need is so great.\u201d<\/p>\n There are roughly 1,250 board-certified reproductive endocrinologists in the U.S. in active practice. In 2020, almost 300,000 IVF cycles were completed in the country, an average volume of 233 cycles per board-certified reproductive endocrinologist annually. The average REI provider would need to oversee approximately 1,600 IVF cycles per year to meet demand, according to a 2023 Science Direct article<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re up for the challenge \u2026 we\u2019re making the best adjuncts and supporters of the reproductive endocrinology and infertility community and the IVF industry out there,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The fertility market in the U.S. is exploding as venture capital and private equity pour money into clinics…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":485946,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5133],"tags":[219583,5229,219584,75684,22187,39840,199818,7202,7203,358,7453,3187,9087,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,7819],"class_list":{"0":"post-485945","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-antonio","8":"tag-access-to-health","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-fertility-market","11":"tag-in-vitro-fertilization","12":"tag-infertility","13":"tag-ivf","14":"tag-physician-shortage","15":"tag-san-antonio","16":"tag-sanantonio","17":"tag-texas","18":"tag-top-story","19":"tag-tx","20":"tag-type-feature","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-united-states-of-america","23":"tag-unitedstates","24":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","25":"tag-us","26":"tag-usa","27":"tag-wc-500-750"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115822775931063174","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=485945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/485945\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/485946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=485945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=485945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=485945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IVFAcademy_FertilityAssistedReproductiveTreatments_InVitroFertilzation_TrainingProgram_17_12.16.2025.jpeg\")
Katie Balloch, director of embryological training and education at IVF Academy USA, reviews a video feed from an embryoscope of embryo development from fertilization to the blastocyst stage over five days. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IVFAcademy_FertilityAssistedReproductiveTreatments_InVitroFertilzation_TrainingProgram_22_12.16.2025.jpeg\")
Katie Balloch, director of embryological training and education at IVF Academy USA, examines egg, sperm and embryo samples from a liquid nitrogen tank. Credit: Amber Esparza \/ San Antonio Report<\/p>\n