More than 1 in 10 women ages 18-44 experience infertility, and it is becoming increasingly common for many of them to turn to assisted reproductive technology, or ART, to help them conceive. In fact, almost 2 percent of all infants born in the United States every year are conceived using ART. That these technologies and possibilities exist is incredible, but infertility is a wrenching journey — emotionally and physically. In 2018, there were more than 300,000 ART cycles; just 36 percent of cycles with the intention of a pregnancy (i.e., not for banking) resulted in a live birth — which means 64 percent fail. And although some clinics offer payment plans or “guarantees,” and some insurance plans cover bits and pieces of this process, it’s still exorbitantly expensive.
On the Motherlode, Motherfigure’s nationwide provider directory, we seek to bring awareness, transparency, agency, and choice to the support available to people on the motherhood journey. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’re adding more than 400 lab-accredited fertility clinics. The profiles for these clinics include key details like total annual cycles completed per data from the CDC; diagnoses of patients; total live births; services offered; and insurance information. This is meant to help centralize information that previously people had to scour the internet for, and clarify what information people should try to focus on. Our goal, too, is to bring greater transparency to this market, so you can expect more updates soon.
It’s true that in the past few decades, new, less invasive procedures have been introduced, and there are increasing commitments to diversity (at least in marketing materials), but the fact remains that fertility treatment remains out of reach for the vast majority of people who would benefit from it. Our approaches for making this journey easier remain wanting. We believe that aspiring parents deserve better.
That’s why we’re excited to make it easier for parents all over the country to access information about fertility clinics on the Motherlode, but this is only the latest step—and piece of the fertility treatment puzzle. Earlier this year, Motherfigure launched infertility doulas on the Motherlode — people dedicated to supporting this especially challenging part of the parenthood journey. Doulas have, throughout history, been a key part of the parenthood journey; as birth in this country has become increasingly medicalized and turned away from the social era of support, doulas are arguably more relevant than ever. The ART process is, too, highly medicalized; advancements for which we are grateful. But we often hear there’s something missing in the way of support, and at Motherfigure we think infertility doulas can help address those gaps. A few months ago, we also added mental health therapists, including those who specialize in infertility and loss, to our directory. People experiencing infertility and loss need people to talk to, full stop.
Although queer people represent a growing proportion of those seeking fertility help, heteronormative definitions of infertility as the inability to conceive after a year of sex between a man and a woman exclude many LGBTQ individuals from insurance coverage for ART; many clinics, even those that purport to support LGBT family-building, are less experienced, do not offer a full suite of services, or do not give patients positive experiences. The Motherlode is seeking feedback from queer people on their experiences in our reviews, and noting those clinics that offer services like reciprocal IVF.
There are significant racial inequalities when it comes to infertility, too. Black women are estimated to have 1.5 times the infertility rate of women of other races, yet only 11 percent seek infertility treatment, compared to 16 percent of white women.
In some ways, the conversation around fertility has never been more acute, and yet it’s also a strange time to be launching infertility resources with COVID-19 looming. There’s a lot we don’t know about COVID-19’s impact on pregnancy and the developing fetus; the virus is still too new, in some ways. There are new indications that it’s more severe in pregnant people, which will rightly give plenty of people pause. Regardless, the pandemic has upended the plans of millions — and yet many walking an infertility journey have said that they cannot, and will not, put their lives completely on hold. But as of early May, ASRM’s Task Force has supported “the measured resumption of care,” with most clinics resuming most treatments, and many accepting new patients, albeit with more telehealth and more stringent visitor policies.
Ultimately we are about empowering agency and choice at Motherfigure. We want to make it easier for families to start their clinic discovery and have conversations with prospective providers. We hope that access to information about fertility clinics, fertility doulas, and mental health practitioners can help set people on that path.
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