Aileen Portugal, MD

About

Most reproductive endocrinologists took a straight line to fellowship. Aileen Portugal did not: after a biochemistry and cell biology degree at UC San Diego, she spent two years in MEDPREP, the Southern Illinois University post-baccalaureate program that routes students from under-resourced backgrounds into medical school. That path shows up in her specialty choices now. Her stated research targets are PCOS and getting fertility care to patients whom the system usually filters out first.

She earned her MD at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, then completed obstetrics and gynecology residency at UCSF, rising to Chief Resident — the role that runs a service rather than just rotating through it. Teaching recognition followed at both ends of that training: Best Second-Year Teaching Resident in 2021 and Best Teaching Resident in 2023 at UCSF, then Washington University’s Drum Major Award in 2024. In 2022 the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility gave her its program-level Resident Award for Excellence in REI. She finished REI fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis and joins HRC Fertility’s San Diego office in September 2026.

Her published work includes a patient-centered treatment-planning study on quality-of-life improvement in PCOS, presented at the North American Forum on Family Planning, plus peer-reviewed papers and national conference presentations on reproductive health equity. Within ASRM she holds leadership positions on initiatives to widen access and reduce disparities in treatment, and she does community education work alongside the clinical schedule. She consults with patients in English and Spanish.

Clinical Expertise

• IVF (In Vitro Fertilization): cycle design from ovarian stimulation through monitoring, retrieval, embryo culture and transfer, with protocol choices explained in plain language at each decision point
• PCOS management: the stepped approach — metabolic and lifestyle work, ovulation induction, then escalation to IUI or IVF when indicated — with attention to OHSS risk during stimulation
• Fertility preservation and egg freezing: counseling and cycle supervision for patients pausing family building for medical or personal reasons
• General infertility evaluation: ovarian reserve testing, hormone assessment, uterine cavity evaluation and partner semen analysis before any treatment recommendation
• Access-focused care planning: structuring workup and monitoring around patients who face language, insurance or scheduling barriers

Why Choose Dr. Portugal

She trained as Chief Resident at UCSF. That is the job where you are responsible for the whole service overnight — triage, OR cases, teaching juniors. Physicians who held it tend to be calm with complications rather than merely protocol-literate.

PCOS is a research area, not an afterthought. Her published work looks at whether individualized, patient-centered planning actually improves quality of life for PCOS patients — the group most likely to be handled with a generic protocol.

She works on the access problem from inside the profession. ASRM leadership roles on access and disparity reduction, a MEDPREP pathway behind her, and a string of scholarships tied to serving Latino and under-resourced communities (LMSA JP Sanchez Scholarship, Hispanic Scholarship Fund, CIELO, Kaiser Permanente eQuality Scholar). If you have been priced out of or talked out of treatment before, that orientation matters.

Bilingual visits. She sees patients in English and Spanish, which removes a translator layer from informed-consent conversations about stimulation and retrieval risk.

Newly onboarded in a growing network. San Diego is one of HRC’s established Southern California campuses, and her September 2026 start means appointment availability rather than a two-year wait — but confirm the current new-patient schedule when you call.

Professional Affiliations

American Society for Reproductive Medicine, where she holds leadership responsibilities in access and equity initiatives; Pacific Coast Reproductive Society; Latino Medical Student Association, beginning with its 2019 JP Sanchez Scholarship. Additional training honors include the 2022 Outstanding Resident in Gynecologic Oncology Award at UCSF and the 2018 American Medical Association Women in Medicine Spotlight. Her research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals and at national meetings including the North American Forum on Family Planning.

Suitable For

Patients with PCOS who want a plan, not just medication. Ovulation induction, metabolic management and the decision of when to move to IVF, handled in sequence by someone who studies this population.

Spanish-speaking patients and bicultural families. Direct consent conversations and cycle teaching in Spanish, without a third party in the room.

Anyone starting their first IVF cycle. Her teaching background shows in how a first cycle gets explained — what each ultrasound is measuring, why a dose changed, what the transfer decision depends on.

Patients referred late or previously turned away. Her stated professional focus is expanding access to fertility care, which tends to translate into willingness to work up complicated social and medical histories.

Egg freezing consultations. Preservation planning for patients who want to bank now and decide later.