Our physicians, Arlene J. Morales, M.D. and Michelle L. Matthews, M.D., are both Board Certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and moreover, they are Subspecialty Board Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility with expertise in all areas of endocrine disorders, and infertility diagnosis and treatment. We have been providing egg donation services since 2003 and have helped hundreds of San Diego couples become parents!

 

Arlene J. Morales, MD

Dr. Arlene J. Morales is the Founder and Medical Director of Fertility Specialists Medical Group and San Diego Center for Reproductive Surgery. She is nationally recognized as a leader in Reproductive Endocrinology and Bioethics and is a frequent guest speaker for radio and television programs. She has extensive experience in treating multi-faceted infertility issues. Dr. Morales possesses a strong desire and commitment to support and facilitate a couple’s journey through fertility therapy. Through individualized and empathetic care, Dr. Morales will help you learn as much as possible about your diagnosis and your treatment options.

Education:

Dr. Morales graduated from the Johns Hopkins University-School of Medicine and was a resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Morales completed a fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of California, San Diego, and is currently Board Certified in both Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. After fellowship, Dr. Morales was an Assistant Professor in the UCSD School of Medicine. After UCSD, she served as the Director of Reproductive Technologies as an Associate Professor at Emory University. She has authored over thirty peer reviewed journal articles, including an often cited paper introducing the effects of DHEA on aging. After 8 years in academic medicine, Dr. Morales moved back to San Diego to found Fertility Specialists Medical Group.

Awards:

Dr. Morales received the Miriam Torrey Mathematics Award, the Watson Sellard Scholarship for Study Abroad, the Harold Lamport Biomedical Research Award, the Laurel and Clarence H. Koennecke Obstetrics and Gynecology Award, the Berlex Foundation Resident Education Award, and the Outstanding Resident in Gynecologic Endoscopy Award from the American Association of Gynecologic Laparoscopy. She has appeared in San Diego Best Doctors from 1996 to 2002. Note that Fertility is no longer a reviewed category of physicians in San Diego Magazine. She appeared in Guide to Top Doctors from 2004 to 2005, and has been named to Best Doctors from 2007 to 2009.

Ethics:

Dr. Morales has always had a strong commitment to the ethical practice of medicine and has given her time to many committees whose purpose has been to determine and interpret policy regarding ethics in patient care. Dr. Morales became involved while she was as an Assistant Professor at UCSD, serving on the Ethics Committee and Consultation at UCSD School of Medicine from 1994 to 1997. She then served on the Ethics Committee at Crawford Long Hospital in Atlanta Georgia from 1998 to 1999, as Chairman of the Ethics Committee from 2003 to 2005 in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists, and on the San Diego County Medical Society Ethics Committee from 2000 to 2003. Since her return to San Diego in 2000, Dr. Morales has been a member of the Ethics Committee at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Sharp Memorial Hospital. Her area of special interest lies at the intersection of reproduction, technology, and ethics.

Associations:

Dr. Morales is a current member of the Johns Hopkins Medical and Surgical Society, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Society of Gynecologic Laparoscopists, the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (Secretary of Women’s Council Board for 2009 - 2010), the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the North American Menopause Society, the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the California Medical Association, the American Board of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (Board Examiner 2000 - 2001), Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (Executive Council 2007 - 2008), the Endocrine Society, and the San Diego Reproductive Society (President 1995 - 1996).

A supporter of the local community, Dr. Morales has made over one hundred presentations to the local medical community and served on eight different committees at Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women and Sharp Memorial Hospital. Dr. Morales is also involved in the National Charity League, fund raising for The Bishop’s School, and a participant in the 2008 and 2009 Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure.

 

Michelle L. Matthews, MD

Dr. Michelle Matthews joined Fertility Specialists Medical Group on May of 2010. Dr. Matthews is our new Clinical Director and Director of Third Party Reproduction. She is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, and moreover, she is Subspecialty Board Certified in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Dr. Matthews met Dr. Morales during her subspecialty board examination in Reproductive Endocrinology in 2001 as Dr. Morales was her American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG) oral examiner. Recognized for academic excellence in her own right, Dr. Matthews was selected to serve as an ABOG oral examiner in 2008.

Education:

Dr. Matthews graduated from Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, completed her residency at Summa Health Systems in Ohio, and then completed her fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology at Rush-Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago.

Awards:

She has won several achievement awards including the Chicago Association of Reproductive Endocrinologists Investigator Competition Award, the Summa Health System Louis M. Walker, MD Award for Resident Achievement in Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Council on Resident Education in Obstetrics and Gynecology National Faculty Award. Dr. Matthews was also recognized by her peers as Charlotte Magazine Top Doctors 2009 and North Carolina Top Doctors 2008.

Associations:

Dr. Matthews is an active member of the Association of Professors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Society of Reproductive Surgeons, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Association, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, and the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists.

Appreciating the emotional stress that can very often accompany infertility, Dr. Matthews employs a couples approach to infertility diagnosis and treatment, and counsels patients on both the emotional and physical aspects of fertility care. Believing in community outreach and service, she has been involved in the Charlotte community as the United Way Faculty Liaison, as the medical director for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, and as the speaker for “Cost-effective Fertility Treatments” at the Harris YMCA. As an author of over 30 articles, she has been published in leading reproductive journals such as Fertility and Sterility, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the Journal of Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Matthews' research interests include the effects of environmental toxins on reproduction and clinical interests including in vitro fertilization, endometriosis, microsurgery, laparoscopy and hysteroscopy.

 

Kristan A. Kaine, PA-C

Kristan Kaine, Physician Assistant, serves as the FSMG Egg Donation Coordinator. She is a native San Diegan. She received her undergraduate degree in Physical Education from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. She began her career in medicine as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Naval Reserves while working toward her Bachelor's degree. She later attended Western University of Health Sciences where she earned her Physician Assistant degree. She is a board certified Physician Assistant in primary care as well as in surgery. Kristan acquired extensive experience in infertility medicine at Fertility Center of Southern California, having been involved in all aspects of fertility care including IVF. At Fertility Specialists Medical Group since 2003, Kristan specializes in all aspects of third party reproduction including recruiting and screening egg donors and then matching them to appropriate recipients. Kristan has continued her involvement in patient monitoring during IVF and IUI cycles, as she regularly performs ultrasonic scans of developing follicles. Her areas of interest include recurrent pregnancy loss, egg donation, and surrogacy. Her hobbies and interests include running, swimming, scuba diving, Crossfit, and traveling.