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About
Dr. David S. Saffan opened his own infertility practice in Northern Virginia in 1986 and has practiced reproductive endocrinology in the Washington area since then, one of the earliest specialists in that field on the Virginia side of the Potomac. He now works under the Shady Grove Fertility roof at the Rockville and Fairfax offices. Nearly four decades in one region is the shortest way to describe him, and it is the relevant part: he has practiced through every major change in how an IVF cycle is run, and patients in this area have been seeing him through those changes rather than seeing a different physician each year.
He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in reproductive endocrinology. His training began at the Medical College of Georgia, continued through residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, and finished with a two-year fellowship in reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Harvard University.
His career ran outside private practice too. Saffan served as the director of an institute of reproductive medicine, and he sat on the board of directors of RESOLVE, the national infertility organization that works on patient insurance coverage and access. Board service at an advocacy group is an odd credential until you need help appealing a denial; it is the reason his name appears in coverage fights, not only in clinic. Regional lists have carried him for years: Washingtonian’s Top Doctors for Infertility from 2005 through 2018, Northern Virginia Magazine’s Top Doctors for Infertility 2016-2020, The Washington Post’s Super Doctors in 2012, and Washington Consumers’ CHECKBOOK Top Doctors in 2015.
Clinical Expertise
- IVF cycle management across a wide age and diagnosis range, planned on the assumption that not every cycle needs to be the most aggressive one
- IUI and ovulation induction first: the treatments a couple can try at lower cost before committing to a retrieval
- Male factor infertility: evaluation and treatment of the male partner as part of the couple’s plan
- Prognostic counseling: how likely a plan is to work, stated as a range rather than a promise
- Coverage and access questions, informed by years on the board of an infertility advocacy organization
Why Choose Dr. David Saffan
He has been doing this in this region since 1986. Northern Virginia’s reproductive endocrinology practice started with a handful of physicians, and he was one of them. His read on a case comes from cases he has managed himself, over four decades, rather than from the current protocol alone.
Two credential boards, plus an institute directorship. Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in reproductive endocrinology, and he ran an institute of reproductive medicine.
A patient-advocacy record. RESOLVE board service is the kind of experience that shows up as practical advice about insurance coverage and appeals.
Recognized by four separate Washington-area lists across 2005-2020, including Washingtonian’s infertility list for fourteen consecutive years.
Two offices, one physician. He practices at both Rockville and Fairfax, which matters if you live on the Virginia side and want your eggs handled in Rockville’s laboratory.
Patient review: “My wonderful son turned 18 yesterday. Dr. Saffan made him possible.”
Professional Affiliations
Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and in reproductive endocrinology. Former director, institute of reproductive medicine; former board of directors, RESOLVE (national infertility advocacy organization). Awards: Northern Virginia Magazine Top Doctors for Infertility (2016-2020); Washingtonian’s Top Doctors for Infertility (2005-2018); Washington Consumers CHECKBOOK’s Top Doctors (2015); The Washington Post’s Super Doctors (2012). Practicing at Shady Grove Fertility’s Rockville, Maryland and Fairfax, Virginia offices.
Suitable For
- Patients who want the conservative step tried first, with IUI or ovulation induction before a full IVF cycle
- Couples with a male factor alongside a female factor, evaluated together
- Patients over 35 who want a prognosis stated as a range rather than as a promise
- Virginia residents who would rather drive to Fairfax or Rockville than into D.C., and want the same physician either way
- Anyone entering ART late, after years of treatment elsewhere, who wants a second read on whether the plan so far has been the right one