Mary Abusief, MD, FACOG — An Honest Editorial Review

Choosing among fertility clinics in California often comes down to a specific physician and the group behind them. Dr. Mary E. Abusief is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with PAMF Fertility Physicians of Northern California (part of Sutter Health) at 2581 Samaritan Drive, Suite 302, San Jose — a long-standing Bay Area REI practice that integrated into Palo Alto Medical Foundation in 2013.

Dr. Abusief is double board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in OB-GYN and in the Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility subspecialty. She currently serves as Executive Medical Director for Women's Health at Sutter Health — Palo Alto Medical Foundation, and she sees REI patients at both the San Jose Samaritan Drive office and the East Palo Alto Care Center on University Avenue.

Training and Credentials

Dr. Abusief earned her MD at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, completed her OB-GYN residency at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis — where she was named Resident of the Year — and completed her REI fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Her fellowship research on menstrual function and fertility in women treated with chemotherapy won First Prize at the 2006 New England Fertility Society Annual Meeting, and she received an Expanding the Boundaries Research Grant from Harvard's Department of OB-GYN and Reproductive Sciences. She is a member of ASRM, SREI, and SART. Browse her PubMed publications.

Services and Specialties

Services through Dr. Abusief's practice include:

• In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), including frozen embryo transfer
• Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and ovulation induction
• Egg freezing and fertility preservation (including oncofertility)
• Donor egg IVF and third-party reproduction
• Preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A / PGT-M)
• Management of PCOS, endometriosis, and premature ovarian insufficiency
• Reproductive surgery and embryo / sperm cryopreservation

Success Rates and Lab Quality

PAMF Fertility Physicians of Northern California reports cycle outcomes to SART; see the SART Clinic Summary Report (ClinicPKID 2070) and the CDC ART Success Rates report. National averages blend very different ages and diagnoses — always compare within your own age band. Our how to read IVF success rates guide walks through common interpretation traps.

Patient Experience

Dr. Abusief's 5.0/27 Google rating is strong for a high-volume REI practice, and recurring themes in public reviews point to thorough pre-cycle planning, clear informed-consent conversations before retrieval, and responsive communication during stimulation monitoring. The Samaritan Drive office sits adjacent to Good Samaritan Hospital off Highway 85; patients commuting from East Bay or the Peninsula should budget time for rush-hour 880/280 traffic during early-morning monitoring visits.

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, signed in September 2024, requires large-group state-regulated commercial health plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of infertility — including IVF — with coverage obligations phasing in beginning in 2025. Self-funded (ERISA) employer plans are exempt. PAMF / Sutter Health 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.

Location and Contact

Address: 2581 Samaritan Drive, Suite 302, San Jose, CA 95124 Phone: 800-597-2234 Website: sutterhealth.org — Dr. Mary Abusief

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Dr. Abusief accepting new patients? As of her Sutter Health profile, she is accepting new REI patients but not general OB/GYN patients. Availability shifts throughout the year — call 800-597-2234 to confirm.

Does PAMF Fertility accept insurance? PAMF / Sutter Health contracts with most major commercial insurers. California's SB 729 expands IVF coverage obligations on many large-group plans starting in 2025; self-funded employer plans remain exempt.

Where else does Dr. Abusief see patients? In addition to the San Jose Samaritan Drive office, she sees patients at the East Palo Alto Care Center, 1950 University Avenue, Suite 170.

Editorial note: Independently written by the Fertlo editorial team; not sponsored. See our editorial policy.