Scott Zeitlin, MD — An Honest Editorial Review

Male factor is involved in roughly half of all infertility diagnoses, yet most California couples only meet an REI (the female-side specialist) early on. Reproductive urologists are a narrower subspecialty, and Dr. Scott Zeitlin — a UCLA-trained andrology fellow with a Santa Monica practice — is one of the region's long-tenured male factor infertility specialists.

Training and Credentials

Dr. Zeitlin earned his MD from SUNY Downstate Medical Center after completing CUNY Brooklyn College's coordinated BA-MD program. He completed his urology residency at SUNY Downstate with additional urologic oncology training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, followed by a clinical fellowship in andrology (male infertility, microsurgery, and erectile dysfunction) at the UCLA Department of Urology. He has taught at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA since 1998 and now holds the rank of Clinical Professor of Urology. He is a board-certified urologist and has performed NIH-funded research at UCLA for over a decade. His publication record is indexed on PubMed.

Professional memberships include the American Urological Association, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction. He is a former board member of the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society.

Services and Procedures

Verified services listed on his practice site include:

• Semen analysis and advanced sperm DNA fragmentation testing
• Microsurgical varicocelectomy
• Vasectomy and vasectomy reversal (including open-ended technique)
• Testicular sperm extraction (TESE) and microdissection TESE (micro-TESE)
• Hormonal evaluation and management of hypogonadism
• Coordinated surgical sperm retrieval timed with a partner's IVF cycle
• Men's health and erectile dysfunction care

Patient Experience

Google reviews sit at 5.0 across roughly 70 ratings. The useful signal is consistency paired with tenure — Dr. Zeitlin has practiced in Los Angeles since his UCLA fellowship and has been selected to Super Doctors 14 years in a row by peer vote, and honored three times as Clinical Faculty Member of the Year in the UCLA Department of Urology.

Considering At-Home Insemination?

Not every fertility path begins with male-factor treatment. For couples with no known male-factor diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before committing to clinical care — at-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option.

At-home insemination kits like those from MakeAMom ship in plain, discreet packaging, include step-by-step instructions for donor or partner sperm, and are reusable across cycles. If semen analysis has already flagged severe oligospermia, azoospermia, or a clinically significant varicocele, at-home insemination is not appropriate — a reproductive urologist is the right next step.

Insurance and Cost in California

California expanded fertility coverage under SB 729, signed in 2024, requiring large- and small-group plans to cover infertility diagnosis and treatment including IVF as implementation phases in. Male-fertility surgeries are sometimes adjudicated under the urologic/surgical benefit rather than the fertility benefit, which can change prior-authorization and copay logic — verify with your carrier before scheduling. Background: fertility insurance mandates by state (2025) and IVF cost by state.

Location and Contact

Santa Monica address: 1301 20th Street, Suite 230, Santa Monica, CA 90404 Phone: (310) 422-9262 Website: drzeitlin.com Telehealth appointments are available; Dr. Zeitlin also sees patients at Century City and Tarzana offices.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should a couple see a reproductive urologist? ASRM/AUA guidance recommends male-factor evaluation by a specialist with reproductive urology training when initial semen analysis is abnormal, when a couple has not conceived after 12 months of unprotected intercourse (6 months if the female partner is 35 or older), after a prior vasectomy with new reproductive goals, or when azoospermia, a clinically significant varicocele, or suspected hypogonadism is identified.

Does Dr. Zeitlin perform IVF? No. IVF — ovarian stimulation, egg retrieval, embryology, and embryo transfer — is handled by a reproductive endocrinologist and an embryology lab. Dr. Zeitlin's role in an IVF pathway is male-side evaluation and, when indicated, surgical sperm retrieval timed to the partner's egg retrieval. Couples typically pair a reproductive urologist with a separate IVF clinic.

Editorial note: Fertlo is an independent directory. See our editorial policy for how we research and update clinic profiles.