SOUTH PORTLAND -- When you've tried for years to conceive a child, when your dreams hinge on every test result and scientific advance, the last thing you want to do is drive back and forth to Boston for every appointment.

Until this year, that was the only option for Maine families who wanted to try in vitro fertilization, which can be the last, best hope for women who have struggled to conceive.

Enter Dr. Beth Hartog, one of a limited number of specialists in the world who can perform the complex procedure, which involves fertilizing a man's sperm and woman's egg in a petri dish until mature enough to be placed back inside the mother's womb. Maine Medical Center recruited Dr. Hartog a few years ago to lead Maine's first full-service in vitro clinic, which opened its doors in South Portland in February.

Hartog performed the first fertilization in early March, and is expecting the first delivery of an IVF baby later this winter. She and the other staff members at the Maine Center for Reproductive Health watched that positive test result print from a lab computer, and they uncorked some champagne they had chilling.

"That brought the entire IVF process back to Maine," Hartog said. "It was a special moment for all of us."

Earlier this month, Hartog took a short break in her hectic schedule -- she usually works every day -- to look back at the first year for the center, and to look ahead. Hartog talks fast and with great energy, gesturing with her hands for emphasis.

"I like to say we have the best lab in the world right now," because it has the latest generation of equipment, and because of the team of doctors and nurses assembled by Maine Med, Hartog said.

About 150 couples have visited the clinic each year since it opened in 2003. Those couples could be tested and given medication through the clinic, but until this year they had to go to Lexington, Mass., for the most critical parts of the process -- the retrieval of eggs, fertilization and implantation into the uterus. About 80 couples now have gone through the entire process at the full laboratory in South Portland.

"It's great to have this in Maine," said Lorie Parks of Sidney, who first met with Hartog in the summer of 2004. Parks and her husband Michael had not been able to conceive for a second time, after the birth of their first child. The family tried several methods before deciding on in vitro fertilization last spring.

"Beth was fabulous from day one," Parks said. "She was very positive, but realistic, which was nice. She presented all the options to us, the pros and cons of each one."

The IVF process worked, and Parks gave birth to healthy twins, Luke and Ryan, on March 15 at Maine Med.

The Parks family almost did not try IVF, in part because they would have to go to Massachusetts for the procedures, with doctors they did not know. Parks said having the full service facility in Maine will help more women and families fulfill their dreams.

"It is going to be so much easier for people to make the decision to do it," Parks said. "People can go in and see Beth's face and all the nurses they are familiar with."

There are about 385 centers in the United States performing in vitro fertilization, Hartog said. Maine was among only a few states without such a facility. Hartog, a native of Connecticut, had been director of in vitro fertilization at George Washington University Medical Center for seven years before coming to Maine.

Professional ethics restrict Hartog from discussing success rates for her patients. A 2002 study by the federal Centers for Disease Control found overall success rates of 30 percent at the most successful clinics. The average rate is higher for younger patients, and falls as age increases.

"We're doing very well. Our early pregnancy rates are very good," Hartog said.

In her job, Hartog often has to take on the role of counselor. The emotional and financial stress of the process can be overwhelming. Some women have tried without success for several years to get pregnant, and for many of them, IVF does not work. "Those are hard, the ones who we unfortunately can't help. There are limits to science," Hartog said.

Families pay about $10,000 per IVF cycle, and many go through multiple cycles with the hopes of pregnancy.

Right now, Hartog is limited to using a woman's own eggs to attempt the procedure. The next step in technology is to use donor eggs, for women who do not produce their own, or whose eggs cannot be fertilized. Hartog hopes to offer that option in the next few years.

Standing on this frontier edge of medicine and modern culture, Hartog likes what she sees.

"It's an exciting job, an exciting place to be," she said "We really get into each person's case. When the results are positive, everybody cheers."