When Andrea and Christopher Amos learned Christopher had a rare condition that would prevent them from being able to conceive a child naturally, it came as a shock. “It was tough because we didn’t really have anyone to confide in,” Andrea Amos said.
It was the beginning of the pandemic and after bouncing around different doctors’ offices across the state and spending thousands of dollars out of pocket, the couple decided to give it a break and focus on their business prospects instead.
Now, more than three years later, they received a grant from Fertility Answers, a fertility clinic in Lafayette, allowing them to finally start their journey toward parenthood.
Fertility Answers has been awarding grants to families who struggle with infertility since 2006. Since then, seven babies have been born as a result of the grants, while some couples saw success in later IVF cycles.
“It’s been a pretty successful thing,” said Dr. John Storment, who runs the clinic and grant program together with his wife.
Affordability aside, access to fertility treatment in Louisiana is limited. Fertility Answers is the only clinic providing IVF services in Lafayette, and Storment estimates the number of reproductive endocrinologists in the state to be in the single digits.
The pipeline for new practitioners to enter the field is lacking too. According to a study published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, approximately 55 fellows currently graduate per year.
Getting them to Louisiana is a struggle of its own. “It’s really, really hard to recruit,” Storment said.
The political landscape plays a role in the declining number of reproductive specialists in the state. Following a case in the Alabama Supreme Court that declared embryos created through in vitro fertilization children, making it riskier for fertility clinics to operate, there were concerns that similar cases may be brought across the Deep South.
Louisiana did not follow suit and there has since been legislation proposed that would offer some protections for fertility clinics. But the restrictive state of reproductive rights in the state still poses a challenge for clinics hoping to recruit.
Storment said his clinic experienced this firsthand, when a doctor who had already signed a contract to join its Baton Rouge practice changed her mind after the Dobbs decision was issued in June 2022.
“The only way I’m going to get more doctors here is if they have some connection to Louisiana,” Storment said. “It’s very hard.”
But there are hopeful signs as well. Storment said insurance coverage of infertility treatments has increased, while the cost of treatment has remained relatively stable, making it more financially accessible to more patients.
For Andrea and Christopher Amos, their journey toward having a child starts soon. In September, Christopher is scheduled for a procedure that will mark the first step of the process. On a wall in the hallway of their Lafayette home, five picture frames are lined up in a neat row. Three hold photos of their engagement and wedding, two are yet to be filled — with baby pictures, they hope.