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After seven surgeries, four in vitro fertilization attempts and two miscarriages, Rose is finally where she wants to be: six months pregnant.
Rose, who asked that her real name not be used, had trouble conceiving a baby due to uterine fibroids. For a year, she commuted from Lancaster to the Philadelphia area for regular testing and monitoring.
Rose's treatment got much more convenient last August, when her doctors, Abington Reproductive Medicine, opened Lancaster Fertility.
"Instead of having to get up at 5 in the morning, drive an hour to Philly and come back to work, I could just go a mile down the street," Rose says.
In many cases, local OB/GYNs can diagnose and treat infertility. But couples who need closer monitoring and more advanced procedures may be referred to a fertility specialist. Until recently, infertility treatment often required travel to bigger cities. Now local couples have more options closer to home.
In the past several months, two established fertility centers opened area offices, and an existing Lancaster practice expanded its staff and hours.
Infertility treatment often requires multiple appointments in a short period. Having nearby options can help reduce a couple's stress, says Lancaster Fertility's Dr. Michael I. Sobel, who is board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics/gynecology.
"We really cater to the needs of couples in terms of … work schedules and the numerous visits sometimes required to reach their goals," he says.
Rose's fourth IVF attempt succeeded last summer. Early in her pregnancy, she had regular follow-up ultrasounds at Lancaster Fertility.
"(Infertility) was very emotional, very stressful and very scary," she says. "It really helps to (be able to) do it locally."
Abington opens Lancaster office
Lancaster Fertility registered nurse Robin Rohrer says the advent of electronic medical records has allowed Abington to expand and successfully manage the logistics of six locations.
"I felt for many years there really should be something in Lancaster," says Rohrer, who lives in Bowmansville.
Lancaster Fertility, 1059 Columbia Ave., offers testing and treatment. The staff can prescribe fertility medications and perform intrauterine insemination.
Couples who need IVF can have testing and monitoring done in Lancaster but must travel to Abington for egg retrieval and embryo transfer.
Lancaster Fertility offers appointments 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Practice staff is available by phone weekdays to answer questions and make appointments.
"We're trying to reach out to young couples who are stressed to the max … and can't miss work," says Sobel, a Franklin & Marshall College graduate. "At least they can be in their backyard during the course of treatment."
Shady Grove
In September, Shady Grove Fertility Center opened an office in Wyomissing, about 10 minutes from Adamstown and 25 minutes from Ephrata.
Shady Grove, based near Washington, D.C., has 21 locations, including Chesterbrook, Chester County, and a limited-service Harrisburg office.
"We were seeing quite a few patients coming to us from the Pennsylvania area," practice development manager Kathy Houser says. "It seemed like the right time to (expand)."
Shady Grove will open a Bala Cynwyd office this spring and may expand services in Harrisburg. The group holds regular infertility seminars in the region.
The Wyomissing and Chesterbrook centers offer testing and treatment, including IVF and a donor egg program. Dr. Abraham K. Munabi is board-certified in reproductive endocrinology and obstetrics/gynecology.
Shady Grove has a "shared risk" program that promises a full refund if a couple does not deliver a healthy baby.
Patients must meet age and other criteria to participate in the shared risk program. Shady Grove estimates that nearly 70 percent of patients would qualify.
Practice development liaison Christina Schmidt says the program might especially appeal to local couples because unlike some states, Pennsylvania does not mandate insurance coverage for IVF.
"That's a big piece of why people are coming," she says. "I think it's giving people some hope that they didn't feel before."
Fertility Center
Dr. Robert Filer opened the Fertility Center in 1987, with locations in York and at Lancaster General's Suburban Outpatient Pavilion, 2108 Harrisburg Pike.
Until last August, the Lancaster office was open part-time.
"With just a physician and a nurse practitioner covering two offices, it was difficult to be there full-time like we wanted to be," Filer says.
Dr. Melanie Ochalski joined Filer last summer, allowing the Lancaster office to open five days a week.
The expanded hours mean that local patients no longer have to drive to York for testing when the Lancaster center is closed.
"Sometimes fertility treatments can require a rigorous schedule," Ochalski says. "Being able to accommodate patients goes a long way."
Filer and Ochalski are board-certified in obstetrics/gynecology. Ochalski is board-eligible in reproductive endocrinology.
The Lancaster office offers testing and treatment, including fertility medications and intrauterine insemination.
Patients who need IVF can have testing and monitoring done in Lancaster but must go to York for egg retrieval and embryo transfer. Setting up an additional IVF laboratory in Lancaster would be cost-prohibitive, Filer says.
Also, the center now freezes eggs for women who don't have cancer or another medical condition, but simply want to preserve their fertility.
Convenient path
In fall 2011, Samantha, who asked that her real name not be used, suffered an ectopic pregnancy. After two surgeries, she stopped ovulating.
Samantha's OB/GYN referred her to Abington for closer monitoring. "They had just opened an office in Lancaster, so that was nice," she says.
Sobel found and corrected a uterine abnormality that could have caused repeat miscarriages. He also prescribed medication to induce ovulation.
Samantha is now three months pregnant. "I didn't think that would ever happen," she says.
Samantha had early-pregnancy ultrasounds at Lancaster Fertility. She plans to visit one more time this summer — to show off her new baby.
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