For couples and individuals navigating infertility in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Coastal Fertility Specialists has been the region's dominant reproductive endocrinology practice for decades. Founded in Mount Pleasant — just across the Cooper River bridge from downtown Charleston — the clinic has grown into the state's largest fertility network, with additional offices in Summerville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Savannah, Georgia. That regional reach, paired with a medical team deeply embedded in academic medicine through the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), sets Coastal Fertility apart in a market that otherwise lacks the density of fertility providers found in larger metropolitan areas. Patients throughout coastal South Carolina and the surrounding Southeast regularly travel to its Mount Pleasant flagship for care that blends academic rigor with a community-practice feel.
Physicians and Clinical Team
Coastal Fertility Specialists fields one of the largest physician teams of any independent fertility practice in the Southeast. All five reproductive endocrinologists are board-certified in both Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI) and Obstetrics and Gynecology through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG).
Dr. John Schnorr, MD, FACOG is the founder and Medical Director of the practice. He completed medical school at the University of Arizona, followed by an Ob/Gyn residency at the University of Virginia and a prestigious fellowship at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine in Norfolk, Virginia — one of the birthplaces of IVF in the United States. Dr. Schnorr also serves as Division Director of Reproductive Endocrinology in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at MUSC, giving the practice an ongoing academic and research connection.
Dr. Heather Cook, MD, FACOG earned her undergraduate degree in Psychobiology from UCLA and her medical degree from USC's Keck School of Medicine, graduating with highest distinction. She returned to UCLA for both her Ob/Gyn residency and her REI fellowship. She is a Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and an active member of both ASRM and SREI.
Dr. Jessica McLaughlin, MD was trained at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, where she was deeply involved in resident and medical student education. She has authored peer-reviewed work published in Fertility and Sterility and the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics, and is a co-author of the Merck Manual chapter on Female Reproductive Endocrinology. She now holds a faculty appointment at MUSC.
Dr. Carrie Riestenberg, MD completed her Ob/Gyn residency at Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, where she was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society by peer nomination — a reflection of her patient-centered approach. She went on to a three-year REI fellowship at UCLA Medical Center before joining the Coastal team.
Dr. Andrea Peterson, MD joined the practice in 2023, extending the team's capacity and broadening access for patients across the multi-site network.
The embryology, endocrinology, and andrology teams are recruited nationally, and the laboratory is led by a certified high-complexity director.
Services and Treatments
Coastal Fertility Specialists offers the full spectrum of fertility diagnosis and treatment, including:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — conventional and mini-IVF protocols
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction cycles
- Donor egg IVF — the practice has performed more than 15,000 IVF and donor egg cycles in its history
- Egg freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) for elective fertility preservation and medical indications
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A and PGT-M) — embryo biopsy for chromosomal screening and single-gene disorder testing
- Surrogacy coordination
- Tubal anastomosis (tubal reversal)
- Male factor evaluation — semen analysis and andrology services
The practice has collectively performed more than 35,000 ovulation induction and IUI cycles, figures that speak to the volume and depth of clinical experience available to new patients. For a deeper overview of what the IVF process involves, see our IVF guide.
Laboratory and Success Rates
The embryology laboratory at the Mount Pleasant location operates under multiple overlapping accreditations: CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments), CAP (College of American Pathologists), FDA, CDC, and AAAASF (American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities). That combination reflects both laboratory quality and outpatient surgical oversight.
On the scientific side, the lab employs third-generation embryo incubators and uses embryo isolettes to minimize the time embryos spend outside their controlled environment during manipulation. Vitrification — the rapid-freeze technique that dramatically improved frozen embryo survival rates compared to earlier slow-freeze methods — is the standard approach for all cryopreservation cycles.
Coastal Fertility is a SART member and submits annual outcome data for public reporting. Patients can verify pregnancy rates independently via SART's multi-year clinic report for Coastal Fertility Specialists. The practice's cycle volume — over 15,000 IVF procedures — gives those reported rates meaningful statistical weight.
Patient Experience
Coastal Fertility Specialists consistently earns strong marks for the interpersonal quality of its clinical team. The practice has received national patient satisfaction awards across multiple consecutive years, and in 2025 it won the Best Fertility Specialist honor in the Charleston's Choice Contest, hosted by the Post and Courier — recognition voted on by the broader Charleston-area community rather than a self-reported accolade.
Patient reviews frequently cite the responsiveness of the nursing staff, with many noting same-day or next-day email and phone responses. Patients going through emotionally taxing treatment cycles often describe the team as feeling like extended family — language that speaks to the continuity of care a multi-physician practice can offer when staffed adequately.
The Mount Pleasant clinic is the flagship location and tends to house the most comprehensive suite of diagnostic and treatment capabilities. For patients outside the Charleston metro area, satellite offices in Summerville, Columbia, Myrtle Beach, and Savannah can handle monitoring appointments, reducing travel burden during stimulation cycles. Explore all fertility clinics in South Carolina to understand how the Coastal network fits within the broader state landscape.
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
South Carolina has no state mandate requiring health insurance plans to cover infertility treatments, including IVF. This places the financial responsibility squarely on patients and their employers' benefit decisions, making cost transparency and financing options especially important.
Coastal Fertility Specialists works with a number of major commercial insurers — including Aetna, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Blue Choice, Cigna, United Healthcare, Tricare, and TriWest — and will file insurance claims on behalf of patients. However, patients are responsible for applicable deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and non-covered services at the time of care.
For out-of-pocket cycles, the practice offers financial counseling and refund programs that return a portion of fees if treatment does not result in a live birth — an option that high-volume practices with strong success rates can realistically sustain. Patients should request a detailed cost estimate and confirm which diagnostic services, if any, are covered before starting care.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Coastal Fertility Specialists treat same-sex couples and single parents by choice? Yes. The practice's range of services — including donor sperm IUI, donor egg IVF, and surrogacy coordination — accommodates a wide variety of family-building paths, and the clinical team is experienced in working with LGBTQ+ patients and single individuals.
How many IVF cycles has the clinic performed? The physicians collectively report more than 15,000 IVF and donor egg cycles over the history of the practice, along with more than 35,000 ovulation induction and IUI cycles. This volume places Coastal among the highest-throughput fertility programs in the Southeast.
What is the closest office to downtown Charleston? The flagship Mount Pleasant location at 1375 Hospital Drive is the primary site and is approximately 10–15 minutes from downtown Charleston via the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Patients in the West Ashley or James Island areas may find the Summerville office more convenient for monitoring visits.
Can I see SART outcome data before making a decision? Yes. Coastal Fertility Specialists reports annually to SART, and multi-year clinic-specific data is publicly available through the SART website. Reviewing live-birth rates stratified by age group and cycle type is the most reliable way to evaluate outcomes independently of the clinic's own marketing.