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Sher Fertility Institute — Fertlo Editorial Review

Independent editorial overview · Creve Coeur, MO
Photo of Dr. Hannah Ní Bhriain Russell

Dr. Hannah Ní Bhriain Russell, MB BCh BAO, Specialist in Gynaecology & Obstetrics

6 min read
Medically Reviewed
Photo of Dr. Cristian Jesam

Dr. Cristian Jesam, MD

Reproductive Medicine & IVF Instituto Chileno de Medicina Reproductiva (ICMER), Santiago; Universidad de Chile; SGFertility Chile

Last reviewed:

The Sher Fertility Institute operates a clinic at 555 N New Ballas Road, Suite 150, in Creve Coeur, Missouri — a western St. Louis suburb known for its concentration of medical offices, corporate headquarters, and professional services. N New Ballas Road is within the crescent of St. Louis County communities — including Chesterfield, Ballwin, and Town and Country — that form one of the most affluent and medically active suburban regions in the Midwest. For St. Louis-area patients comparing fertility clinics in Missouri, the Sher Institute's Creve Coeur location offers the clinical depth of a nationally recognized fertility brand in a convenient suburban St. Louis setting.

The Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine is one of the pioneering names in American IVF. Founded by Dr. Geoffrey Sher, the institute has a decades-long history in reproductive medicine and was involved in some of the early clinical developments in IVF and embryo culture in the United States. The legacy of the Sher brand carries clinical significance for patients who seek a fertility practice with deep institutional roots in the field.

Physicians and Clinical Team

The Sher Fertility Institute at Creve Coeur is staffed by board-certified reproductive endocrinologists affiliated with the Sher network. The Sher Institute's clinical model has historically emphasized personalized IVF protocols, with particular attention to the management of ovarian stimulation and immune-mediated implantation failure — areas in which the network's founders made early research contributions.

The physicians at the Creve Coeur location bring subspecialty fellowship training in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. The Sher network's protocols include detailed consideration of immune factors in implantation — including the role of natural killer cells, thrombophilias, and hormonal priming — which has been a differentiating feature of the institute's approach compared to more conventional IVF programs.

The clinical support team at 555 N New Ballas Rd includes nurses with dedicated IVF experience, embryology staff, and patient coordinators who guide patients through the often complex logistical and emotional demands of a fertility treatment cycle.

Services and Treatments

The Sher Fertility Institute – Creve Coeur provides:

  • In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — with the Sher Institute's individualized stimulation protocols, including specific attention to poor responders and patients with prior IVF failures
  • Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) — standard for male-factor infertility and fertilization challenges
  • Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT-A / PGT-M) — chromosomal and hereditary disease screening; the Sher Institute has been a long-standing proponent of PGT as part of IVF
  • Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) — with attention to endometrial preparation and immune modulation protocols
  • Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) — as a first-line approach for appropriate diagnoses
  • Ovulation Induction — monitored cycles with oral or injectable medications
  • Egg Freezing — for elective or medically indicated fertility preservation
  • Donor Egg Cycles — coordinated through the Sher network donor program
  • Male Infertility Evaluation — semen analysis and hormonal assessment
  • Immune-Mediated Implantation Failure Protocols — a specialty of the Sher Institute, addressing recurrent implantation failure through immunological evaluation and targeted treatment
  • Recurrent Pregnancy Loss Evaluation — comprehensive immunological and genetic workup

Laboratory and Success Rates

The Sher Institute's embryology laboratory at the Creve Coeur location manages IVF fertilization, blastocyst culture, PGT biopsy, and cryopreservation. The network's historical emphasis on embryo quality — including early investments in blastocyst culture before it became standard practice — reflects a laboratory culture that has influenced the broader field of reproductive medicine.

Patients should review the most current cycle-level data published by the CDC's ART Surveillance program and the SART Clinic Summary Report.

Patient Experience

Creve Coeur is one of the most medically dense suburbs in the St. Louis area. The N New Ballas Rd corridor hosts a mix of hospital-affiliated specialty practices, independent medical offices, and health system outpatient centers. Suite 150 at 555 N New Ballas Rd provides a professional clinic environment within this well-developed medical landscape.

For St. Louis-area patients, Creve Coeur is accessible from I-270, I-64, and the surrounding suburban highway network. Patients from West County (Chesterfield, Ballwin, Clarkson Valley), from Clayton and Ladue, and from Florissant and the North County communities can reach N New Ballas Rd with reasonable drive times.

The Sher Institute has historically attracted patients who have had prior IVF failures at other clinics and are seeking a practice with a different protocol approach — particularly around immune factors and endometrial receptivity. For second-opinion patients or those who feel conventional IVF protocols have not addressed their specific case, the Sher approach offers a distinctive alternative perspective.

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

Missouri has no state mandate requiring health insurers to cover IVF or fertility treatment. Patients in the St. Louis area typically pay out of pocket for IVF and related procedures unless their employer-sponsored plan includes specific fertility benefits. Some major St. Louis-area employers — including healthcare systems, financial institutions, and technology companies — offer fertility benefits through self-insured ERISA plans.

The Sher Institute's financial team can assist with benefit verification, prior authorization support, and financing options. Patients who are considering the Sher approach specifically because of prior IVF failures elsewhere should ask about cost structures for second-attempt cycles and any shared-risk programs the practice offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Sher Fertility Institute known for? The Sher Institute is one of the pioneering names in American IVF, founded by Dr. Geoffrey Sher. It is particularly known for its attention to immunological factors in implantation failure and recurrent pregnancy loss — including evaluation of natural killer cell activity, thrombophilias, and endometrial receptivity — and for personalized stimulation protocols that differ from the standardized approaches used by many high-volume fertility factories.

Is this a good option for patients who have had prior IVF failures elsewhere? Patients with repeated implantation failure or unexplained poor IVF outcomes often seek second opinions at practices like the Sher Institute specifically because of its emphasis on immune-mediated factors that may not be evaluated at more conventional programs. A thorough immunological workup and a different protocol approach may be appropriate for this patient group.

Does Missouri require insurance to cover IVF? No. Missouri has no state IVF mandate. Patients must rely on employer-provided fertility benefits or pay out of pocket.

How do I get a second-opinion consultation at the Creve Coeur location? Patients can contact the Sher Institute to schedule an initial or second-opinion consultation. It is helpful to bring prior treatment records, semen analysis results, and any prior IVF cycle summaries (including stimulation protocols, egg counts, embryo development records, and transfer outcomes) to allow the physician to conduct a meaningful protocol review.

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