Fertile Dreams - About Us

Important Information:
The Embracing
Hope Grant

Now Open

January 2012

Deadline March 31, 2012

The Grant Committee will meet in April and there should be a decision by May

Meet Our Fertile Dreams Family

Photo courtesy of Mazzotti Portraits
Their Story (PDF)

The First Embracing Hope Grant Story

The Honorable Kathleen Sebelius

Secretary of Health and Human Services

Office of the Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human Services

Hubert H. Humphrey Building

200 Independence Avenue, SW, Room 120F

Washington, DC 20201

Email: kathleen.sebelius@hhs.gov

Email: EssentialHealthBenefits@cms.hhs.gov

Fax: 202-690-7203

January 31, 2012

Dear Secretary Sebelius,

On behalf of my Foundation, Fertile Dreams, I am requesting consideration of including the diagnosis and treatment of infertility with essential no-cost benefits to every health plan.

My wife and I hold a special place in our hearts for those experiencing the challenge of infertility. As both a Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility physician and a patient, I have had the unique opportunity of experiencing the impact and burden of this issue. This is why I founded Fertile Dreams, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to offering patients hope through education and access to resources.

Some important facts supporting the health care coverage:

• In 1998 the U.S. Supreme Court found Bragdon v. Abbott (524 US 624), that reproduction is a “major life activity.” Infertility is a disability to be recognized in the American Disabilities Act.

• In 1998 6.1 million individuals were impacted by infertility, in 2012 the number is 7.3 million. Social and environmental factors are challenging our societal ability to reproduce.

• The cost of infertility services as a percent of the total health care premiums went down after the 1987 Massachusetts mandate, with total infertility costs making up only 0.41% of the premium. Study by Griffin & Panak (Fertility & Sterility, 1998).

• Most infertility cases, about 85 to 90 percent, are treated with conventional medical therapies, such as medication or surgery.

• In vitro fertilization and other similar treatments account for less than 3 percent of infertility services and about 0.07 percent of all U.S. health care costs.

Please consider this letter to part of the change.

Sincerely,

Mark P. Trolice, M.D.
Founder, Fertile Dreams, Inc.

Give Hope to Those

Longing to Have a Child

All of us hold a special place in our hearts for those experiencing the challenge of infertility. As both a professional and a patient, I have had the unique opportunity of experiencing the impact and burden of this issue. This is why I founded Fertile Dreams, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to offering patients hope through education and access to resources.

Infertility is a chronic and emotionally debilitating disease that affects more than six million women in this country. The physical issues often pale in comparison to the devastating psychological impact and financial burden of treatment. Infertility affects 10 to 15 percent of all patients in their reproductive years regardless of race and sex, and worsens with age.

Fertile Dreams, established in 2004, is a non-profit organization focused on the problems and issues surrounding infertility and is the passion of its founder, Mark P. Trolice, MD, a fertility specialist in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Trolice not only treats those dealing with infertility but has been a fertility patient himself. He and his wife Andrea ultimately chose to resolve their fertility through adoption of their daughter and son, the angels of their lives. As a result, Dr. Trolice truly has a unique and firsthand understanding of the challenges of fertility patients. His personal experience led him to establish this organization separate from his medical practice to deal with the larger issues surrounding infertility.

The vision of Fertile Dreams is to help build families in all ways possible with efforts focused on the following concentrations. First, dedicated to increasing fertility awareness, Fertile Dreams presents an annual Fertility Awareness Health Fair held in the Central Florida area to address the causes of infertility and many aspects of fertility treatment and alternatives. Second, the annual Embracing Hope Grant provides $10,000 towards fertility treatments at the clinic of the recipients’ choice, anywhere in the United States. Third, Fertile Dreams seeks to become a leader in funding scientific research and development to find new treatments and, ultimately, cures for infertile patients. Fourth, as an advocate for patients, Fertile Dreams will lobby for Florida to follow the lead of other states and provide mandatory health insurance coverage for fertility treatments.

The foundation and fabric of our lives are family, and Fertile Dreams will continue to provide hope and inspiration on the journey of those faced with challenges with the ultimate goal of adding a new member of their family to love.

The costs associated with fertility treatments may be quite expensive and, in most cases, insurance companies do not provide coverage for the care. Fertile Dreams was established as a resource for those individuals without insurance for fertility treatment. Every year, Fertile Dreams will select several individuals based on review of their application and financial need and grant a $10,000 award toward an IVF cycle at any program in the
United States.

Grants will be awarded as selected by the Embracing Hope Scholarship Committee. Applicants will be asked to complete a confidential application. They will also be asked to write a short essay describing their infertility history, personal situation and financial need. Proof of income and other supporting financial documentation will be required. Our first “Embracing Hope” couple underwent an IVF cycle in 2006 and are now parents of twins! Read and view their story at Embracing Hope Grant.

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