Reproductive Endocrinologist Board
)Pillars of success
Affordability
Top-quality care, bundled at an unbeatable price
Accessibility
Welcoming clinics nearby, not miles away
Quality care
Professional care team with decades of experience
What’s better than one opinion? How about a team of caring experts. We’ve gathered the brightest minds from the most prestigious universities to provide you with the utmost quality of care. The Mate team of highly trained fertility physicians works diligently behind the scenes to ensure your care is of the highest caliber. These reproductive endocrinologists (REIs) meticulously review every case, as we demand nothing less than perfection. We’re here to support you every step of the journey. While you won’t be interacting with these REIs day-to-day, you can rest assured they have a hand in your treatment.
Meet our team of experts
Dr. Sara Vaughn
Sara Vaughn, MD is a Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist specializing in fertility and reproductive health. She was the former medical director at Spring Fertility in Silicon Valley. Dr. Vaughn completed her education and medical training at multiple universities: Rice, The University of Texas, Cedar Sinai Hospital, and Stanford Hospital. Dr. Vaughn frequently consults for Silicon Valley companies and VC funds that invest in fertility and women’s health startups. Dr Vaughn is drawn to Mate Fertility’s mission of improving quality fertility care for populations who have limited access to care.
Having undergone egg / embryo freezing herself, she provides a uniquely compassionate perspective. Her personal experience reinforced her passion for the work she does, and her desire to lead from a place of empathy and support. “My personal mission as a physician in management is to take care of the patients and the staff with similar ferocity. My goal with patients is not just to help them have babies. It’s to become successful parents. I tell my children, Donny and Eloise (age 6 and 2) that I do what I do so that people can have what I have. My job is to help guide patients though the medicine so they are left empowered, not depleted, by their fertility journey.”
She continues, “It’s truly shocking how many people have no access to care. Some are in locations where there are no fertility doctors. Some patients can’t afford it. Some patients belong to groups that require third party reproduction and the resources are just not there. We need to do better but we don’t have enough fertility doctors available to cover the need. Mate is creatively solving this problem and I feel honored and excited to be a part of it.”
Dr. Debra Minjarez
Dr. Debra Minjarez is a highly esteemed physician and Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologist with more than 20 years of experience in reproductive health and infertility. Dr. Minjarez completed her undergraduate and medical training at Stanford University, graduating with honors and recognized for her excellence in clinical medicine. She is best known for her 15 years at the Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine (CCRM), where she served as Medical Director. During her tenures she was recognized as “Top Doc” in Denver for over 12 years. In 2017 she joined Spring Fertility, which is recognized as one of the fastest growing fertility centers with exceptional outcomes, to become Co-Medical Director and assisted in their expansion in the Bay Area. She currently serves as Clinical Director at Southern California Reproductive Center (SCRC)-Santa Barbara where she continues to be a patient advocate and is committed to increasing access to fertility services.
She has published numerous articles and has presented at many national and international conferences on a range of topics including polycystic ovary syndrome, recurrent pregnancy loss, IVF, and preimplantation genetic testing. Additionally, Dr. Minjarez has actively supported medical education and continues to supervise and mentor Ob/Gyn residents, for which she has been nationally recognized for her excellence in teaching.
She’s excited to join the Mate Family and believes in our mission to improve access and affordability for all. She enjoys traveling with her family, walking her German Shepherd along the beach, and finding new restaurants.
Dr. Alex Steinleitner
Dr. Steinleitner has been caring for infertile families for over 30 years. He is a fellowship trained Reproductive Endocrinologist and Infertility Specialist. He received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego and completed his fellowship at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.
When in his research career, Dr. Steinleitner was recognized by his peers and awarded prizes for his excellent research papers submitted to the American Gynecological and Obstetrical Society, the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society, American Fertility Society, and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
He is particularly interested in the treatment of endometriosis and working to improve the results of infertility surgery. The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology honored him with the CIBA fellowship award for his studies in menopause. He has also given international lectures on his techniques to better the outcome and quality of infertility treatment.
Dr. Steinleitner learned the true value of the work he does each day after raising his two college-aged daughters. Above any experience in life, being a father has taught him the most about the joy of adding a child to a family. Dr. Steinleitner believes that access to advanced infertility care is a matter of social justice, that’s why we make it our mission to make that care available to the widest range of families possible.
Dr. Paco Arredondo
After graduating 1st in his class from the Institute of Technology and Higher Studies School of Medicine in Monterrey, Mexico, he was honored as one of “the best medical students of the country”. Dr. Arredondo’s passion for fertility began when he collaborated with a physician who was responsible for Mexico’s first IVF baby in 1989. Later, Dr. Arredondo did research at a World Health Organization fertility center in Mexico City.
In the U.S., he completed his residency in ObGyn at the University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio. He completed a Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He then was awarded a prize/scholarship by the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology to earn a Master of Public Health at Harvard University, where he focused on several aspects of management.
Dr. Arredondo’s is a proven entrepreneur. In 2006, he moved to Texas, where he opened a small fertility center. Over the next 13 years, he expanded to four centers and 80 team members. He participated in 2 fertility mergers and became the Chief Medical Officer of the largest fertility network overseeing 65 physicians nationwide. He sold all his shares in all the fertility companies and exited to take a sabbatical. He authored 2 books: Finding you In Fertility Co-Authored with Maria Quevedo, and Medikal Preneur. The Official Guide for Physicians’ Success in Business
An avid social entrepreneur, Dr. Arredondo’s has always been involved in efforts to make fertility services affordable to everyone. Years of experience have granted Dr. Arredondo unrivaled expertise in the medical, entrepreneurial, and managerial spheres, allowing him to curate a unique, “Medikal Preneurial” system to deliver outstanding fertility services and make the mate vision a reality.