BY: JENNIFER PALUMBO
When Dr. Lynn Westphal first entered medical school, she never imagined she’d spend her career helping thousands of people build families. “Interestingly,” she recalls with a laugh, “when I went to medical school, I thought OB-GYN was the last thing that I wanted to be, so I left it as my last core rotation.”
But once she began that final rotation, everything changed. “It was amazing because you can follow women throughout their lifespan. There’s just such a range of what you can do,” she says. “Then I rotated on the fertility service, which was in the early days when Stanford was just starting their IVF program. It was fascinating from a scientific standpoint, and working with patients was life-changing. There’s nothing more wonderful than helping people have their families.”
That pivotal moment would shape the course of her career, one marked by groundbreaking achievements, visionary leadership, and a compassionate approach that continues to redefine reproductive care.
Pioneering Fertility Preservation
Before medicine, Westphal’s academic path was steeped in research. Her background in molecular biology gave her a deep understanding of the science behind fertility. “Being involved in so many different areas makes you realize how much change is happening everywhere,” she explains. “It’s made me understand how important it is to be flexible and embrace change.”
That mindset, equal parts scientific rigor and adaptability, has guided her through decades of rapid transformation in reproductive medicine. “When I was an undergrad, I was cutting up frogs,” she says, smiling. “Now we’re talking about CRISPR technology. Things have changed so much. Having seen that evolution has made me more comfortable with change, and that helps me when mentoring younger physicians. You never know where things are going to end up, and sometimes you just have to go with it.”
“There’s nothing more wonderful than helping people have their families.”
Improve Patient Experience. Reduce Doctor Burnout.
See Why Leading Fertility Doctors — Including Dr. Lynn Westphal — Trust These Anesthetists
Fertility doctors across the country, including respected leaders like Dr. Lynn Westphal, rely on Kaleidoscope Anesthesia to elevate patient experience and ease clinical burden.
Kaleidoscope’s CRNAs are known for their clinical excellence, calm bedside manner, and consistently positive patient feedback — a key reason Dr. Westphal has become one of the brand’s strongest advocates.
Avoid burnout by offloading anesthesia care to professionals your peers already trust.
Scalable, agile staffing — from daily coverage to full perioperative system design.
200+ seasoned CRNAs. Nationwide reach. Fast onboarding.
We’ll show you how other fertility centers are improving patient experience, reducing burnout, lowering cancellations, and streamlining workflow.
One of Westphal’s most defining contributions came from an unexpected phone call. “I had just started at Stanford in 1998 when the father of a young woman with leukemia called,” she remembers. “At that time, egg freezing was still considered experimental. He asked if we could help his daughter preserve her fertility without using a sperm donor, and that conversation changed everything.”
That request led to the development of one of the first cryopreservation programs in the U.S. “We put together a research protocol and found ways to make it affordable by securing donated medications and offering discounted rates,” she says. “She became our first patient, and soon oncologists began referring others.”
The ripple effect was extraordinary. “Lindsay Nohr Beck, who became one of our early patients, later founded Fertile Hope, which eventually became part of Livestrong,” Westphal explains. “It all started with one father’s call, and that small program grew into a national movement. That’s why you never know how one conversation can have a huge impact.”
As more patients learned about egg freezing, Westphal’s team expanded the program beyond cancer patients. “Women started saying, ‘It’s not fair that you’re only doing this for cancer patients. I’m going to be 40 soon, can you do it for me?” she says. “So we revised our protocol. And now egg freezing has become so normalized, which I think is wonderful.”
Helping Build Kindbody’s Vision from the Ground Up
After decades at Stanford, Westphal was ready for a new challenge. “I loved everything I was doing there, but I felt like I had done everything I could,” she says. “Then Gina [Bartasi] talked to me about her vision for Kindbody, improving the patient experience, expanding access, and making fertility care more inclusive. I told her no three times,” she laughs, “but eventually she got me to yes.”
That “yes” turned into a transformative chapter. “Since I started at the beginning, I was able to be involved in all aspects, clinical protocols, setting up welcoming clinics that didn’t look like typical medical offices, recruiting physicians, and standardizing care across the network,” she says.
Mentorship remains one of her favorite roles. “At Stanford, I loved being the fellowship director. At Kindbody, I think of myself as a post-fellowship director, mentoring doctors in the next phase of their careers. Even though we’re in different states, with our electronic records and Zoom calls, it’s like having someone in the office with you.”
A Collaborative Spirit and Looking Ahead
For Westphal, teamwork is at the core of great patient care. “It’s really important to build a team and cultivate trust,” she explains. “You want an environment where no one feels undermined. We’re stronger together, and that’s evident to the patients. When they see a cohesive team working toward helping them build their family, they feel that energy.”
Her commitment to mentorship extends well beyond the clinic. “Training my fellows and seeing them go off to do amazing things is one of the most rewarding parts of my career,” she says proudly. “They’re like my children, I still remember their birthdays and text them every year.”
Westphal sees a future in which fertility care is more equitable and accessible than ever before. “Access is such a key thing,” she says. “I talk to patients in all 50 states, even in remote places like Mississippi or Alaska, where it’s hard to get an ultrasound. I’m excited about at-home monitoring for ultrasounds and blood tests because that can open doors for so many.”
“You never know how one conversation can change everything. Sometimes it can change the world.”
Her curiosity for innovation remains undimmed. “We’ve learned a lot about embryos through PGTA, but there’s still so much we don’t understand about what makes one embryo more viable than another,” she notes. “That kind of research really excites me.”
Kaleidoscope Anesthesia is proud to sponsor the delivery of this story, recognizing Dr. Lynn Westphal’s extraordinary contributions to reproductive medicine. A clinician-led team of CRNAs providing nationwide anesthesia staffing, Kaleidoscope shares Dr. Westphal’s commitment to clinical excellence, compassion, and connected patient care.
“I like working with them because they provide outstanding care and have excellent communication with patients,” says Dr. Westphal. “They are great colleagues and are always available for patient questions.”
Equally inspiring is the cultural shift she’s witnessed. “When I first started, women were embarrassed to talk about fertility treatments. Now they’re sharing their egg-freezing journeys on social media. It’s wonderful to see how far we’ve come.”
The Human Side of Medicine
Despite her far-reaching impact, Westphal stays grounded through friendships, fresh air, and laughter. “I’m really fortunate to have a wonderful family and a lot of friends,” she says. “I walk my dog with one group, play tennis with another. Being outdoors and social with people I love, that’s my reset button.”
And for all her accomplishments, she still delights in the human connections that define her work. “One of my very first IVF patients came back to see me 20 years later,” she shares fondly. “She brought another woman who needed help, and we were able to give her a discount so she could have a baby. I have pictures of the two of them together. That’s the beauty of this field, seeing generations of families grow.”
Perhaps the most fitting testament to her career is her national reach: “I’m a ‘51er’, licensed in all 50 states plus D.C.,” she says proudly. “That came from wanting to help patients everywhere, including those using the Walmart benefit. Many of them never imagined they’d have access to fertility care, and they’re the most grateful patients I’ve ever had.”
From pioneering fertility preservation to mentoring the next generation of reproductive endocrinologists, Dr. Lynn Westphal’s story is one of innovation grounded in empathy and proof that even one compassionate decision can ripple out to change countless lives.
Improve Patient Experience. Reduce Doctor Burnout.
See Why Leading Fertility Doctors — Including Dr. Lynn Westphal — Trust These Anesthetists
Fertility doctors across the country, including respected leaders like Dr. Lynn Westphal, rely on Kaleidoscope Anesthesia to elevate patient experience and ease clinical burden.
Kaleidoscope’s CRNAs are known for their clinical excellence, calm bedside manner, and consistently positive patient feedback — a key reason Dr. Westphal has become one of the brand’s strongest advocates.
Avoid burnout by offloading anesthesia care to professionals your peers already trust.
Scalable, agile staffing — from daily coverage to full perioperative system design.
200+ seasoned CRNAs. Nationwide reach. Fast onboarding.
We’ll show you how other fertility centers are improving patient experience, reducing burnout, lowering cancellations, and streamlining workflow.
The advertiser does not have full editorial control over the content of this article. As a brought-to-you-by sponsor of IRH In Scope, the advertiser only has editorial control over what is mentioned about their company. Inside Reproductive Health maintains full editorial independence over the remainder of the article. The views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of the Advertiser or of Inside Reproductive Health.
