Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | March 4, 2019 | Worcester Business Journal 9 Whether your business is looking to expand, develop cash flow, or buy new equipment, IC can help you move forward. Call me at 978-353-1331 or email me at businessbanking@iccreditunion.com. Bruce Mathieu Senior Vice President Business Development Officer LARGE OR SMALL BUSINESS SERVICES We've got you covered! Intelligent BUSINESS Solutions Start here! Info: ICCreditUnion.org or businessbanking@iccreditunion.com Federally Insured by NCUA Like, Friend or Follow Us Central Mass. offers plenty of specialty health care UMass Memorial Medical Center is planning an in vitro fertilization, or IVF, clinic, which it says would be the first to offer those services in Central Massachusetts to couples having difficulty conceiving. When polled online, the majority of WBJ readers said this region offers plenty of services to meet their medical needs. F L AS H P O L L Does Central Massachusetts have enough specialty health services? "I'm glad that UMass Memorial is bringing more specialty services to Central Mass. It's easier than going to Boston." "Except in rare cases where we have been sent to hospitals in Boston because certain, complicated procedures are not done out here, I think the specialty health services available in this area are great." "For our family, we have gotten second opinions with Boston area providers but prefer care close to home at UMass Memorial." COMMENTS: Yes. I'm able to find services without traveling far. 61% No. I have to go to Boston or elsewhere for some health services. 39% treatments, according to the National Infertility Association. Medically assisted pregnancies have not risen considerably in Massachusetts in recent years, according to the CDC – the number is down slightly in the past five years – but is up 17 percent in the past 15 years. Health trends indicate what could be a rising demand ahead: Couples are hav- ing children later, when conceiving can become more difficult, and male fertility rates have dropped sharply. Massachusetts has one of the oldest rates at the age women first give birth, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. e median age is 27 in Worcester County and 30 in Middlesex County, the 10th oldest rate in the country. e national median is 26. For counties with the population and density characteris- tics of Worcester County, that median has risen by a year and a half in the past decade. Older women are more likely to use IVF, CDC statistics show. Nationally, 62 percent of women who use in vitro are 35 are older. In the meantime, male fertility has been dropping, potentially increasing significantly the challenges of couples conceiving. A major study published in 2017 in the fertility journal Human Reproduc- tion Update found in North America and other parts of the world men's sperm counts dropped in the previous four decades by 50 to 60 percent. eories attempting to explain that drop, Rotker said, include a much wider screening of the population these days. She sees a broader awareness of the issue as a good thing. "ere's been an incredible growth in this field in the past few decades," she said. "It has become common knowl- edge that tools like IVF exist, so people seek evaluation and care. ere's been a world of change in a short time in this field." W Johnson has raised $400,000 through donations by UMass faculty and staff.

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