Meera Shah, MD, FACOG, is a double board certified OBGYN and reproductive endocrinology and fertility specialist at NOVA IVF in Mountain View, California. She received her Bachelor's degree at UC-Berkeley and completed a post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institute of Health Academy program. She attended Stanford Medical School and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco. She rounded out her training with a fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Stanford University. She is an active member of the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society, American Society of Reproductive Medicine, and Bay Area Reproductive Society.

Dr. Shah has authored numerous research articles on topics ranging from fertility preservation, pregnancy loss, reproductive genetics, and ethnic differences in IVF outcomes. Her work has been featured in Fertility and Sterility, Fertility IQ, and Natalist. Her medical practice incorporates the highest level of evidence based medicine and the most cutting edge technologies to optimize outcomes for her patients. 

When Dr. Shah isn’t busy working with her patients at NOVA IVF, she enjoys playing pretty much any sport, learning new piano pieces on YouTube, and spending quality time with her husband and three boys.

You can find her on Instagram providing fertility related advice and education.

Q&A with Dr. Shah:

What’s the best piece of advice you’;ve ever been given as a doctor?

Be kind to yourself and understand your own limitations. As a fertility doctor, I want every patient to have a smooth, linear journey to a healthy live birth. I am deeply empathetic to the desperation couples face in their desire to have or grow their family – and when treatment failure is encountered (which is common), I often internalize this as a personal failure. Over the years, I have learned to accept my own limitations – and accept the powerful forces of nature that even with our best efforts, cannot be overcome. I am kinder to myself and have shifted my mindset to finding contentment in being the best provider of holistic care for every single patient – and regardless of outcome – knowing I have provided every patient the best chance for success and supporting them wholeheartedly on their IVF journey from start to finish.

What kind of change do you hope to make in the industry?

Every patient deserves to have access to the best resources and to be educated on their options to make informed decisions for themselves. I use my social media platform to educate the community on fertility issues and destigmatize the topic of infertility and pregnancy loss. As a woman who could have benefitted from fertility preservation myself, I am particularly passionate about increasing awareness around egg freezing for young women who choose to delay childbearing for personal or professional reasons. My hope is to make egg freezing accessible and affordable for all women who want to have a family in the future. You can find me on Instagram at @dr_meerashah.

What’s one piece of advice you would give intended parents? 

To all intended parents – Your journey has been long and difficult and hope is around the corner. Remember to focus on your mental and physical health and seek the resources (ie. Therapy, personal fitness training) you need to make your own well-being a top priority. Your perseverance and resilience in this process will undoubtedly make you incredible parents.

What do you do outside of work?

I have a very busy life outside work centered around my husband and three young children. I am constantly running between sports practices, music lessons, and weekend tournaments – and I strive to be present as a mother and engage with my three boys on their level. I also prioritize carving out time for my own personal growth – This year I ran my first half marathon, joined a book club, and rekindled my love for playing for piano.

The concept Cofertility is introducing to our field is revolutionary and desperately needed. I love the idea of making fertility preservation accessible and affordable, and in tandem transforming the egg donor process into a compassionate, transparent, easy to navigate process for intended parents. 

Why are you working with Cofertility? 

When I first met the leadership team at Cofertility, I was blown away by their brilliance, kindness, and passion for making change. The concept Cofertility is introducing to our field is revolutionary and desperately needed. I love the idea of making fertility preservation accessible and affordable, and in tandem transforming the egg donor process into a compassionate, transparent, easy to navigate process for intended parents. We have already seen so much interest in adopting the Cofertility model into existing IVF practices and I cannot wait to see where