Health care
BY AMIRA VAN LEEUWEN
More veterans to soon have access to in vitro fertilization
The Department of Veterans Affairs will soon expand its in vitro fertilization, or IVF, care to eligible unmarried veterans and veterans in same- sex marriages, according to a news release. The context The expansion of care is part of the VA’s efforts to support veterans who are seeking to grow their families. According to a Demographic Study completed by the Texas Workforce Investment Council in 2021, veterans make up 6.7% of the Texas population. Under existing law, all veterans who receive IVF from the VA must be unable to procreate without the use of fertility treatment due to a health condition caused by their military service. The VA was previously only allowed to provide IVF services to veterans who were legally married and—within that relationship—able to produce their own eggs and sperm, according to a news release. Veterans enrolled in VA health care are eligible
for a range of reproductive health care services, including: • Maternity care • Gynecology care • Cervical cancer screenings • Menopause care Under this expansion, the VA will be able to pro- vide IVF to veterans using donated sperm or eggs. What they’re saying VA Secretary Denis McDonough said she is proud the VA will soon help more veterans raise families. “This expansion of care has long been a priority for us, and we are working urgently to make sure that eligible unmarried veterans, veterans in same-sex marriages and veterans who need donors will have access to IVF in every part of the country as soon as possible,” McDonough said in a news release.
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a range of infertility services such as:
Infertility assessments, counseling Laboratory tests, including genetic counseling and testing
Ultrasounds, X-rays Hormone therapies Surgical corrections Fertility medications Artificial insemination Tubal ligation reversal Vasectomy reversal Oocyte cryopreservation (egg freezing) and sperm cryopreservation Sperm retrieval techniques (including sperm washing for intrauterine insemination)
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF VETERAN AFFAIRS/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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