An article in TIME reports on a RESOLVE study of the best and worst states in which to reside if you suffer from infertility.
They say that if you’re struggling to get pregnant, the best states to live in are Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.
That’s according to a “fertility report card” from RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, which assessed each state based on whether they offer insurance coverage for in vitro fertilization (IVF), the number of fertility specialists in each state, and the prevalence of infertility support groups.
So what are the worst states for couples struggling to get pregnant? RESOLVE says it’s Alaska, New Hampshire, and Wyoming, which all were graded an “F.”
“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. Insurance coverage is one of the biggest hurdles for IVF, with some states not providing insurance due to IVF not being a life or death issue, and for ethical reasons.
States were graded by evaluating the following criteria for each state and the District of Columbia:
•Number of peer-led RESOLVE support groups in state for people experiencing fertility issues
•Number of physicians specializing in infertility in state, at SART-accredited fertility clinics
•Number of women in state who have experienced physical difficulty in getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to live birth
•Insurance mandate information in each state
Of course they leave out the most important criterion for the best state: in which state can you take advantage of the wonderful care at Reproductive Partners. The answer is California.