Author: Dr. Mickey Coffler

Earlier this month, more than 200 infertility advocates (including many from California) and representatives from numerous veterans organization joined Resolve: the National Infertility Association and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Washington, D.C. They lobbied for bills that will pay for fertility treatment for wounded veterans.

Located in Southern California where many military personnel live, HRC is honored to have the opportunity to help active duty service men and women overcome infertility, much of which is paid for by their military healthcare benefits. My colleagues and I see first-hand the devastating reproductive injuries that our wounded veterans have sustained in combat.

The good news is that successful treatment options, such as IVF, are available. For male vets, we have techniques to extra sperm and combine it with their partner’s eggs. Female veterans with reproductive injuries can use a surrogate mother with their own or donor eggs and IVF.

HRC applauds the Veterans Administration for recently instituting a forward-thinking program allowing active duty soldiers to freeze their eggs and sperm to preserve their fertility. We also applaud the Senate for voting overwhelmingly to lift the ban on covering IVF services for our wounded veterans and provide them access to the care they need to build their families.

Please visit this link to see how you can get more involved in the fight to help our veterans. Use the hashtag #IVF4Vets and/or #IFAdvocacy on your social media accounts to spread the word.