Shady Grove Fertility Tampa Bay operates out of a renovated suite at 5016 West Cypress Street in Tampa's Westshore District, minutes from Tampa International Airport and Raymond James Stadium with easy access off Interstate 275. Part of the national SGF network, the Tampa Bay practice has grown into a regional center with five offices — Brandon, St. Petersburg, Tampa–Westshore, Wesley Chapel, and Davenport. For patients in the greater Tampa Bay area, SGF is one of the few local options combining subspecialty reproductive endocrinology, an on-site IVF laboratory, and an academic affiliation with the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine.
Physicians and Clinical Team
SGF Tampa Bay fields four board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, all of whom have been recognized as Tampa Magazine Top Doctors for Infertility.
Dr. Shayne Plosker, M.D. serves as Medical Director for SGF Florida. A board-certified REI specialist, he previously served as a professor and Division Director of USF-IVF and Reproductive Endocrinology — experience that positioned him as the architect of SGF's partnership with the university.
Dr. Anthony N. Imudia, M.D. is both a clinical physician at SGF Tampa Bay and Associate Professor of OB/GYN and REI Fellowship Program Director at USF Morsani College of Medicine. His 2020 appointment enabled SGF to launch a second jointly managed REI fellowship with USF Health, making SGF Tampa Bay a genuine teaching institution.
Dr. Celso Silva, M.D., M.S. joined SGF in January 2018 and serves as medical director for the Tampa location. He completed his OB/GYN residency at Brown University/Women and Infants Hospital, his REI fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, and earned an M.S. in Translational Research from USF. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Dr. Silva's NIH-supported research covers fertility preservation, PCOS biomarkers, and frozen embryo transfer protocols. He is a past President of the Florida Society of Reproductive Medicine and has been named a Tampa Magazine Top Doctor every year from 2022 through 2025.
Dr. Rachel Sprague, M.D. completed her REI fellowship through the SGF–USF collaborative training program and joined the Tampa Bay physician team thereafter. Her research contributions include work on environmental effects on ovarian reserve, preimplantation genetic testing outcomes, and endometriosis, as well as a book chapter on in vitro fertilization in the Encyclopedia of Reproduction, Second Edition.
Beyond the physician team, the lab is led by Hyo Lee, Ph.D., HCLD, a High-complexity Clinical Laboratory Director certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis. Vanessa Silva serves as lab manager and is a certified Embryology and Andrology Scientist with more than 20 years of experience in reproductive healthcare.
Services and Treatments
SGF Tampa Bay offers a full spectrum of fertility diagnostics and treatments:
- IVF — including ICSI and frozen embryo transfers
- IUI — with or without ovulation induction
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A and PGT-M) — a clinical area Dr. Silva has published research on
- Egg Freezing — elective and medical (oncofertility)
- Donor Egg Cycles — through SGF's established program
- Male Infertility — semen analysis and andrology services
- LGBTQIA+ Family Building — reciprocal IVF, donor sperm IUI, gestational surrogacy coordination
- Robotic-Assisted Reproductive Surgery — Dr. Silva's subspecialty for endometriosis, fibroids, and tubal factor
The IVF guide is a useful starting point for understanding protocols, timelines, and what to expect from a treatment cycle.
Technology and Laboratory
The SGF Tampa Bay IVF laboratory is housed within the Westshore suite and described by the practice as among the largest and most advanced fertility labs in the Tampa Bay region. The facility holds Joint Commission accreditation and is a member of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART), which requires clinics to report annual outcome data to a national registry and adhere to defined quality standards.
Key lab features include HEPA-filtered clean-air ventilation and heated workstations that simulate the in vivo environment, anti-vibration tables to protect specimens, high-powered inverted microscopes for embryo assessment, and the RI Witness system — an electronic chain-of-custody platform that verifies specimen identity at every procedural step to prevent mix-up errors. The lab also houses andrology and endocrine testing units.
Because the USF–SGF fellowship program operates here, the lab functions under academic oversight, with faculty physicians directly involved in quality review.
Patient Experience
The recently renovated Westshore office features a panoramic city view, but patient reviews more often highlight physician accessibility. Dr. Silva is frequently mentioned for personally calling patients with results and taking time to explain procedures clearly.
Having five regional offices means patients can handle monitoring appointments — early-morning bloodwork and ultrasound during IVF stimulation — at a location closer to home, rather than making every visit to Westshore. Monitoring is also available through affiliated Women's Care Florida OB/GYN offices.
Some patient reviews note billing communication as an area of friction, citing surprise charges and slow insurance authorization updates. Confirming coverage details in writing with the financial team before treatment begins is advisable.
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
Florida has no state IVF insurance mandate, so most Tampa patients pay largely out of pocket. SGF reports that roughly 90% of insured new patients have initial consultations and diagnostic testing covered.
SGF Tampa Bay offers several financial pathways:
- Shared Risk 100% Refund Program — A fixed fee covers up to six IVF or donor egg cycles plus frozen embryo transfers; if no live birth results, the full fee is refunded. SGF reports an 82% live birth rate among Shared Risk participants.
- Single-Cycle IVF Pricing — For patients who prefer per-cycle payment
- Donor Egg Fixed-Fee Options — Structured similarly to the Shared Risk program
- Dedicated Financial Counselors — Available from the first consultation to navigate insurance benefits and prior authorizations
Patients comparing options statewide can find fertility clinics in Florida to review program structures at other practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does SGF Tampa Bay treat same-sex couples and single parents? Yes. The practice explicitly offers LGBTQIA+ family building services, including reciprocal IVF (where one partner provides eggs and the other carries the pregnancy), donor sperm IUI, and coordination with gestational carriers. These pathways are managed by the same physician team that handles all other cases.
What makes the SGF Tampa Bay lab distinctive compared to other clinics? The lab holds Joint Commission and SART accreditation, and the RI Witness electronic chain-of-custody system is a safety feature not universal across all fertility labs. The USF–SGF fellowship partnership also means the lab operates under academic oversight, with faculty physicians directly involved in training and quality review.
How does the Shared Risk Refund Program work, and is everyone eligible? Patients pay a single upfront fee covering up to six IVF or donor egg cycles. Eligibility is determined by a medical evaluation. If no live birth results, the full fee is refunded. Patients whose first cycle succeeds keep their baby — the outcome everyone is working toward.
Can patients use SGF Tampa Bay if their OB/GYN is part of a different system? Yes. SGF Tampa Bay accepts self-referrals; no Women's Care Florida referral is required for a new patient consultation. A physician referral can assist with insurance authorization for diagnostic testing but is not a prerequisite.
For a full overview of the Tampa Bay practice, including appointment scheduling and office hours, visit the SGF Tampa Bay official website.