Tennessee Fertility Advocates in the News

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A valley story of infertility and miscarriage, desperation and doubt, and the sustaining strength only found through the grace of Jesus.

“Control what you can control.” This phrase from Cannon Connect guest, Mollie Walker, stands out as a reminder that you can always do something, even if it seems impossible. She is the VP of Business Development at Simmons Bank and has taken her own experiences and co-founded Tennessee Fertility Advocates, an organization that helps remove the stigma of infertility and bring awareness to this common issue. 

Every year, millions of couples struggle to start a family, experiencing problems with infertility. Some say the situation can feel hopeless, with the costs of treatment being overwhelming.

Advocates across the country are pushing for their states to adopt insurance coverage for infertility.

One woman (our own Kara Ryan Edwards) shares her story, as she dedicates her life to making sure others don’t have to face what she did.

Fertility care is ever involving. For many, medical treatments are not covered by their insurance. Coverage for infertility and fertility preservation can currently be disallowed by insurance companies. Many insurance companies, have fertility coverage classified as cosmetic or elective.

On this episode of Fertility Cafe, Eloise Drane gets to talk to Mollie Walker and Chelsea Caldwell. 2 ladies who took up the fertility care torch as advocates to help change the fertility landscape.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. While mental health has become a focal point for many in the past year, the stigma and silence continue, especially on the path to parenthood. Family building is an incredibly stressful experience; 55% of people feel infertility is more stressful than unemployment and 61% feel it is more stressful than divorce. That’s why Progyny hosted a webinar dedicated to prioritizing mental health on your fertility journey.

Special guest Mollie Walker explains how she and others are advocating for infertility coverage across Tennessee - on a national stage.

Friends since kindergarten, Mollie Walker and Lauren Brown discovered a shared challenge that brought them even closer together in adulthood: infertility. Finding a lack of support groups to help them through the emotional trials that accompany that struggle, the dynamic Memphis-based women formed their own advocacy program to offer community, awareness, and education to families throughout Tennessee. Learning the legislation ropes, they’re making strides to ensure women across the state are eligible for infertility insurance coverage in the workplace. Please welcome our newest FACES, Mollie Walker and Lauren Brown, the founders of Tennessee Fertility Advocates.

Hidden Gems: Meet Mollie Walker of Tennessee Fertility Advocates

Read more of the Q & A session with Tennessee Fertility Advocates  Co-Founder

"I was diagnosed in 2012 was infertility and delayed treatment for eight years due to no insurance coverage," she said.

Those eight years felt like an eternity, until the pandemic came along. Procedures she needed were seen as elective, so starting a family was put on pause. 

"I began to feel a little more defeated. I waited eight years and now I'm having to wait even longer," said Harrah. "I'm like, 'Oh my gosh the time is running out'. COVID definitely halted a lot for me."

Harrah wasn't alone. The health risk and financial impact put a lot of family plans on hold. 

Thanks to Nathan, Holly and Nashville Fertility Center for sharing this.  Retrograde ejaculation is a rare condition in which, during ejaculation the semen moves into the bladder instead of moving out of the penis through the urethra. In Nathan’s case, surgery as an infant had caused the condition.

“When I look at online forums, I see a lot of people who have given up on having a baby because they have a low sperm count, but they shouldn’t give up hope,” Holly said. With the right fertility care, men and women can overcome infertility issues and have a baby.

We are so proud to share this story from The Jackson Sun, featuring one of our tireless advocate families and their journey during National Infertility Awareness Week.  It was also the week those supporting the Tennessee Pro-Family Building Act coming before committees in both houses of the state legislature saw the bill get rolled to next year.

The act, if passed, would require insurance companies to cover infertility treatments for state employees and the fully insured market. Troy resident Katelyn Kelly said she and Tennessee Fertility Advocates look forward to bringing the Tennessee Pro-Family Building Act back to the Capitol next year. Katelyn and her husband, Andrew, have an idea how much they’d like the see the act be passed next year.

(NASHVILLE) – State lawmakers announced today the Tennessee Pro-Family Building Act to expand access to costly fertility treatments for all Tennessee families struggling with infertility. The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Becky Massey (R-Knoxville) and Rep. Sabi “Doc” Kumar, MD (R-Springfield).

According the American Medical Association, infertility affects 15 percent of couples. Less than three percent of those couples will use advanced assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) in order to conceive. The average cost of an IVF cycle in the United States is $12,400. Unfortunately, even with this hefty price tag, fertility care such as IVF is not offered by most insurance plans. The legislation, SB425/HB1379, will provide Tennessee families with:

• timely access to healthcare to treat the disease of infertility
• coverage for the diagnosis of infertility, fertility treatment, and fertility preservation
• benefits to Tennessee state employees and the Tennessee fully insured market
• and provide cost savings for maternity healthcare in Tennessee

A new Tennessee advocacy group is pushing the state legislature to pass a fertility insurance bill. Tennessee Fertility Advocates says they want to create the strongest pro-family bill the state has seen.

Dunlap teacher Sydney Walker dedicated her life to children. Her students are a joy, but also a reminder of one who’s missing.

“Siblings come through my classroom and mom has three or four others coming up, and I’m just like ‘I just want one, I’ll just take one,’” she said.

Sydney and her husband have struggled with infertility for years, putting themselves in debt trying to have a baby.

Mollie Walker of Collierville, Tenn. and her friend Lauren Brown co-founded Tennessee Fertility Advocates. Both struggled with infertility and spent thousands of dollars to get pregnant and start building a family.

Infertility is a reality for 1-in-6 couples, according to fertility experts.  However, fertility care isn’t offered by most insurance plans in Tennessee.  Many hopeful parents incur thousands of dollars in debt as they fund fertility treatments, trying to start a family.

So, Tennessee Fertility Advocates has drafted legislation that covers fertility diagnosis, fertility treatments including medication and fertility preservation. 

A new Tennessee advocacy group wants to expand insurance benefits for those who suffer from infertility and is pushing lawmakers to pass legislation in 2021.

Mollie Walker of Collierville co-founded the group.

“I myself struggled with conceiving and needed medicine to help with ovulation and also had a rare blood clotting disease,” she said.

Doctors diagnosed Walker with infertility. After that, she and her husband spent thousands of dollars to get pregnant.

They’re not alone. She’s now connected with thousands of Tennesseans facing infertility as well.

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and ALSAC announced they will offer fertility benefits for all employees beginning January 2021.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infertility affects 1 in 6 women in the United States.

“Infertility is one of the most profoundly lonely and frightening and demoralizing health experiences that men and women go through,” said Dr. Erica Kaye.

Kaye is a pediatric physician and researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital who struggled for eight years to start her family.  

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - A St. Jude physician is speaking out about an issue that can affect women across the medical field.

Female doctors face a much higher rate of infertility compared with women in other professions. Dr. Erica Kaye is a pediatrics physician, researcher, but likely her proudest title is “Mom.”

She and her husband welcomed their first child four years ago.

But Dr. Kaye held tightly to a secret. "We had significant struggles with infertility for many years, as well as five pregnancy losses, and I grieved that journey very privately in large part to the shame and stigma,”