Breaking the silence: GenPrime Fertility leads open conversations on reproductive health in the Philippines

Leading the Manila clinic are medical director Dr Anthony Marc Ancheta and reproductive endocrinology specialist Dr Marinella Abat, whose combined experience spans more than four decades in fertility and reproductive medicine.

Dr Ancheta, who trained at the University of the Philippines–Philippine General Hospital and later underwent subspecialty training at Singapore's National University Hospital, has spent nearly two decades helping individuals and couples navigate fertility care. Patients know him for his measured, reassuring approach and his ability to make complex decisions feel more manageable.

Dr Abat brings more than twenty years of experience in reproductive endocrinology and infertility care and previously served as President of the Philippine Society of Reproductive Medicine. Beyond her clinical work, she has played an important role in advancing fertility care standards in the Philippines.

Together, they lead a multidisciplinary team that reflects GenPrime Fertility's commitment to internationally informed, patient-centred care delivered close to home.

GenPrime operates as part of a wider network with locations in Singapore, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles, with Jakarta forthcoming. Its arrival in Manila reflects both the country’s growing demand for fertility and reproductive healthcare services and a broader regional shift towards proactive, patient-centred care.

Moderated by Anne Gauthier, the panel comprised Margaret Wang, GenPrime’s founding chief executive; Dr Anthony Marc Ancheta, medical director of the Manila clinic; and patients Krista and Lucas Bersamin and Elaine Capistrano. The discussion ranged across clinical philosophy, patient experience and the importance of women taking an active, informed role in their reproductive health.

Wang addressed GenPrime’s founding purpose with characteristic directness. “We built GenPrime because we didn’t want people in Asia to feel like they had to leave Asia for services abroad,” she said. “We built this here in Manila, so that Filipinos don’t feel like they have to leave the Philippines for equally great medical quality and standards.” Wang has spoken publicly about her own experience as a fertility patient, a background she credits as central to GenPrime’s emphasis on integrated, stigma-free care—one designed to meet patients where they are, emotionally as much as clinically.

See also: 9 things every Filipina should know about her fertility—but was never told

Dr Ancheta outlined the philosophy that underpins the clinic's approach, speaking to the importance of unhurried, attentive care in a field where patient confidence can be as important as clinical outcomes. “You cannot do this with just five-minute consults,” he said, “and you cannot dismiss any single concern of a patient. All concerns, however shallow they may seem, are valid.” His aim, he noted, is straightforward: that every patient leaves an appointment with the clarity and reassurance they came seeking.

The panel’s patient testimonies lent the evening its most resonant moments. Krista Bersamin, who was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease—an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland—in 2009, spoke with disarming honesty about the years of uncertainty, treatment and social pressure that preceded the couple’s decision to pursue IVF. Her account was a reminder of the particular weight carried by women navigating fertility challenges in a culture where the subject is rarely discussed openly. “You know how it is in the Philippines,” she said. “A little banter here and there about not being pregnant. It hurts you a lot.” What carried her through, she said, was faith, her husband’s steadfast support and eventually finding the right medical team.

See also: Meet the Filipino women setting a new standard for leadership in business and beyond

Her husband Lucas offered a perspective seldom heard in these forums. Speaking as the male partner in a prolonged fertility journey, he reflected on the importance of emotional presence and patience. “Whether we get a positive or a negative pregnancy test,” he said, “men should be supportive of their wives.” The Bersamins are now parents to four children, all born through IVF under Dr Ancheta’s care. Krista’s counsel to couples considering the same path was clear: prioritise finding the right doctor, invest emotionally as much as financially and do not navigate the journey alone.

Elaine Capistrano’s story spoke directly to the power of proactive reproductive medicine. Following a major life transition at 37, she chose to freeze her eggs just before her 40th birthday, a decision she described as one of the most empowering of her life. She conceived at 46 and became a mother at 47. “Choosing to go through with it made me feel empowered, independent and confident in taking control of my future,” she said. Her message to women who feel time may no longer be on their side was unequivocal: “It’s never too late to hold on to hope. You can still become a mother in your late 40s and continue to feel strong, fulfilled and in your prime.”

What the evening demonstrated, above all, was the value of bringing these conversations into the open. Fertility care in the Philippines is advancing—in its standards, its accessibility and, increasingly, in the frankness with which it is discussed. GenPrime’s model, and partnerships such as this one with Tatler Philippines, represent a concerted effort to ensure that more women enter that conversation informed, supported and with a clearer sense of the options available to them.

Dr Ancheta, for his part, expressed confidence in what Manila is now capable of offering. “Whatever you plan to do, probably in Los Angeles, Singapore, in Bangkok, or Kuala Lumpur,” he said, “you can [access that same level of care] here in Manila.”

GenPrime Fertility is located at Unit 217-219 Parqal Building 8, Diosdado Macapagal Avenue, Aseana City, Parañaque. The clinic may be followed at @genprimeivf and @genprimeivf.ph. Further information is available at ph.genprime.com.

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