Boston IVF Albany brings nationally recognized reproductive medicine to New York's Capital Region, giving upstate patients access to a full-service fertility center without the long drive to New York City or Boston. Located at 399 Albany Shaker Road in Loudonville — a short distance from downtown Albany — the clinic serves families throughout a wide geographic corridor that includes the Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, the Southern Tier, and western Vermont. For many patients in this part of the state, the Albany center removes a significant practical barrier: before it opened, the nearest IVF programs were in Albany's academic medical centers or several hours away along the I-87 or I-90 corridors.
The Albany location operates as part of Boston IVF, one of the largest and most experienced fertility networks in the United States. Founded in 1986, Boston IVF has recorded more than 150,000 successful outcomes across its network and now performs over 8,000 IVF cycles annually. The organization spans 11 states and is widely regarded as a pioneer in the field — it became the first ISO-certified IVF clinic in North America, a distinction that reflects its commitment to standardized quality across every location, including Albany. Patients who choose Boston IVF Albany gain access not only to local care but also to the research, protocols, and clinical infrastructure of a Harvard-affiliated institution that has shaped reproductive medicine for four decades.
Physicians and Clinical Team
Boston IVF Albany is supported by two board-certified reproductive endocrinologists whose credentials span academic medicine, federally funded research, and decades of clinical IVF practice.
Wendy Vitek, MD is triple board-certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI), Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Obesity Medicine — a rare combination that reflects her particular expertise at the intersection of metabolic health and fertility. Dr. Vitek earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, completed her OB/GYN residency at Magee-Womens Hospital of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and pursued her REI fellowship at Women & Infants Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. She brings more than 12 years of hands-on IVF experience and a focused research portfolio on how weight, metabolism, and PCOS affect fertility outcomes and embryo transfer protocols. Dr. Vitek holds faculty appointments at Upstate Medical University and as an adjunct professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and she has led clinical trial sites for NatPro and FDA device research. Her work on weight bias in reproductive medicine and preconception health optimization in PCOS patients has appeared in peer-reviewed literature. She sees patients in person at the Albany center and at Boston IVF's Syracuse location.
Michael Alper, MD is the co-founder, President, and Chief Medical Officer of Boston IVF and one of the most influential figures in American reproductive endocrinology. Double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Dr. Alper trained at McGill University for his undergraduate and medical degrees, completed his internship at the University of Toronto, and performed his OB/GYN residency at Harvard Medical School's Beth Israel Hospital in Boston before completing a research fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Beth Israel and Harvard. He holds an appointment as Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Alper has been recognized with the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award and is available for select in-person consultations at the Albany location, giving Capital Region patients direct access to one of the field's founding practitioners. Note that Dr. Alper is currently not accepting new patients in a primary-care capacity; new patient consultations at Albany are primarily conducted through Dr. Vitek.
Services and Treatments
Boston IVF Albany operates as a full-service IVF center, offering the complete range of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures on-site and coordinating with the broader Boston IVF network for more specialized protocols:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — including conventional IVF, mini-IVF, and natural-cycle IVF approaches
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) — for patients with unexplained infertility, mild male factor, or single and LGBTQ+ family-building needs
- Ovulation Induction — oral and injectable medication cycles with ultrasound monitoring
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A and PGT-M) — chromosomal screening and monogenic disorder testing on embryos
- Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation) — elective and medically indicated fertility preservation; the Boston IVF network freezes over 5,000 eggs annually
- Sperm Freezing and Embryo Cryopreservation
- Donor Egg IVF — access to Boston IVF's established donor egg program
- Donor Sperm cycles coordinated with partner sperm banks
- Donor Embryo family building
- Gestational Carrier / Surrogacy coordination
- Hysterosalpingography (HSG) — fallopian tube patency testing
- Saline Infusion Sonography (SIS) — uterine cavity evaluation
- Semen Analysis — comprehensive male factor assessment
- Blood draws and ultrasound monitoring — on-site cycle monitoring to minimize travel days for patients commuting from outside the Capital Region
- Gynecological surgery consultation and referral
- Oncofertility — fertility preservation consultations for patients facing cancer treatment
- LGBTQ+ family building — including reciprocal IVF (co-IVF) for female couples and gestational surrogacy pathways for male couples
- Emotional support and counseling — integrated mental health services and wellness support
Laboratory and Success Rates
Boston IVF's embryology laboratories operate under unified quality standards across the network, a framework reinforced by the organization's status as the first ISO-certified IVF program in North America. ISO certification requires documented process controls, standardized protocols, and regular audits — disciplines that were uncommon in fertility medicine when Boston IVF first pursued this designation. Laboratory services at the Albany center include embryo culture, extended blastocyst culture, vitrification (glass-state embryo freezing), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), laser-assisted hatching, and embryo biopsy for PGT.
Boston IVF reports outcomes through the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), the industry's primary voluntary reporting body. Because SART data is reported at the clinic level, patients researching Albany-specific success rates should review the most current SART clinic summary for the Loudonville, NY location directly on the SART website. National aggregate success rate data from all SART-member clinics — broken down by age group, diagnosis, and cycle type — is also published annually by the CDC's Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance, which serves as the federally mandated complement to SART reporting. Prospective patients are encouraged to compare Albany's published SART outcomes against national averages for their specific age bracket and diagnosis before making treatment decisions.
Patient Experience
Patients at Boston IVF Albany consistently highlight the advantage of receiving big-network expertise in a setting that is meaningfully more accessible than the large urban fertility centers. The Loudonville location is easily reached by car from across the Capital Region and offers complimentary parking, a practical consideration for patients who may visit multiple times during a single treatment cycle. The clinic's phone line for New York locations — (888) 300-9660 — connects patients to scheduling and nursing staff familiar with the Albany site specifically.
The Boston IVF care model emphasizes continuity: each patient is assigned to a primary physician who oversees their protocol, while a coordinated team handles monitoring appointments. This structure is particularly valuable for patients who have experienced fragmented care at larger academic programs. The network's patient portal provides online access to test results, medication instructions, and appointment management, reducing the communication friction that can make fertility treatment feel overwhelming.
Dr. Vitek's dual expertise in obesity medicine and REI also means that Albany patients dealing with PCOS, weight-related anovulation, or metabolic contributors to infertility have access to a clinician who can address these factors holistically — rather than routing patients to separate specialists. For patients in upstate New York navigating the overlap between metabolic health and reproductive medicine, this integrated approach is a notable clinical asset.
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
New York State has one of the more comprehensive fertility insurance mandates in the country. State law requires large-group commercial insurance plans to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including IVF, for eligible members. The mandate covers up to three IVF cycles and has been expanded over recent years to improve access for LGBTQ+ patients who meet the clinical criteria under the revised definitions of infertility. Coverage specifics — including the number of covered cycles, medication benefits, and diagnostic testing — vary by plan, and Boston IVF's Albany staff can assist patients with insurance verification before their first appointment.
For patients with limited or no coverage, Boston IVF offers financing solutions designed to reduce the upfront cost barrier. The network partners with established fertility financing programs and also highlights grant opportunities for qualifying patients, including the Boomer Esiason Foundation IVF Grant and the Kids Like Connor IVF Grant. Patients are encouraged to speak with the financial counseling team early in their consultation process to model out-of-pocket costs across different treatment scenarios — IUI, IVF with fresh transfer, and frozen embryo transfer cycles all carry different cost profiles. The Albany office can be reached directly at (888) 300-9660 to begin the insurance review process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where exactly is Boston IVF Albany located? The clinic is at 399 Albany Shaker Road, Loudonville, NY — a suburb just north of the city of Albany off I-87. Complimentary parking is available on-site. The location is convenient to patients coming from Saratoga Springs, Troy, Schenectady, and other Capital Region communities, as well as patients traveling from the Catskills, Lake Champlain corridor, and western Massachusetts.
Which physician will I see at the Albany location? Dr. Wendy Vitek is the primary physician conducting new patient consultations at the Albany center. She also sees patients at Boston IVF's Syracuse location. Dr. Michael Alper, co-founder and CMO of Boston IVF, offers select consultations at Albany as well; new patients should confirm his availability at the time of scheduling, as he is not accepting new patients in a primary-care capacity.
Does New York's fertility insurance mandate apply to my plan? New York's mandate applies to large-group commercial insurance plans, which covers the majority of employer-sponsored plans in the state. Self-insured ERISA plans — common at large multistate employers — are governed by federal law and are typically not subject to the state mandate. Boston IVF's Albany team can run an insurance verification on your specific plan before your consultation so you have a clear picture of your benefits going in. You can learn more about fertility clinics in New York and how state law affects coverage in our regional guide.
What is the difference between IUI and IVF, and how will I know which is right for me? IUI places washed sperm directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation and is typically recommended as a first-line treatment for mild male factor, unexplained infertility, or single and LGBTQ+ patients using donor sperm. IVF retrieves eggs from the ovaries, fertilizes them in the embryology lab, and transfers a resulting embryo to the uterus — it is more intensive but offers significantly higher per-cycle success rates and additional diagnostic information through genetic testing. Your physician will recommend a starting point based on your age, diagnosis, ovarian reserve testing, and prior treatment history. Our IVF guide covers the full process in detail if you want to prepare before your first appointment.