IVIRMA Jones Institute in Norfolk, Virginia — located at 601 Colley Ave — is one of the most historically significant fertility programs in the United States. The Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine, founded by Howard and Georgeanna Jones at Eastern Virginia Medical School, performed the first successful IVF birth in the United States in 1981. Today operating under the IVIRMA network (a global fertility group that includes IVI and RMA), the Norfolk program combines its extraordinary historical legacy with the resources of a major international reproductive medicine organization. The practice holds a 4.5-star rating from approximately 260 patients and maintains its LGBTQ+-affirming care commitment through the IVIRMA network's inclusive policies. For patients considering fertility care across Virginia, our guide to fertility clinics in Virginia provides a broader view.
Physicians and Clinical Team
The Jones Institute has trained many of the reproductive endocrinologists now leading fertility programs across the United States, and the current clinical team maintains that tradition of academic excellence. Physicians at the Norfolk location hold board certification in REI through the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and bring fellowship training from programs that include Jones's own long-running REI training program at Eastern Virginia Medical School. The IVIRMA network provides the Norfolk site with access to the broader group's research output, clinical protocols, and quality benchmarking from programs across the US, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The team includes dedicated nurses, PhD embryologists, andrology specialists, and patient care coordinators.
Services and Treatments
- IVF and frozen embryo transfer
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Egg freezing (elective and medical)
- Embryo banking and cryopreservation
- Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A, PGT-M, PGT-SR)
- Donor egg IVF (in-house and network donors)
- Donor sperm services
- Reciprocal IVF for same-sex female couples
- LGBTQ+ family building
- Gestational surrogacy coordination
- Male factor evaluation including surgical sperm retrieval coordination
- Recurrent pregnancy loss evaluation
- Fertility preservation for cancer patients
- Research participation opportunities through EVMS affiliation
Laboratory and Success Rates
The Jones Institute embryology laboratory operates with the academic rigor and attention to quality that has characterized the program since the 1980s. The laboratory uses vitrification for all cryopreservation and employs extended blastocyst culture and PGT biopsy capabilities. Integration with the IVIRMA network provides access to quality benchmarks from one of the largest international IVF data sets, allowing the Norfolk laboratory to compare its outcomes against global leaders. The practice participates in SART and CDC reporting, enabling the independently audited outcome comparisons that prospective patients rely on. Patients should review the most current cycle-level data published by the CDC's ART Surveillance program and the SART Clinic Summary Report.
Patient Experience
The Colley Ave address is in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, one of the city's most established and walkable residential and commercial areas. The location is accessible from I-264 and the downtown Norfolk waterfront, and is near Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, facilitating coordination with other specialists when complex cases require it. Hampton Roads patients from Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and the Peninsula can reach the Ghent office on the interstate network that connects the metro's dispersed geography. The practice also serves active-duty military patients and their families from the large Naval Station Norfolk community, and is experienced with TRICARE and other military-related insurance arrangements.
The IVIRMA Jones Institute's historical significance is not merely symbolic — the program's decades of clinical experience and its contributions to reproductive medicine research inform its approach to complex cases. Patients who choose Jones often do so knowing they are entering a program with deep institutional expertise. The LGBTQ+ inclusion framework of the IVIRMA network extends fully to the Norfolk site.
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
Virginia does not have a comprehensive IVF insurance mandate, though state law does require certain health insurers to offer fertility coverage as an optional rider. Coverage for IVF in Virginia thus depends significantly on employer plan design. Hampton Roads' large military presence means a substantial portion of patients at Jones have TRICARE or TRICARE-equivalent coverage; military patients should confirm the current state of TRICARE fertility benefits, which have evolved over time and vary by plan type. Large civilian employers in the Hampton Roads defense contractor sector, healthcare, and education may also offer fertility benefits. The IVIRMA financial team can assist with benefit verification. For self-pay patients, the network's size and experience allow for transparent cost planning, and financing options are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the historical significance of the Jones Institute? The Jones Institute performed the first successful IVF birth in the United States in 1981, when Drs. Howard and Georgeanna Jones established the program at Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk. The program has since trained hundreds of reproductive endocrinologists and contributed foundational research to the field. Patients choosing Jones are selecting a program whose institutional memory and research contributions span the entire history of IVF in America.
Does the Jones Institute have research or clinical trial opportunities? The EVMS affiliation provides a framework for ongoing research, and the IVIRMA network's global scale supports large clinical datasets that inform protocol development. Patients interested in research participation should ask the clinical team about open studies at the time of consultation.
Does IVIRMA Jones serve active-duty military patients? Yes. Given its location near the world's largest naval installation, the Jones Institute has long experience treating active-duty military personnel and their families. Staff are familiar with TRICARE enrollment, coverage variations, and the specific scheduling and logistical constraints that military duty assignments can create for fertility patients.
How do I schedule a consultation? Call (757) 446-7100 to request an appointment. Existing Shady Grove Fertility network patients may also be able to access some referral pathways through the broader network. Telehealth options may be available for initial consultations for patients who need to begin the evaluation process before traveling to Norfolk.