By Sonja Whitemon
Matrika Johnson makes babies. “DOCTOR” Matrika Johnson, M.D., that is; and she is one of only a handful of Black doctors of reproductive health in the country. In fact, there is a grand total of three between North and South Carolina. Industry groups such as The American Society for Reproductive Medicine and The American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology estimate that there are 1,000 to 1,200 board-certified reproductive endocrinologists practicing in the United States.
Johnson founded Reproductive Specialists of the Carolinas in 2020. She is board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). In Johnson’s practice, she helps women, men and same-sex couples — people from all walks of life.
She revealed that pediatrics was her original goal in medical school, but she realized early on that it was not her calling. “I was introduced to women’s health, and I really liked it because it gave [me] the opportunity to take care of women in all phases of their lives,” she explained.
She chose reproductive care as her specialty. Becoming an infertility doctor is no small feat. It typically takes about 15 years of education and training beyond high school to achieve. Johnson completed her undergraduate training at Davidson College and was recognized as a Davidson Scholar. She later earned her medical degree from Wright State University and received the Janet C. Thompson Memorial Scholarship Award for her academic achievements.
“I specifically picked my residency program based on the fact that I wanted to do an REI fellowship,” she said. She was a woman on a mission.
“To do REI you have to do a four-year residency in OBGYN; so, I’m a fully trained OBGYN. And then in order to do REI, you have to do three extra years of training in REI. So, I did my OBGYN residency at [Washington University] in Saint Louis, and then I did my REI fellowship at McGee Women’s Hospital in Pittsburgh,” said Johnson.
The CDC defines infertility as being unable to conceive after one year of trying. If a woman is 35 or older, infertility is based on six months of trying to become pregnant. The CDC says that 1 in 5 (19%) of married women aged 15 to 49 with no prior births are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying.
Johnson’s Reproductive Specialists of the Carolinas Center offers support in all areas of reproductive health, treating conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), ovulation issues and more. They can also help people decide the next steps in their fertility journey. Is it natural conception or hormone therapy? In vitro (IV) or egg transfer? The center provides a full range of modern fertility care, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, intrauterine insemination (IUI) and fertility assessments. They can even recommend third-party options when needed.
Of all the possible causes of infertility, the most difficult to treat is age, Johnson said. “If you don’t have tubes, that’s fine. We can do IVF. If you’re not regularly ovulating, that’s OK. I can give you medications to ovulate. If you’re super thin and you’re not getting your period, again, I can give you medications that will make you ovulate so that you can get pregnant,” she said.
“Your husband has a low sperm count or low motility or low morphology? We can get around that. But things that are hard to get around are no eggs, no sperm. As we age, our egg and sperm count go down,” she added.
“We had a 48-year-old that called the office and wants to do IVF with her own eggs. I’m not gonna let her because I know her chance of success is less than 1%, and so it makes no sense to let her,” Johnson said. “It’s hard for me to collect her money, or even if it’s her insurance, it’s hard to put her through a cycle when my expectation is for her to fail.”
“As a fertility patient myself, I understand what my patients are experiencing and have built a practice that cares for individuals the same way I would want to be cared for,” she said. “We are invested in you and help guide you through each step.”
Many of Johnson’s patients find her through word of mouth. The center also has a presence on Facebook and Instagram. You can also learn more about infertility, reproductive services and funding options at Reproductive Specialists of the Carolinas’ website: fertilitycarolinas.com.