Innovative Fertility Scorecard Measures “Fertility Friendliness” of Each State
McLean, VA (PRWEB) April 21, 2014 -- During National Infertility Awareness Week, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, in partnership with EMD Serono, is launching an updated index to measure and grade states’ “fertility friendliness,” called The Fertility Scorecard. The state-by-state index was created by evaluating the number of RESOLVE support groups, the insurance climate and the number of fertility specialist physicians in each state.
“For the second year in a row, we are working to highlight state-by-state disparities between access to support resources and fertility treatment, in an effort to motivate people to take action to improve their state’s fertility friendliness,” said Barbara Collura, President/CEO of RESOLVE. “We developed the scorecard not to publicly call out specific states for their lack of access, but to bring attention to what still needs to be done in terms of improving access to care and support in every state.”
This year, the states that had an A grade on the scorecard are Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts and New Jersey, and the states that received an F grade are Alaska, New Hampshire and Wyoming.
“Even for the states that received top grades, we need to be vigilant to ensure access remains strong, and we need to remember that insurance mandates don’t cover everyone,” said Collura. “This year, we have also highlighted states where the insurance mandate to cover fertility treatment may be in jeopardy as a result of the Affordable Care Act, or where the state legislatures may have a history of trying to pass laws that negatively impact the infertility community.”
RESOLVE urges anyone thinking about starting a family or experiencing issues getting pregnant to review The Fertility Scorecard at http://www.RESOLVE.org/fertility-scorecard. Through RESOLVE, you can also learn more about raising infertility awareness nationally and motivating state constituents to become fertility advocates.
“We hope that by providing The Fertility Scorecard as a resource for people suffering with the disease of infertility we will help them take control of their fertility journey by becoming more educated about how to address both the financial and emotional barriers they encounter,” said Collura. “We want to create conversations between patients, HCPs, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, policymakers and employers that will increase access to fertility treatment nationwide.”
About Fertility Issues:
• Couples who are having trouble getting pregnant should know that they are not alone and should feel empowered to seek medical help:
o 10.9% of all women aged 15-44 (regardless of marital status) have physical difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to live birth.
o 12% of married women have trouble getting pregnant or sustaining pregnancy.
o 1 in 8 couples have trouble getting pregnant.
o 1 in 8 women of reproductive age have received help for infertility in their lifetime.
• Couples should visit a fertility specialist if they are under the age of 35 and unable to become pregnant after one year of regular, unprotected intercourse, or six months if the woman is over 35 years old.
• The good news is that approximately 65% of women who seek medical intervention give birth.
About The Fertility Scorecard: RESOLVE developed The Fertility Scorecard to highlight state-by-state disparities between access to support resources and fertility treatment, and to create a conversation among infertility stakeholders that will lead to increased access to fertility treatment.
The state-by-state index was created by evaluating the following criteria for each state and the District of Columbia:
• Whether a state has an insurance mandate, and how impactful that mandate is
• Number of fertility specialists (medical doctors) in a state that practice in a SART-accredited infertility clinic, relative to the state’s infertile population
• Number of RESOLVE support groups in state relative to the state’s infertile population
The Fertility Scorecard can be found at http://www.RESOLVE.org/fertility-scorecard. It was created with support from EMD Serono.
About RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association: Established in 1974, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association is a non-profit organization with the only established, nationwide network mandated to promote reproductive health and to ensure equal access to all family building options for men and women experiencing infertility or other reproductive disorders. One in eight U.S. couples of childbearing age is diagnosed with infertility. RESOLVE addresses this public health issue by providing community to these women and men, connecting them with others who can help, empowering them to find resolution and giving voice to their demands for access to all family building options. For more information, visit http://www.RESOLVE.org.
Diana Cummins, RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, +1 (703) 556-7172, [email protected]
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