Catherine DeUgarte, MD — An Honest Editorial Review
Among fertility clinics in California, patients on the Westside often narrow their search by physician rather than by brand. Dr. Catherine M. DeUgarte is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist at Pacific Fertility Center Los Angeles (PFCLA), practicing at 10880 Wilshire Boulevard in Westwood. She is multilingual (English, Spanish, French, Romanian) and a Volunteer Clinical Professor at UCLA.
Training and Credentials
Dr. DeUgarte completed a combined BA/MD program at Boston University School of Medicine, graduating in 1998. She then completed her OB-GYN residency at UCLA and a combined REI fellowship at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai in 2005. She is board-certified in Obstetrics & Gynecology and the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility subspecialty by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and is a member of ASRM, ACOG, and the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society. Her REI fellowship thesis on preimplantation genetic diagnosis earned the Prize Oral Presentation at the 2005 PCRS meeting. Browse her PubMed publications, which include peer-reviewed work in Fertility and Sterility on PGD accuracy and third-party reproduction outcomes.
Services and Specialties
Services through Dr. DeUgarte's practice include:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), including frozen embryo transfer
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction
- egg freezing and fertility preservation
- donor egg IVF, donor sperm, and third-party reproduction
- Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A / PGT-M)
- PCOS, endometriosis, and recurrent pregnancy loss
- LGBTQ+ family-building and gestational surrogacy coordination
- Male factor evaluation
Success Rates and Lab Quality
PFCLA reports cycle outcomes to SART; see the SART Clinic Summary Report (ClinicPKID 2001091) and the CDC ART Success Rates report. Clinic averages blend very different ages and diagnoses — always compare within your own age band and diagnosis category. Our how to read IVF success rates guide covers the common interpretation traps.
Patient Experience
Dr. DeUgarte's 5.0/111 Google rating is unusually high for a Westside REI, and long-form Yelp reviews at the Wilshire office reinforce the pattern. Recurring themes include the multilingual consult, individualized protocol decisions, and direct physician access rather than routing through mid-level staff. The Westwood location sits near UCLA; patients monitoring daily during stimulation should plan around the 405 and Wilshire traffic windows.
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 Cost in California
California's SB 729 expands infertility and IVF coverage for large-group, state-regulated plans; self-funded (ERISA) employer plans remain exempt, and implementation is phasing in. PFCLA contracts with most major commercial insurers — verify benefits before your first consult. See our fertility insurance mandates by state guide and IVF cost by state breakdown for context on California pricing.
Location and Contact
Address: 10880 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (Westwood); satellite at 1818 Verdugo Blvd, Suite 402, Glendale, CA 91208 Phone: (310) 564-9194 Website: pfcla.com/doctors/catherine-deugarte
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dr. DeUgarte accepting new patients? Availability varies. Call (310) 564-9194 to confirm current consult slots at the Westwood or Glendale office.
Does she see Spanish-speaking patients? Yes. Dr. DeUgarte is fluent in English, Spanish, French, and Romanian and conducts consultations in those languages directly, without an interpreter.
Does PFCLA accept insurance? PFCLA contracts with most major commercial insurers. California's SB 729 will expand covered fertility benefits on many large-group plans as it phases in; self-funded employer plans vary.
Editorial note: Independently written by the Fertlo editorial team; not sponsored. See our editorial policy.