Colorado Springs is the second-largest city in Colorado, home to more than 490,000 residents spread across El Paso County at the foot of Pikes Peak. Long defined by its military installations—Fort Carson, Peterson Space Force Base, Schriever Space Force Base, and the United States Air Force Academy—the city has grown into a major regional medical hub serving a broad patient population that includes active-duty service members, veterans, and their families alongside the broader civilian community. Shady Grove Fertility (SGF) Colorado Springs has been providing fertility care to this community since 2006, when its founding physicians joined the practice after serving on the faculty of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Operating from a dedicated office at 4105 Briargate Parkway in the Briargate neighborhood, SGF Colorado Springs is part of the US Fertility network—one of the nation's largest physician-led fertility networks—while maintaining the closely-knit, community-oriented practice culture that residents of Colorado Springs expect. The clinic's physicians maintain an active teaching relationship with the University of Colorado REI fellowship program, meaning patients in Colorado Springs benefit from academic-caliber expertise in a local, accessible setting. For those researching broader options, our guide to fertility clinics in Colorado covers every accredited program operating in the state.
Physicians and Clinical Team
SGF Colorado Springs is staffed by two board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, each with deep subspecialty training and significant experience treating the specific challenges that military families and high-altitude Colorado residents face.
Shona Murray, MD is one of the most experienced fertility specialists in the Pikes Peak region. Dr. Murray earned her medical degree from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Queen's University, where she became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada—a credential reflecting the rigor of Canadian postgraduate medical training. She then undertook not one but two fellowship programs in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility: first at the University of Kentucky and then at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. This dual-fellowship pathway is highly unusual and speaks to the depth of her subspecialty preparation. Dr. Murray is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and board-eligible in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Her clinical interests center on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), anovulation, male factor infertility, and tubal disease, with a particular treatment focus on ovarian stimulation with and without IUI, donor sperm, and donor egg protocols. Having built her career in Colorado Springs, Dr. Murray takes special pride in serving the area's large military community. In 2021, she was named to the Colo|Spgs Magazine Top Doctors list, recognizing her standing among patients and peers alike. She also contributes as a clinical trainer within the University of Colorado REI fellowship program, helping to shape the next generation of reproductive endocrinologists.
Amy Lee Harris, MD joined SGF Colorado in 2022, bringing a formidable academic and military medical pedigree to the Colorado Springs practice. Dr. Harris earned her medical degree from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., then completed her OB/GYN residency at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth in Virginia, where she distinguished herself as Administrative Chief Resident. She subsequently pursued her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston—one of the most competitive REI training programs in the world—during which she held a faculty appointment as an instructor in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Biology at Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining SGF, Dr. Harris served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, providing REI care to service members and their families at Wright-Patterson Medical Center in Ohio, where she also held the title of REI Division Director and an assistant professorship. Dr. Harris is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and has contributed to peer-reviewed publications and book chapters on IVF success rates, uterine fibroids, and elective single embryo transfer. Her philosophy of involving patients as partners in their care—encouraging them to bring questions, articles, and ideas directly into the consultation—resonates particularly well with the medically literate and engaged patient population in Colorado Springs.
The clinical team is rounded out by experienced nurses, medical assistants, and care coordinators who support patients through every phase of treatment, from initial consultation through the two-week wait and beyond.
Services and Treatments
SGF Colorado Springs offers a comprehensive menu of diagnostic and treatment services addressing virtually every cause of infertility and family-building need:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), including conventional and modified stimulation protocols
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) with or without ovarian stimulation
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET)
- Egg Freezing (oocyte cryopreservation) for elective fertility preservation and medical indications
- Oncofertility—fertility preservation for patients facing cancer treatment or other medically-induced fertility risks
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A for chromosomal screening, PGT-M for single-gene disorders)
- Donor Egg cycles—fresh and frozen donor options
- Donor Sperm insemination and IVF
- Gestational Surrogacy coordination and support
- LGBTQ+ and single-parent family building, including reciprocal IVF (co-IVF) for same-sex female couples
- Male Infertility evaluation and treatment, in collaboration with urology partners including Dr. Eric Silverstein, a reproductive urology specialist in Colorado Springs
- Recurrent Pregnancy Loss (RPL) evaluation and management
- Diagnosis and management of PCOS, endometriosis, diminished ovarian reserve, tubal factor, and uterine abnormalities
- Fertility testing—AMH, antral follicle count (AFC), semen analysis, hysteroscopy, hysterosalpingography (HSG)
- Clomiphene citrate (Clomid) and letrozole (Femara) ovulation induction
- Reproductive surgery referral and coordination
- Military family fertility care with specialized awareness of TRICARE and VA benefit navigation
Laboratory and Success Rates
SGF Colorado's IVF laboratory is centralized at the Denver flagship location, a deliberate design choice that concentrates embryology expertise, equipment investment, and quality assurance under one roof. The Denver lab is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and has received recognition from SART for maintaining one of the nation's lowest rates of high-order multiple gestations—a reflection of the program's commitment to elective single embryo transfer whenever clinically appropriate. The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and The Joint Commission have also accredited SGF Colorado's facilities.
Laboratory leadership includes Hyo Lee, Ph.D., HCLD (High-complexity Clinical Laboratory Director), who is certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis. Lab Manager David Russell brings more than 20 years of embryology experience to the team. The laboratory employs vitrification (ultra-rapid freezing) for all cryopreserved eggs and embryos, time-lapse embryo imaging, and a chain-of-custody witnessing protocol that tracks patient samples at every step of the process.
Colorado Springs patients have their monitoring visits—bloodwork and ultrasounds—performed locally at the Briargate office, while egg retrievals and embryo transfers take place at the Denver surgical center. This coordination is managed carefully by the clinical team to ensure continuity of care across the two facilities.
Annual outcome data is submitted to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology; prospective patients should review the most current cycle-by-cycle data at SART's public clinic summary reports (sartcorsonline.com). National benchmarks and state-level comparisons are also published annually through the CDC's ART Surveillance Report, which allows patients to contextualize any clinic's outcomes within the broader national picture.
Patient Experience
SGF Colorado Springs occupies a full-service suite at 4105 Briargate Parkway, Suite 255—a location chosen for its accessibility to northern Colorado Springs, the Briargate and Northgate neighborhoods, and the military communities clustered along the northern corridor of the city. The office is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., with early morning monitoring hours to accommodate patients who need to return to work or base before mid-morning. New patient appointments can be requested by phone at (719) 314-3333 or through the SGF online scheduling portal.
The practice has cultivated a reputation for welcoming military families with particular sensitivity. Dr. Murray has made military patient care a focus of her practice for nearly two decades; Dr. Harris is herself a veteran and former Air Force physician. Staff are accustomed to working around deployment schedules, PCS (permanent change of station) moves, and the emotional complexity of fertility treatment under military stress. Patients frequently cite the team's responsiveness and thoroughness in reviews, with many noting that the physicians take time to review prior records in detail, offer transparent explanations of diagnostic findings, and welcome patient questions at every visit.
The SGF Colorado network, through its affiliation with US Fertility, provides a secure online patient portal where patients can access lab results, review treatment protocols, communicate with care coordinators, and schedule appointments. The portal is a meaningful convenience for patients managing complex monitoring schedules during stimulation cycles.
SGF Colorado has also received specific recognition for its LGBTQ+-inclusive practices. Reciprocal IVF, known as co-IVF, is routinely offered for same-sex female couples, and the practice actively assists single parents by choice and transgender patients with family-building options.
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
Colorado became one of the more progressive states on fertility insurance coverage when the Colorado Building Families Act took effect on January 1, 2023. The law requires fully-insured health plans covering 100 or more employees—where the employer is domiciled in Colorado—to cover up to three completed egg retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers, as well as fertility preservation for patients facing medical treatments that may impair future fertility. The mandate also explicitly extends to LGBTQ+ individuals and unpartnered patients, making it among the most inclusive state fertility mandates in the country. Self-insured employer plans (common among large national companies and federal employers, including TRICARE) are not bound by the state mandate, so coverage varies significantly depending on the patient's specific plan.
For military families, SGF Colorado offers a 15% discount for active-duty service members and reservists, and a 25% discount for veterans whose service-related injuries have affected their fertility, the latter in partnership with the Bob Woodruff Foundation. These discounts are among the most substantial military fertility benefits offered by any clinic in the region and reflect the clinic's deep roots in the Colorado Springs military community.
For patients without adequate insurance coverage, SGF Colorado provides several financial pathways. The Shared Risk 100% Refund Program allows qualifying patients to pay a fixed fee for up to six fresh IVF or donor egg cycles plus any resulting frozen embryo transfers, with a full refund if no live birth results. The Shared Help Program offers sliding-scale discounts for households earning $95,000 or less annually, verified by two years of tax returns. Financing through Fertility Finance—SGF's preferred third-party lending partner—is available for patients who prefer to manage treatment costs over time, with a range of loan products tailored to fertility patients. Financial counselors on staff guide patients through cost estimates, insurance verification, and financing applications before treatment begins.
Patients whose employers offer fertility benefits through Progyny, WINFertility, or other managed benefit platforms may also access SGF Colorado in-network through those programs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a referral to schedule an appointment at SGF Colorado Springs? In most cases, no. SGF Colorado accepts self-referrals from patients who are ready to begin a fertility evaluation. If your insurance plan requires a referral, your primary care physician or OB/GYN can provide one. You can call the Colorado Springs office directly at (719) 314-3333 or use the online portal to request a new patient consultation.
Where are egg retrievals and embryo transfers performed for Colorado Springs patients? Monitoring appointments—bloodwork and ultrasound scans during stimulation—are performed at the Briargate Parkway office in Colorado Springs. Egg retrievals and embryo transfers take place at the SGF Colorado surgical facility in Denver. Your care team coordinates the logistics and ensures a seamless hand-off between locations.
Does SGF Colorado Springs offer IVF treatment to same-sex couples and single parents? Yes. The practice explicitly serves LGBTQ+ patients and single parents by choice. Services available include reciprocal IVF (co-IVF) for same-sex female couples, donor sperm IUI and IVF, donor egg cycles, and gestational surrogacy coordination. Both Dr. Murray and Dr. Harris have significant experience with third-party reproduction across a broad range of family structures.
What financial programs are available for patients without IVF insurance coverage? SGF Colorado offers the Shared Risk 100% Refund Program (up to six cycles with a full refund if no live birth occurs), the Shared Help income-based discount program, military service discounts of 15–25%, and third-party financing through Fertility Finance. A financial counselor will review your eligibility for each program during a dedicated financial consultation before treatment starts.