Worcester Business Journal

Assisted reproductive technology, including in vitro fertilization, or IVF, leads to thousands of births each year in Massachusetts and tens of thousands nationally. Test tube babies Mass. Live-birth U.S. Live-birth Year procedures deliveries procedures deliveries Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 8 Worcester Business Journal | March 4, 2019 | wbjournal.com BY GRANT WELKER Worcester Business Journal News Editor Making babies 2015 9,388 2,911 182,111 59,334 2014 9,209 2,927 169,568 56,028 2013 9,416 3,574 160,521 65,580 2012 9,754 2,785 157,635 51,261 2011 10,106 2,794 151,923 47,818 UMass to open region's first IVF clinic for $1.4M C lose to 3,000 babies are born each year in Massa- chusetts through what's called assisted reproductive technology, when couples have difficulty conceiving. None of those babies were born to couples who used in Central Massachu- setts the most common reproductive assistance method, in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Dr. Julia Johnson is looking to change that. Johnson, the chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, has raised most of the money she'll need for the hospital to start building what Johnson said will be the first IVF clinic in Central Massachusetts. "About one in eight couples have difficulty conceiving. So it's a common issue," Johnson said. Johnson and the UMass Memorial administration are hoping to bring more family planning services to the Worces- ter campus and keep couples from hav- ing to travel to Waltham or Springfield – which are the closest IVF facilities today – for what can be invasive and uncom- fortable procedures. Although demand for IVF procedures has been flat for the last five year, it has increased historically and new fertility trends point to greater IVF demand in the future. Allowing women to work with their usual obstetrician or gynecologist can help keep women as comfortable as pos- sible during the IVF process, Johnson said. e IVF process, which includes in- jections, is considered emotionally and physically demanding. Women going through IVF treatments are sometimes advised to avoid strenuous activities or even be on bed rest for a few days, the health provider Kaiser Permanente says. "It's very personal," Johnson said. "It's very difficult to see someone you don't know." 400 procedures per year UMass is looking to build a facility costing $1.3 to $1.4 million in a vacant space in an office building at 33 Kendall St., a block behind the main entrance to the hospital's Memorial Campus. Johnson has raised roughly $400,000 of the $500,000 she'll need, with the same amount matched by the hospital. Johnson has raised funds through facul- ty and administration at the hospital. Another $300,000 to $400,000 is planned to be raised once construction starts. Johnson expects the facility to handle around 400 procedures a year, fewer than at nearby centers but a fairly signifi- cant amount of what Centers for Disease Control & Prevention data shows is around 9,000 IVF procedures and 3,000 births each year in Massachusetts, resulting from IVF or other reproductive procedures. at could boost the number of deliveries the hospital sees each year. UMass Memorial had more than 4,200 deliveries last year, and Johnson said she expects that could increase by a few hundred more as couples choose to keep their pregnancy services close to home. "ey tend to stay at UMass because they have that connection," Johnson said. The future of fertility IVF has long had a central role in Johnson's career. She says she met the first baby born of IVF, who was born in 1978. In 1990, she opened what was Vermont's first IVF clinic. "Back then," Johnson said, "the sci- ence behind it was very poorly under- stood." Success rates used to be around 10 percent for a woman getting pregnant through IVF, she said. Now, it's around 35 percent. With rising success rates has come a greater awareness and acceptance of impotence issues for couples. Many cou- ples, particularly men, are still reluctant to talk about or seek help though, said Katherine Kotker, a urologist who joined UMass Memorial in 2017. "is has a stigma, like many other medical conditions," Rotker said. "Hav- ing trouble with fertility is something you're not likely to share with friends." IVF can also be very expensive, with out-of-pocket costs of $10,000 to $15,000 per IVF cycle. Fortunately for local couples, Mas- sachusetts is one of just 16 states to mandate insurance coverage for fertility Dr. Julia Johnson, the chair of the obstetrics and gynecology department at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester PHOTOS/EDD COTE

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