While many fertility clinics have restrictions on who they offer services to, Coastal Fertility shares Gift of Parenthood’s commitment to inclusivity and reproductive justice; Coastal Fertility does not discriminate based on a patient’s fertility history, medical conditions, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ethnicity. 

Unfortunately, some fertility clinics are solely concerned with their “success rates” via the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) which can translate to inadvertent discrimination against patients based on their age, pre-existing conditions, gender/sexual identity, or race. For example, older patients typically have lower treatment success rates, and a clinic may avoid treating that patient to maintain higher SART rates. At The Gift of Parenthood, we do not support this practice and work diligently to partner with clinics, like Coastal Fertility, which treats patients equally. Keep reading to learn more about Coastal Fertility and their perspective on inclusivity in the fertility world.

Coastal Fertility On Reproductive Justice

Coastal Fertility is the most established fertility program in all of Orange County, California. Dr. Lawrence B. Werlin, one of the nation’s most renowned Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (REI) specialists, founded the clinic. Dr. Werlin’s colleague, Dr. David Harari has also been instrumental in helping thousands of couples build the family of their dreams. With over 3,000 babies born via treatment at Coastal, their record speaks for itself. Coastal Fertility is the reproductive center of choice for many couples and individuals across the US. We recently sat down with Dr. Werlin and Dr. Harari to discuss their views on reproductive justice in 2021. Here is what they had to say.

Data show that black women have lower IVF success rates than white women. What do you think are the causes of this, and how does your clinic combat this trend?

Historically, Caucasians made up most patients utilizing IVF in the US, leaving a smaller subset of minority patients to contrast the IVF success rates. While genetic predisposition may be relevant to egg quality, other factors may be more influential, such as access to fertility treatment—moreover, environmental exposure such as dietary, lifestyle, and socioeconomic determinants. Our center aims to combat this trend by increasing access to fertility care and improving counseling on impactful environmental factors. 

What kind of family building options do you have for transgender patients/couples? 

Transgender patients have many options for family creation. Patients considering gender transition can choose to preserve their fertility potential by banking eggs or sperm before medical or surgical interventions. Once hormone therapy is initiated, fertility preservation is still attainable for many patients with brief discontinuation of medications. Once a transgender patient has undergone gender affirmation surgery, there are options such as sperm and egg donation and gestational surrogacy.

What kind of family building options do you have for LGBTQ patients/couples? 

How does your clinic keep costs down for fertility treatments without sacrificing quality?

Prudent and diligent use of office visits and fertility medications are vital in controlling costs without sacrificing care. In addition, creating affordable IVF treatment programs for patients without insurance benefits for fertility treatment allows us to deliver quality care at an affordable price. We also connect patients with programs that offer discounts on medications based on financial need, military service, and diagnosis.