Yes, you’re right. It is a topic I cover often here – this crazy notion that your reproductive health is just as important as other (covered) aspects of your health and well-being.

But, I do find great comfort in the fact that I am not alone. The vast majority of you who took this poll agreed with me. RESOLVE, the national infertility association has an entire advocacy network set up in support of it.

This week some ladies have created an online petition to send to Congress in support of HR 2892, The Family Building Act. Go have a look. You’ll notice that once you sign your name, it will take you to a page where you can make a donation to iPetitions, the online vehicle which powers the petition. You do NOT need to make a donation in order for your name to be added.

I reviewed this federal legislation way back when I first started Fertility Notes:

The Family Building Act of 2007 would require coverage for the treatment of infertility in group health plans. HR 2892 states:

(1) Infertility is a disease affecting more than 6,000,000 American women and men, about 10 percent of the reproductive age population.

(2) Recent improvements in therapy make pregnancy possible for more couples than in past years.

(3) The majority of group health plans do not provide coverage for infertility therapy.

(4) A fundamental part of the human experience is fulfilling the desire to reproduce.

Hard to disagree with any of that, but I was shocked at the numbers. Six million?

I read through the bill in search of the catch or the devil hiding in its detail and darned if I could find one. Other than restricting the number of oocyte retrievals and requiring that the treatment is deemed “non-experimental,” the bill is incredibly clear and inclusive.

Which is why I am doubtful that it will pass without some serious grassroots (that’s you and me) advocacy.

And I still feel that way. If you have a minute this weekend, because, really, that’s all it takes, please consider adding your name to the Infertility Has Been Forgotten Petition. If not you, then who?

Hey, you have entered the latest Freebie Friday giveaway, right?

Post from: Blisstree

Show Your Support for HR 2892 The Family Building Act

May 15 is Bloggers Unite for Human Rights Day. I hate feeling left out, so Fertility Notes has joined the charge!

In my mind, reproductive rights and women’s right to affordable and accessible health care are human rights issues. I think the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights agrees with me. Article 16 in it says:

(1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.

(2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.

(3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.

I love this language because it is inclusive. Notice that it says men and women, but doesn’t prescribe that marriage=man+woman. Not like the horrific law that Pennsylvania is trying to push through (argh, I digress. That’s another post).

Founding a family relies on reproductive health, (a topic that I cover in my Bloggers for Choice post back in January). And when people ask for assistance with fertility, I think we are really asking for the same level of care that we expect for any other part of our bodies that aren’t functioning as they should. It is never questioned when someone asks for a broken bone to be mended, or when treatment for a disease is undertaken. Yet, fertility treatments are still seem by some as a boutique request, something that’s nice, but not necessary. Something that is created by lifestyle choices, not medical necessity.

Are there things we can do to improve our fertility by altering lifestyle choices? Sometimes, yes. Just as we can minimize our risk for cancers. Lifestyle and healthy choices always play a part in wellness. But they are not always enough.

Legislation like the Family Building Act, which would mandate insurance coverage for some fertility treatments, are trying to protect and preserve the “natural and fundamental group unit of society” – the family. And I believe being part of and trying to raise a family is a fundamental human right.

So there you have it, my two cents and then some.

What are yours?

Post from: Blisstree

Fertility Notes Joins Bloggers Unite for Human Rights

If you aren’t among the lucky customers of the other 10%, there are places you can go to apply for financial assistance with your fertility treatments. Several fertility clinics offer shared cycle programs which defray the costs of using donor eggs. If you are planning to use in vitro fertilization (IVF), the International Council on Infertility Information Dissemination, Inc (INCID) offers scholarships to those in financial need.

For women (and men) who are about to undergo cancer treatment and want to look into preserving their eggs or sperm for future attempts at having a family, Fertile Hope may be able to help. For those of us who completed our treatments before cryopreservation was an option, the SAMFund for Young Adult Survivors of Cancer offers grants and scholarships every year to help cover medical and other expenses – including those related to fertility treatments.

Of course, I have an application pending.

Post from: Blisstree

Financial Assistance for Fertility Treatments

Unless you have a fabulous insurance plan which covers fertility treatments (they are rumored to exist) you can count on paying out of pocket for any and all expenses related to your reproduction.

But wait, there’s hope.

The Family Building Act of 2007 would require coverage for the treatment of infertility in group health plans. HR 2892 states:

(1) Infertility is a disease affecting more than 6,000,000 American women and men, about 10 percent of the reproductive age population.

(2) Recent improvements in therapy make pregnancy possible for more couples than in past years.

(3) The majority of group health plans do not provide coverage for infertility therapy.

(4) A fundamental part of the human experience is fulfilling the desire to reproduce.

Hard to disagree with any of that, but I was shocked at the numbers. Six million?

I read through the bill in search of the catch or the devil hiding in its detail and darned if I could find one. Other than restricting the number of oocyte retrievals and requiring that the treatment is deemed “non-experimental,” the bill is incredibly clear and inclusive.

Which is why I am doubtful that it will pass without some serious grassroots (that’s you and me) advocacy.

Case in point: Here in Pennsylvania, there is a piece of legislation that would require coverage for therapies related to Autism Spectrum Disorders in children. ASDs by most accounts affect 3.4 out of every 1,000. That’s 0.3%. And there is tremendous opposition by both insurance companies and business groups that are already calculating increased premiums they would have to pay for something that would affect 0.3% of the population. My head starts clicking imagining their calculators working overtime attempting to ascertain the fiscal impact of incredibly expensive fertility treatments that over 6 million Americans could feasibly demand covered by their insurance.

Best believe I would be first in line.

Post from: Blisstree

Family-Friendly Legislation