Note: All information on this profile was provided directly by the clinic. Some details may not appear if the clinic chose not to include them or if they are available only to Featured or Academic listings. For the most up-to-date information, patients are encouraged to contact the clinic directly.
Clinic highlights
Clinic volume (cycles/year)
More than 750 (high volume)
Traveling patient support
- Supports domestic patients
- Supports international patients
Primary clinic focus
Fertility preservation (oncofertility)
Aurora Fertility is a private reproductive medicine clinic located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 2012, the clinic provides fertility care to both local and out-of-state patients.
Key team members
Dr. Elena Morales, MD, FACOG
Languages: English, Spanish
Dr. Elena Morales is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with over 15 years of experience in fertility care. She specializes in complex cases involving diminished ovarian reserve and endometriosis.
Dr. David Patel has over 12 years of experience in embryology and andrology. He has experience working with advanced vitrification techniques used in fertility preservation and IVF care.
Lab and embryology team photo
Lab and embryology team introduction
Embryo updates are delivered by phone or secure message at standard points in the cycle, such as after fertilization assessment and when embryos reach the blastocyst stage, and patients can request additional check-ins if unexpected findings arise. Meetings with embryologists are available before retrieval and before transfer, and patients may schedule a review session if they want help understanding grading, PGT results, or photos of their embryos.
Clinic overview (video):
A significant portion of our practice focuses on patients with suspected or confirmed endometriosis, including those with prior surgery, persistent symptoms, or previous unsuccessful fertility treatment. We use dedicated ultrasound assessment and work closely with fertility-preserving surgeons so diagnosis, treatment, and fertility planning can be coordinated within a single care pathway.
- IVF
- Medicated frozen embryo transfer
- Intrauterine insemination (IUI)
- Egg donation
- Sperm donation
- Genetic testing (PGT-A/PGT-M/PGT-SR)
- Advanced maternal age
- PCOS
- Diminished ovarian reserve
- Endometriosis
- Male factor infertility
- Hysteroscopy
- Laparoscopy
- Endometriosis/adenomyosis surgery
- Support for single intended parents
- Support for LGBTQ+ family building (eg. reciprocal IVF)
- Fertility preservation for transgender patients
Add-ons listed here may be offered selectively, and clinics may offer additional options not shown.
- Embryo glue (hyaluronic acid)
- ICSI
- Microfluidic sperm selection (eg Zymot)
- PICSI
Other IVF add-ons offered:
- Dual triggering
- Artificial sperm activation (pentoxifylline)
How this clinic uses IVF add-ons:
We offer add-ons selectively, based on clinical findings and prior cycle history, and discuss them in the context of evidence, uncertainty, cost, and potential benefit. All add-ons are optional and reviewed during consultation so patients understand when an option may or may not be helpful.
All costs in USD ($)
| Service |
Cost |
Includes |
| IVF/ICSI package |
|
Consultations, monitoring, egg retrieval, ICSI, embryo culture, embryo transfer, freezing, and 1 year of storage. |
| Donor egg package |
|
6 frozen eggs, insemination, embryo culture, embryo transfer, freezing ($1,000 per extra egg) |
| Frozen embryo transfer (FET) |
|
Monitoring, embryo thaw, embryo transfer. |
| PGT-A |
|
Biopsy and testing for 6 embryos ($200 per extra embryo). |
| Donor sperm |
|
|
| Egg freezing |
|
|
| Sperm freezing |
|
|
| Annual storage (embryos, eggs, or sperm) |
|
|
- Payment plans
- Shared risk program
- Military/veteran discounts
Details on selected financial programs:
- Payment plans: Monthly installment options are available for IVF, FET, and egg freezing, with payments spread across treatment milestones rather than upfront.
- Shared risk program: Patients pay a fixed fee that includes multiple cycles and receive a refund if no live birth occurs. Eligibility is based on age and ovarian reserve testing.
- Military/veteran discounts: Active-duty military and veterans receive 15% off base IVF and FET cycles.
For more information, you can visit our financial programs guide on our website.
- UnitedHealthcare
- Progyny
- WINFertility
- Other
Other insurance providers accepted:
- Illinois Medicaid Family Planning
- Loyola PHO
- Frozen donor eggs
- Donor sperm
- Donated embryos
External donor banks or agencies used: Cryos, Fairfax, Xytex
Internal donor programs offered: - Internal egg donor program
General donor ethnicity availability (internal program)
Internal donor ethnicity availability: - White
- Black or African descent
- Hispanic or Latin American (eg. Mexican or Brazilian)
- East Asian (eg. Chinese or Korean)
Donor program overview and process:
Internal donors are screened through genetic and infectious disease testing, psychological evaluation, and ovarian reserve assessment. Patients can review donor profiles with medical and family histories and available photos, choose anonymous or identity-release donors, and receive coordinator support throughout matching and consent, which typically takes one to three months. For full details, you can visit our donor program guide on our website.
In addition to the donor ethnicity types above, we also offer Jewish egg donors through our internal program.
Support for traveling patients: - Supports domestic patients
- Supports international patients
Traveling patient support options
⭐ Traveling patient support options: - Remote monitoring
- Dedicated patient coordinator
- Partnerships with hotels or lodging
- Medication and prescription support
- Assistance with lab tests or screenings before travel
Eligibility for international patients
🔍 Eligibility for international patients: - Accepts single women
- Accepts female same-sex couples
- Accepts embryos created at another clinic
- Accepts shipped embryos for PGT-A
Regions international patients commonly come from
⭐ Experience with international patients from: - Canada
- United Kingdom & Ireland
Nearest airport and travel distance: 10 miles from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
What traveling patients can expect:
If you’re traveling for IVF, most of the process starts from home, including consultations, test coordination, and treatment planning. You’ll then travel to the clinic for a short stay for procedures, with help arranging logistics, and all follow-up and next steps are handled remotely once you return home. For more information, you can visit our travel guide on our website or view the video below.
Travel support overview (video):
These policies show where the clinic may offer treatment beyond typical eligibility limits and are general guidelines only; final decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.
- May consider egg retrieval with BMI over 35
- Low AMH accepted
- PGT-A not routinely required
- Accepts embryos created at another clinic
Embryology information and access
⭐ Embryology information and access: - Embryo photos provided
- Embryo grades provided
- Embryology summary provided after cycle
- Patients can speak or meet with embryology on request
Embryo types that may be transferred
🔍 Embryo types that may be transferred: - Day 2–3 cleavage stage embryos
- Day 5–6 blastocysts
- Day 7 blastocysts
- Mosaic embryos
Additional information:
Aurora Fertility may transfer cleavage-stage or blastocyst embryos up to day 7. Mosaic embryos, including low-level and segmental, may be considered after genetic counseling and informed consent.
- Accepts embryos for anonymous donation
- Accepts embryos for named donation
- Accepts embryos for embryologist training
- Electronic witnessing system
- Double witnessing
- 24/7 temperature and environment monitoring
- Cryotank and incubator alarms
- Back-up power for incubators and cryotanks
- SART member (US)
How the lab prevents errors and protects embryos:
Our lab uses an electronic witnessing system to verify each step from sperm preparation through embryo transfer, reducing the risk of mismatches. Cryotanks and incubators are continuously monitored, with automatic alerts sent to the on-call embryologist if temperature or gas levels deviate.
This section highlights research at this clinic, including studies that may be recruiting patients.
Natural vs. Hormone Replacement Cycles for Frozen Embryo Transfer
Our clinic is enrolling participants in a study comparing modified natural versus hormone replacement cycles for frozen embryo transfer, examining whether lower-medication approaches achieve similar pregnancy outcomes with less treatment burden. Eligible participants are women aged 20–40 planning FET with their own embryos, with visits, medications, and monitoring covered and travel support available for those outside the Chicago area.
More details and enrollment information are available here.
This section allows the clinic to share any other details they feel may be helpful for patients.
Do you offer weekend appointments?
Yes. Aurora Fertility provides weekend monitoring appointments and Saturday egg retrievals to accommodate patients traveling from outside the region or balancing work commitments.
Can patients meet with the same physician throughout treatment?
Whenever possible, we schedule consultations and follow-up visits with the same physician for continuity of care. During procedures or monitoring, other members of our medical team may assist to ensure timely coordination.
Additional notes
-
Aurora Fertility has an on-site acupuncture clinic offering fertility-focused acupuncture sessions before and after embryo transfer, as well as during ovarian stimulation.
-
A certified genetic counselor is available in-house to guide patients through genetic testing decisions and to help interpret results.
-
Weekly yoga and meditation groups are held at the clinic to support emotional well-being and reduce stress during treatment. For more information about patient support programs, visit our wellness services page.
