Women's Specialty Care, SC — An Honest Editorial Review

Most fertility journeys do not start at an IVF clinic. They start at an annual exam, with a trusted OB/GYN, in a conversation about irregular cycles or "we've been trying for a while." On Chicago's North Shore, Women's Specialty Care, SC in Lake Forest is exactly that kind of practice — a small, physician-owned OB/GYN office where many fertility-curious patients first raise the question before being referred onward. For patients exploring fertility clinics in Illinois, understanding what a practice like this one can and cannot do is essential: it sits upstream of IVF, not within it.

About the Practice

Women's Specialty Care, SC (WSC) is a long-standing independent OB/GYN practice serving Lake County and the North Shore of Chicago from two offices — its Lake Forest location at 840 S Waukegan Road, Suite 208, and a sister office in Grayslake. The clinical team is small and stable, which is uncommon in an era of health-system consolidation.

• Karen J. Mass, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. — Board-certified in obstetrics and gynecology by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG). Dr. Mass earned her M.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine (1988) and completed her OB/GYN residency at the University of Michigan (1992). She is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and holds medical-staff attending privileges at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital and NorthShore Highland Park Hospital. Publicly listed clinical focus areas include abnormal uterine bleeding, adolescent gynecology, endometriosis, and minimally invasive gynecologic surgery.
• Leslie Rubeck, CNM — Certified Nurse Midwife supporting obstetric and well-woman care across both offices.

Patients can independently confirm current Illinois licensure through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and board-certification status through ABMS Certification Matters.

The practice's public site is wsc-lakeforest.com.

Services Offered

Public materials describe WSC as a full-spectrum OB/GYN practice serving patients from adolescence through post-menopause. Services include:

• Routine and high-touch obstetrics — prenatal care, delivery, and postpartum follow-up
• General gynecology — annual exams, Pap/HPV screening, STI evaluation, contraception counseling (including LARC)
• In-office diagnostic imaging — pelvic ultrasound, 3D digital mammography, automated whole breast ultrasound (ABUS), and bone densitometry
• Preconception counseling and OB/GYN-level infertility workup — cycle-history review, ovulation assessment, baseline hormone labs, and pelvic ultrasound
• Minor in-office gynecologic procedures, with more complex cases scheduled at an on-site surgery center in the Grayslake building or at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital / NorthShore Highland Park Hospital
• Menopause and perimenopause management

Patients considering a fertility evaluation should call the office and confirm which specific diagnostic services — for example, hysterosalpingogram (HSG) or semen-analysis coordination — are performed in-office versus referred out.

What This Practice Is — and Isn't

Women's Specialty Care, SC is a general OB/GYN practice. To be explicit for readers using this page to plan a fertility workup:

• WSC is not a reproductive endocrinology and infertility (REI) clinic.
• WSC does not operate an embryology laboratory.
• WSC does not perform egg retrievals, embryo transfers, ICSI, or PGT-A/PGT-M.
• WSC is not a SART-member clinic. You can confirm SART-member status for any U.S. fertility center at sartcorsonline.com, and review U.S. ART outcomes through the CDC's ART Surveillance program.

Patients who need IVF, monitored IUI with ovarian stimulation, donor eggs, egg freezing, gestational surrogacy, or advanced preimplantation genetic testing require referral to a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist. In the Chicago metro, that commonly means one of: Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI), Reproductive Medicine Institute (RMI), Vios Fertility Institute, Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, or Northwestern Medicine's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. For the society's view of when subspecialty referral is appropriate, see the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) infertility topic pages.

For an independent roster of verified Illinois REI-led clinics, browse Fertlo's Illinois fertility clinics directory.

Illinois Insurance Context

Illinois is one of the most patient-favorable states for fertility coverage. The 1991 Illinois Family Building Act requires many group insurance policies issued in Illinois to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility — including, subject to plan-specific conditions, IVF cycles, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, and certain fertility-preservation services. Important exceptions: self-funded ERISA plans and plans below statutory group-size thresholds are exempt, so coverage must be verified with the specific carrier and plan document.

Routine OB/GYN services at WSC — annual exams, pelvic ultrasound, preconception counseling — are typically covered under standard gynecologic benefits regardless of whether the fertility mandate applies. For a state-by-state comparison, see Fertlo's fertility insurance mandates by state guide.

Patient Experience

Publicly aggregated patient reviews for WSC cluster in the high range typical of small, physician-owned North Shore OB/GYN offices — roughly a 4.9-star average across a patient-review sample in the low hundreds on Google, with consistent commentary about unrushed appointments, direct phone access to staff, and continuity with the same physician over years of care. For patients early in a fertility conversation — when anxiety is often high and clinical questions are unfamiliar — that tone matters as much as any individual service line.

Considering At-Home Insemination?

Not every fertility journey begins in a clinic. At-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option for patients with no known fertility diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before scheduling a clinical workup.

At-home insemination kits from MakeAMom come with step-by-step instructions for donor or partner sperm, arrive in plain, discreet packaging, and can be reused across cycles. Many patients pair them with ovulation tracking while waiting for an OB/GYN or REI appointment.

If you have a known fertility diagnosis, have been trying for 12 months without success (6 months if over 35), or a clinician has already recommended IUI or IVF, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist is the right next step.

When to Add a Clinical REI

Based on guidance summarized by ASRM and consistent with peer-reviewed practice in PubMed-indexed literature, it is reasonable to ask your OB/GYN for an REI referral when any of the following apply:

• 12 months of regular, unprotected intercourse without pregnancy if under age 35
• 6 months of trying without pregnancy if age 35 or older
• A known diagnosis of PCOS, endometriosis, or primary ovarian insufficiency (POI)
• A tubal occlusion identified on HSG or prior pelvic surgery affecting the tubes
• An abnormal semen analysis
• Two or more clinical pregnancy losses
• Any known chromosomal or single-gene condition where PGT-M may apply

Location and Contact

Address: 840 S Waukegan Road, Suite 208, Lake Forest, IL 60045 Practice: Women's Specialty Care, SC Phone: (847) 295-0433 Website: wsc-lakeforest.com Second office: 1475 E. Belvidere Road, Suite 212, Grayslake, IL 60030

Office hours at Lake Forest are typically Monday through Thursday; the office is closed Friday through Sunday. Confirm current hours directly with the practice before scheduling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Women's Specialty Care, SC offer IVF?

No. WSC is a general OB/GYN practice — not a reproductive endocrinology clinic. The practice offers preconception counseling and OB/GYN-level fertility workup (cycle review, ovulation and hormone assessment, pelvic ultrasound), and can medically manage conditions that affect fertility, such as PCOS, fibroids, and endometriosis. Patients who require IVF, ICSI, PGT-A, donor eggs, or gestational surrogacy are typically referred to a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist. SART-member status for any U.S. REI clinic can be verified at sartcorsonline.com.

Does Illinois insurance cover a fertility workup done at an OB/GYN like WSC?

Often, yes. The 1991 Illinois Family Building Act requires many group insurance plans issued in Illinois to cover the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, and routine OB/GYN evaluation (office visit, pelvic ultrasound, baseline labs) is generally covered under standard gynecologic benefits regardless. Self-funded ERISA plans and some small-group plans are exempt. See Fertlo's fertility insurance mandates by state guide for broader context, and confirm plan-specific coverage with your insurer.

Which Chicago-area REI clinics does this part of the North Shore typically refer to?

Patients near Lake Forest commonly receive REI referrals to Fertility Centers of Illinois (FCI), Reproductive Medicine Institute (RMI), Vios Fertility Institute, Advanced Fertility Center of Chicago, and Northwestern Medicine's Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Fertlo maintains an independent list in the Illinois fertility clinics directory. Always confirm current SART membership and CDC-reported outcomes before selecting an REI.

Is Women's Specialty Care, SC accepting new patients?

Small OB/GYN practices on the North Shore cycle between open and waitlisted panels depending on obstetric volume. The most reliable way to confirm current new-patient status, insurance acceptance, and appointment availability is to call the Lake Forest office at (847) 295-0433 or visit wsc-lakeforest.com.

Editorial note: Independently written by the Fertlo editorial team; not sponsored. Compiled from publicly available practice materials, Northwestern Medicine provider profile information, and state-licensure sources as of the publication date. Credentials, provider rosters, and service availability can change — always verify directly with the practice before scheduling. See our editorial policy.