CCRM Fertility Establishes 'Black Fertility Matters' Fund to Advocate and Advance Fertility for Black Communities

In honor of Women's Health Month (May), global pioneer in fertility treatment, research and science creates multi-year commitment to extend its world-class expertise and care to Black women and families navigating fertility journeys

DENVER, May 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- CCRM Fertility today is proud to launch the CCRM Fertility Black Fertility Matters Fund – a program dedicated to providing impactful resources that will increase access and advocacy for Black women and families navigating their fertility journeys. Studies^* show Black women may be twice as likely to experience infertility than White women, and that close to half of Black women report their physicians do not understand their cultural background when seeking fertility treatment. CCRM Fertility created this multi-year commitment to extend its world-class expertise and care to the Black community, and to break down cultural and historical barriers around Black maternal health and fertility through continued education, encouragement, and empowerment for years to come.

Since its founding in 1987, CCRM Fertility continues to provide the most advanced fertility research and treatments, and consistently invests in leading technologies and achieves some of the highest in vitro fertilization (IVF) live birth rates in the U.S. With deep expertise in IVF, fertility testing, fertility preservation, genetic testing, third-party reproduction, and egg donation, by bridging world-class care with exceptional convenience, its national network of leading fertility doctors offers a personalized approach to all patients.

"Through the Black Fertility Matters Fund, we are aiming to align ourselves with community advocates and organizations that are actively doing the work to shift the cultural narrative and stigmas associated with infertility and family-building with fertility treatments in the Black community," says CCRM Fertility CEO Bob LaGalia. "As a global leader in fertility care and treatment, we want to do everything in our power to be a part of those efforts, and to extend our own resources to increase our reach and ultimately our impact in helping Black women and families achieve their family planning goals and dreams."

By offering meaningful support and making treatment more accessible to the Black community through the Black Fertility Matters Fund, CCRM Fertility will tap into their national network of leading fertility doctors, advanced fertility research and patient success stories to spark meaningful conversations around the social disparities impacting Black fertility.  

"As a Black woman working in reproductive endocrinology, I have personally witnessed the challenges that many Black women and others in the BIPOC community face when navigating their own fertility journeys. These challenges range from mistrust of physicians to concerns about egg donor diversity and maternal health complications, to cultural and community stigmas that often make this topic taboo," says Dr. Stephanie Thompson, a reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist at The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science, a proud member of the CCRM Fertility network. "This is why I am so deeply passionate and excited about CCRM Fertility's commitment to advocating and supporting fertility issues that directly impact the Black community. With the incredible science and technology available today around family planning, this field is truly one of the most exciting areas in medicine. I firmly believe that CCRM Fertility's Black Fertility Matters Fund will play an important role in propelling the industry and our society forward by helping to grow more families of color."

To kick off the Black Fertility Matters Fund, CCRM Fertility is partnering with several organizations and individuals dedicated to Black fertility care and treatment, including:

• xHood, the first community group and organization created in service of Black queer family building and nurturing journeys. CCRM Fertility will be a presenting sponsor at xHood's upcoming annual Black Parent Pride Summit on May 26-28 in Washington, D.C., which provides intentional visibility, deep connections and real support for Black Queer individuals anywhere on their journey to and through parenting.
• The Tinina Q. CADE Foundation, which is a nonprofit founded by Drs Jason and Camille Hammond to provide information support and financial assistance to help needy infertile families overcome infertility.
• Chiquita Lockley, Executive Producer of her documentary Eggs over Easy: Black Women & Fertility, and Dr. Aaron K. Styer, CCRM Fertility of Boston's award-winning reproductive endocrinologist, hosted an educational webinar. Within the virtual event, Lockley and Dr. Styer discuss how to empower yourself during your fertility journey, ways to navigate and demystify the process, disparities for women of color in fertility treatments and patient support for the diagnosis of infertility – and more.

CCRM Fertility welcomes any organization to reach out if they are eager to get involved in its Black Fertility Matters Fund by contacting Rachel Cole at [email protected].

For more information on CCRM Fertility's Black Fertility Matters Fund, partners and upcoming events, please visit ccrmivf.com/BlackFertilityMatters.

*Source: American Psychological Association

About CCRM Fertility
CCRM Fertility is a global pioneer in fertility treatment, research and science. Founded by Dr. William Schoolcraft over 35 years ago, CCRM Fertility specializes in the most advanced fertility treatments, with deep expertise in IVF, fertility testing, egg freezing, preimplantation genetic testing, third party reproduction and egg donation. CCRM Fertility leverages its own data and a dedicated team of in-house reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists and geneticists to deliver industry-leading outcomes. CCRM serves 13 major metropolitan areas with 36 locations across North America, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Delaware, Denver, Houston, New Jersey, New York, Northern Virginia/D.C., Minneapolis, Orange County, San Francisco Bay Area, and Toronto. CCRM Fertility is a proud strategic partner of Unified Women's Healthcare, which is accelerating meaningful change in women's healthcare by building healthy, innovative and mission-driven businesses to meet the comprehensive needs of women across the entirety of their health journey. For more information, visit www.ccrmivf.com. 

SOURCE CCRM