All families should have access to fertility care, but unfortunately, many still end up paying out of pocket or delaying treatment (sometimes indefinitely) due to the overwhelming financial burden.

Every person deserves to have the opportunity to build a family. Infertility is a reproductive disease, and like any other disease, it should be covered by insurance. While there are an increasing number of grants out there, providing funds for the people in 31 states that have no state-mandated coverage (19 states do have limited mandated coverage, including Connecticut), would we expect someone with cardiac or pulmonary disease to apply and hope for a grant for medical treatment? Or would we expect that the medical coverage that we pay for would instead provide coverage for our medical problem? With 1 in 8 people affected by fertility issues (similar numbers to those who are challenged by breast cancer), we do not have to face these discriminatory exclusions by ourselves. When asked, many legislators will tell you that their families are among the most important aspects of their lives. We stand together, to tell our legislators that our families are as important to us as theirs are to them.

Over the past few years, fertility treatment has gained some much-needed visibility. As public figures and celebrities share their stories of IVF treatment, surrogacy, PCOS struggles, and more, we see that willingness to share mirrored in our own community. Not only do patients seem to be more willing to open up to friends, family, and social media about their fertility or family-building journeys, but they are sharing the physical, mental, and emotional toll that may accompany these reproductive challenges.

What Will Infertility Advocacy Do For YOU? On a personal level, for everyone reading this, whether it’s infertility or any other topic, one basic thing an advocacy effort can accomplish is to help pass laws. It’s simple, but it doesn’t sound personal or individual, does it? It sounds legislative because, for fertility treatment and advocacy, that’s where legal and lasting change can occur. Davina Fankhauser, Co-Founder of Fertility Within Reach, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to help people find a way to build their families, says it best, “Being your own best advocate was the first tagline for Fertility Within Reach. Moving from “victim” to “empowered advocate” is good for the body, mind, and soul. It’s contagious in that you will apply using your voice to other areas in your life. You will improve your life and the lives of others.”

The name Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) implies that this condition is all about the ovaries, but this condition affects many different systems and organs of the body, including the heart. Why do PCOS patients have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and how can we reduce those risk factors?

There are fertility warriors that walk amongst us. In fact, the list gets longer and longer each day. There are also fertility heroes too... a slightly different breed.

Every spring, RESOLVE: The Infertility Association, in partnership with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, provides a platform, Advocacy Day, for infertility advocates from all over the country to gather in Washington, DC. The purpose? To speak to legislators about the 1 in 8 couples faced with reproductive disease, also known as infertility.

March 7, 2019 was PCOS Advocacy Day, a day that turned Washington DC teal (yes, greenish blue) in recognition of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). It was a day where awareness was raised and funding was requested for relevant research on a complex syndrome that 1 in 5 women face, with more diagnoses occurring every day.