Northern Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine — An Honest Editorial Review

Reno occupies an unusual geographic position in the fertility care landscape. Close enough to Sacramento and the Bay Area that some patients weigh cross-border options, yet far enough from Las Vegas — where a competing full-service clinic serves Southern Nevada — that Northern Nevada residents have historically had limited local choices. That backdrop gives the Northern Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine (NCRM) an outsized role in its region. Established in 1999, NCRM holds a distinction no other clinic in Northern Nevada can match: full accreditation as a reproductive endocrinology and infertility facility. Now part of the Ivy Fertility network, it combines 25-plus years of regional experience with the infrastructure of a national practice. For patients in the Reno-Sparks metro area beginning to evaluate their options, here is what the clinic looks like up close.

Physicians and Clinical Team

NCRM's clinical identity centers on Dr. Scott Whitten, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility subspecialist. Board certification in REI requires an Ob/Gyn residency followed by a competitive two- to three-year fellowship in reproductive medicine — a credential that distinguishes REIs from general OBs who offer fertility services as a sideline.

Patient reviews of Dr. Whitten are mixed in ways typical of a busy solo-physician practice. Positive accounts describe a physician who respects patient time and financial constraints, engages substantively when patients bring research to appointments, and brings genuine empathy to a specialty defined by loss and uncertainty. Critical reviews tend to center on the structural realities of a solo practice: IVF cycles are batched rather than continuous, meaning retrieval timing can be shaped by the clinic's schedule rather than strictly by a patient's optimal window, and the administrative load can strain a lean support staff.

The clinical support team includes Jennifer Lassi, NP, a board-certified nurse practitioner with an extensive background in women's health and fertility care, and Jonna Collins, PA-C, a physician assistant who holds Master's degrees in both Reproductive Physiology and Public Health and brings over a decade of reproductive health experience to patient interactions. Both mid-level providers handle a significant share of monitoring appointments, care coordination, and day-to-day patient communication.

In the laboratory, Dr. Gnanaratnam Girtharan serves as Laboratory Director — a role that is in many ways the functional heart of any IVF program. Dr. Girtharan has more than 15 years of expertise in assisted reproductive technologies, with particular depth in micromanipulation techniques including intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT). In a field where laboratory director experience and technique directly affect whether embryos survive to blastocyst stage, that level of specificity matters more than marketing language.

Services and Treatments

NCRM offers a comprehensive menu of reproductive medicine services, including:

• IVF and Gentle IVF — Conventional IVF as well as lower-stimulation "gentle" protocols designed for patients who respond poorly to high-dose medications or who have medical reasons to limit hormone exposure.
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) — A lower-cost, lower-intensity first-line treatment appropriate for specific diagnoses including unexplained infertility, mild male factor, and same-sex female couples using donor sperm.
• Egg Freezing and Fertility Preservation — Elective vitrification and preservation for patients who want to extend their reproductive window, as well as medically indicated preservation for cancer patients.
• Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) — Embryo biopsy and chromosomal screening before transfer, which can improve per-transfer success rates and reduce miscarriage risk in appropriate populations.
• Male Infertility Evaluation and Treatment — Semen analysis and workup for male-factor causes, which account for a meaningful share of infertility diagnoses even when they are not the first thing patients think to investigate.
• Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Services — Evaluation and care management for patients who have experienced multiple pregnancy losses.
• Donor Egg Cycles — For patients with diminished ovarian reserve, poor prior response, advanced maternal age, or genetic considerations.
• Surrogacy — Care coordination for intended parents working with a gestational carrier.
• LGBTQ+ Family Building — Including reciprocal IVF for female couples, donor-sperm IUI and IVF, and surrogacy pathways for gay male couples.

For a comprehensive overview of how the IVF process works — from initial diagnostics through embryo transfer and the two-week wait — see our IVF guide.

Laboratory and Success Rates

NCRM describes its IVF laboratory as among the top in the nation, with success rates up to 20 percent above the national average — claims that are directionally consistent with having a credentialed laboratory director and a long operational history, though independent verification requires checking the clinic's published SART data directly. What is confirmed: the clinic reports to SART, holds FDA and CLIA recognition, and carries the full accreditation it markets as unique in Northern Nevada.

The lab performs ICSI in-house, handles embryo biopsy for PGT, and conducts embryo vitrification — the current standard flash-freeze method that has largely replaced slow-freeze protocols due to higher post-thaw survival rates. Dr. Girtharan's depth in micromanipulation is particularly relevant for cases involving ICSI and PGT biopsy, where technical precision directly affects embryo viability. Patients who want to evaluate published outcomes can access the clinic's most recent data through the SART Clinic Summary Report, which publishes live birth rates by age group and cycle type on a two-year reporting lag.

Patient Experience

NCRM operates a single location at 645 Sierra Rose Drive, Suite 205, Reno, NV 89511 — off Interstate 580 and approximately ten minutes from Reno-Tahoe International Airport. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed 12:00–1:00 PM).

Being a patient at a single-physician practice differs meaningfully from care at a multi-REI group. Continuity is built in — the same physician oversees the case from consultation through retrieval to transfer — but throughput is limited. Patients note that IVF cycles run on a periodic schedule rather than continuously, which can add weeks to a timeline when the patient's stimulation window does not align with the clinic's next scheduled retrieval date. That is a structural feature common to smaller independent practices, not a quality deficiency, but patients should ask directly about current scheduling lead times during the initial consultation.

The clinic has received coverage from The Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, the BBC, and Reuters — an unusual level of media visibility for a regional single-site practice that speaks to its 25-plus-year presence in the specialty.

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

Nevada does not have an insurance mandate requiring health insurers to cover IVF or fertility treatments. That means the overwhelming majority of NCRM patients are paying out of pocket or relying on employer-provided fertility benefits — a benefit that remains inconsistent across employers and is far more common at large technology companies than at mid-size employers. A fresh IVF cycle at NCRM runs approximately $14,000 before medications, which typically add several thousand dollars more depending on protocol.

NCRM has established financing partnerships to help patients manage costs. The clinic works with CapexMD, a lender that specializes specifically in fertility treatment financing, as well as LendingClub and Ally Lending — both of which the clinic notes have favorable rates and flexible repayment structures for fertility patients. NCRM also encourages patients to schedule a complimentary financial consultation after their initial clinical consultation and before beginning treatment, which is a sound practice for understanding the full cost picture before committing to a protocol.

Patients with any employer-sponsored insurance should verify whether their plan includes fertility benefits before assuming self-pay is the only option. For a broader view of fertility coverage options across the state, see our guide to fertility clinics in Nevada.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the physician at Northern Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine?

The clinic's physician is Dr. Scott Whitten, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility subspecialist. He is supported by Jennifer Lassi, NP (board-certified nurse practitioner) and Jonna Collins, PA-C (physician assistant with Master's degrees in Reproductive Physiology and Public Health). The IVF laboratory is directed by Dr. Gnanaratnam Girtharan, who has more than 15 years of experience in assisted reproductive technologies including ICSI and embryo biopsy.

Is NCRM the only accredited fertility clinic in Northern Nevada?

Yes, as of their published materials, the Northern Nevada Center for Reproductive Medicine is the only fully accredited reproductive endocrinology and infertility clinic in Northern Nevada. The clinic holds SART membership, FDA registration, and CLIA certification, and has been operating since 1999.

Does Nevada require insurance to cover IVF?

No. Nevada does not have a state insurance mandate requiring coverage of IVF or other fertility treatments. Most patients at NCRM pay out of pocket or through employer fertility benefits. The clinic offers financing through CapexMD, LendingClub, and Ally Lending. Patients should request a detailed fee schedule and schedule a complimentary financial consultation before starting a treatment cycle.

How do I find NCRM's published IVF success rates?

NCRM reports to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), which publishes clinic-specific outcome data — including live birth rates by age group and cycle type — on a standard two-year reporting lag. Patients can search the SART Clinic Summary Report database directly to view the most recently available outcome data for the clinic.