My name is Elizabeth, and I am an oncofertility nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital working with adolescents and young adults facing life-threatening illnesses. I work closely with patients and families to help them navigate fertility preservation options before starting treatments that may cause infertility. I coordinate with oncology and reproductive specialists, so that young people have the opportunity to preserve their future family-building options before treatment begins. 

Massachusetts has long been a national leader in health equity. Yet when it comes to protecting the future fertility of young patients facing life-saving medical treatment, a serious gap remains. In Massachusetts, commercial health insurance plans are required to cover fertility preservation for patients undergoing treatments that threaten fertility, but MassHealth (the state health insurance plan) does not. This creates a clear and troubling inequity: young patients with private insurance can protect their ability to have biological children in the future, while many patients insured through MassHealth cannot. 

S.788/H.4555, An Act to Improve Sickle Cell Care offers the Commonwealth an opportunity to close this gap by expanding access to fertility preservation services for patients insured through MassHealth. This would ensure that access to standard medical care does not depend on the type of insurance a patient has. While the bill is focused on improving care for people with sickle cell disease, the fertility preservation provision would benefit any MassHealth patient facing treatments that threaten fertility. That would include young people undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or stem cell transplants for sickle cell, cancer and other serious illnesses. These treatments that can cure diseases but often cause permanent infertility. These conversations are some of the hardest in medicine. 

Recently, I was asked to contact a 16-year-old girl preparing for a stem cell transplant. When I  opened her chart and saw that she was insured by MassHealth, my heart sank. I knew immediately that the conversation would be different. It wasn’t because her medical needs were different, but because her insurance might limit access to something commercial insurance in Massachusetts already covers. It is devastating to explain to a teenager that while medicine has ways to protect their fertility, they may not be able to afford them simply because of the insurance they have. 

This inequity affects thousands of young people in our state. MassHealth covers more than 2 million Massachusetts residents. Nearly half of Massachusetts children rely on MassHealth for their health coverage. That means many of the young patients most likely to face serious illnesses in childhood or young adulthood are precisely the ones who lack access to fertility preservation. The result is a two-tiered system. Patients with commercial insurance can preserve their fertility before treatment begins. Patients with MassHealth often cannot. 

In my office, I have watched teenagers cry when they learn this. Many are not even sure whether  they want children someday. They are 17, 18, 19 years old. What overwhelms them is the unfairness and the realization that the choice might be taken away before they are even old enough to make it. Illness already takes so much from young people. It should not also take away their ability to imagine a future.

Fertility preservation is not experimental or elective. It is standard medical care. Leading medical  organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, recommend that all patients of reproductive age facing treatments that threaten fertility be counseled and offered fertility preservation before treatment begins. These guidelines recognize fertility preservation as part of the standard of care. 

The need is only growing. Advances in treatments, including curative stem cell transplants are allowing more patients to survive serious illnesses. But those treatments frequently cause  permanent infertility. Survivorship must include the possibility of a full life after treatment. 

For many patients, the ability to imagine future relationships, families, and long-term goals is essential to resilience during treatment and mental health afterward. Denying fertility preservation sends a damaging message: that survival is enough, and that their long-term quality of life matters less. 

Massachusetts has already recognized the importance of fertility preservation by requiring coverage in commercial insurance plans. Bill S.788/H.4555 simply ensures that patients covered by MassHealth are not left behind. Health equity means access to medically necessary care should not depend on income or insurance type. No young person should lose the chance to build a family simply because of the insurance card in their wallet. 

Passing Bill S.788/H.4555 would send a powerful message to patients with sickle cell disease, cancer, and other serious illnesses: your future matters, your family matters, and YOU matter.

The post Your Future Matters appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

Lauren also outlines her vision for the future of AllPaths, including a major advocacy goal to help Vermont pass a fertility insurance law, which would make New England “six of six” for such legislation and a new community support program that is currently in development. The episode highlights upcoming community milestones like National Infertility Awareness Week and the Footsteps for Family Building walk in October. Finally, the conversation turns to the many ways for individuals and partners to get support and get involved in AllPaths work:

🔸 Find community and understanding in one of our 20+ Free, Virtual Peer Support Groups each month.

🔸 Stay informed and empowered every step of the way with our On-Demand Resource Library.

🔸 Connect with experts in this space through our Directory of Professional Services and Members.

🔸 Hear stories celebrating the many different paths that a family building journey can take families on the AllPaths Podcast each week.

🔸 Join us as we tirelessly Advocate for the Fertility and Family Building Community across New England and beyond.

🔸 Get Involved in our work as a volunteer and partner.

🔸 Donate and shop to help make sure no one walks alone.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post “I Did Find My People”: A Conversation with Our New ED appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

VT Fertility Advocacy Day April 10 2025

While we’re still not sure if Seven Days VT will publish this piece, we wanted to share it with our community because – almost one year to the day after Vermont’s first Fertility Advocacy Day – VT families are still no closer to having insurance coverage for fertility healthcare. Vermont remains the only state in the Northeast that does not have a fertility insurance law, and while our most recent bill H.302 bill will sadly not advance this session, we are not done fighting for current and future Vermont families.  

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As a family formation lawyer and reproductive rights advocate I am acutely aware of the lengths individuals go to in order to have a child. I have direct experience helping clients navigate cost, emotions, medical care, and legalities in their family building. And though I have lost count of the number of heartbreaks I have witnessed as hopeful parents discover their insurance covers zero percent of the care they require to have a child, I have not walked in their shoes.

A colleague, friend, mom of 3, and proud Vermonter recently shared with me that she once considered leaving Vermont, the place she calls home. It wasn’t because she didn’t love Vermont. She did. She loved the pristine nature, and the small, safe, walkable towns. A state that values education, hard work, and discipline. She loved living in a state where community means something – where neighbors truly support one another. And she loved living in a state where helping people is at the heart of policy. She wanted to raise her children there. But she didn’t know if she could afford to have those children there. So she and her wife considered leaving. 

My friend required the assistance of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in order to have her children. And Vermont, unlike every other New England state, has no comprehensive fertility insurance mandate. This means that IVF, IUI, and other reproductive treatments are simply out of reach for so many hopeful parents. It means that Vermonters must decide whether they can spend thousands of dollars on fertility treatment, or simply move across state borders where the same is covered. 

And increasingly, that is what they do.  

They move to Massachusetts. To Connecticut. To Maine. To states that have made a policy decision: if you value families, you invest in helping them begin. Vermont had the option to make this same policy decision last legislative session in the form of HB 302, but cited economic concerns. It’s important to note here that HB 302 would mandate that insurance companies and not the state provide coverage for reproductive care.

So it should have come as a shock to no one that Vermont reported continued declining birth rates again last year. Vermont recorded just over 5,000 births in 2023, with a fertility rate of 42.1 births per 1,000 women – the lowest in the country. That is not just a statistic, it’s a signal.  Low birth rates are not only demographic – they are fiscal. They mean a shrinking tax base over time, with fewer people paying into systems to fund schools, infrastructure, and healthcare – the very things that make Vermont such an incredible place to live are at risk.    

We often talk about family building as a matter of personal choice, but this is also a matter of state economics. When hopeful parents leave a state, it doesn’t only equate to a loss of residents in numbers, it is a loss of participation, a loss of income tax revenue, consumer spending, property investment, and community. Departing families take with them the future workers their children would become and community members that will care for Vermont. Families are not short term assets – they are long term economic foundations that shape generational stability and the overall health of a society. And when families leave at the very moment they are trying to have children the loss compounds. Families are not just part of the state’s culture -they are central to its economic future.

This is the conversation we are not having enough. We talk about workforce shortages. We talk about aging populations. We talk about how to attract talent and retain young professionals. And we even talk about (and did) make childcare more affordable for Vermont parents. But we do not talk enough about the people who want to raise families in Vermont but cannot afford to start their families here.  

Research consistently shows that states with fertility coverage mandates see higher utilization of assisted reproductive technology, and ultimately, more births. Cost is the single greatest barrier to accessing this care. This is not theoretical. It is policy with measurable economic outcomes.  

And still Vermont hesitates.

Children raised in Vermont are more likely to remain in Vermont. They attend local schools, enter the local workforce, and contribute to the local economy. They stabilize and participate in communities and sustain demand for housing, healthcare, education, and small businesses. If we lose the future children of Vermont schools will close, housing markets will slump, and labor shortages will increase.  

And beyond economic concerns the people impacted are not abstract. They are couples sitting at their kitchen table running numbers to see if they can afford the fertility treatment necessary to have a child – before even factoring in the cost to care for that child. They are single parents by choice delaying timelines that biology does not pause for. They are LGBTQ couples told that their path to parenthood is elective – something extra. They are Vermonters; and they are leaving, taking the future of Vermont with them.

If Vermont wants to keep families Vermonters have to support family-building. A fertility mandate will not solve every demographic challenge Vermont faces, but it is a clear, tangible statement of Vermont’s policy. It says that Vermont understands modern families are built in many ways, and Vermont will not make those paths to parenthood available only to the wealthy. It promises those who choose to call Vermont home: you can stay here. You can build your life here. You can grow your family here.

My friend stayed in Vermont. She and her wife have three beautiful children together that have the privilege of calling Vermont home. And my friend spends everyday trying to make the same possible for the remaining hopeful parents in Vermont and beyond. Until she does, Vermont will continue to lose residents to other New England states. And we are left questioning not only who is leaving, but what does Vermont become if they do?

The post Vermonters Say They Want Families, But Won’t Help Them Begin appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Harrell Jordan, a nurse educator and author who discusses the often-overlooked perspective of male infertility within the Black community. After being diagnosed with a low sperm count and abnormalities early in his marriage, Harrell shares his multi-year struggle to conceive, which involved failed IVF cycles, surgeries, and the emotional strain of balancing personal faith with medical reality. The ” tug of war” he faced while balancing his Christian faith with the biological realities of infertility led him to author his book, Faith vs. Fertility: A Black Man’s Battle Between Belief and Biology, with the goal of dismantling the cultural taboos surrounding reproductive health and encouraging other men to seek support.

Dr. Jordan offers a vital perspective on how infertility impacts Black men, noting a significant lack of support groups and the societal pressure that often places the fertility burden solely on women. He reflects on the strain the process placed on his marriage and explains why he and his wife eventually chose to limit who they told about their journey to protect their own emotional well-being. Through his story, he emphasizes the importance of proactive health testing for both partners and the need for a supportive community that offers practical help and listening ears rather than just standard platitudes.

Right before receiving his doctorate, Dr. Jordan and his wife discovered that they had surprisingly conceived on their own. The birth of their son, Elijah, Harrell credits “to God because many doctors, many test results don’t line up to the results that we got.” This episode highlights his mission to destigmatize male infertility and encourage other men to embrace healthcare—including mental health counseling—without feeling it diminishes their masculinity. His message is one of openness and resilience, reminding listeners that “nothing is wasted” and that the strength of your relationship remains the most important factor in any family-building journey.

Dr. Harrell Jordan is a nurse educator, author, consultant, and certified Christian counselor committed to building people and institutions with purpose and excellence. Through Career Compass, NCLEX Unplugged, academic consulting, and his book Faith vs Fertility: A Black Man’s Battle Between Beliefs and Biology, he equips students, professionals, and leaders to navigate identity, adversity, and achievement with strategy and spiritual depth. His work sits at the intersection of representation, resilience, and results—empowering others to see what’s possible and become the example others need to see.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post Faith vs. Fertility appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

The trauma continued weeks after delivery when Ruthie experienced a near-fatal secondary hemorrhage at work, caused by a rare uterine arteriovenous malformation (AVM) that was narrowly caught by her fertility doctor just before a scheduled hysterectomy. Despite further setbacks with additional miscarriages and failed surrogacy attempts, Ruthie and Chris eventually turned to the “adoption gauntlet.” They first adopted their daughter from Florida during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and later navigated a sudden, complicated legal situation to adopt their daughter’s biological half-brother eighteen months later.

Today, Ruthie reflects on the mental health toll of these experiences, including her battle with severe postpartum anxiety and the years of therapy required to process her medical trauma. Her story serves a greater purpose of dismantling the stigma surrounding reproductive grief and serves as a testament to the diverse, often “messy” ways families are built. Throughout the conversation, Ruthie emphasizes the necessity of mental health support and encourages others navigating similar hardships to advocate for themselves and seek community rather than suffering in isolation.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post A Financial Transaction and a Gift from God appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

There are moments in the life of an organization that ask us to both pause in gratitude and look ahead with intention. This is one of those moments.

With appreciation for Kate Weldon LeBlanc’s leadership and all she has contributed to strengthening AllPaths, and following an exhaustive and thoughtful search process, I’m pleased to share that Lauren Hart Clancy has been appointed as our new Executive Director. Her steady guidance and commitment to this community have helped position AllPaths for this next chapter.

Lauren Hart Clancy

Lauren’s story with AllPaths is one that so many in this community will recognize. She came here seeking connection and understanding on her own family-building journey. And from that experience, she chose to stay, to give back, and to lead.

Over the past several years, Lauren has become an integral part of AllPaths. She has shown up as a peer, as a support group leader, and as a committed volunteer. She has helped create spaces where people feel safe enough to share what is often unspoken. Most recently, she served as Co-Chair of the Footsteps for Family Building Walk, helping to expand our reach and deepen our impact.

What stands out most is not only what Lauren has done, but how she has done it. She leads with empathy, clarity, and a deep respect for every individual who walks through our doors.

Professionally, Lauren brings strong experience in public health, nonprofit leadership, and operations. With a Master of Public Health and a career leading complex healthcare programs and community initiatives, she understands how to build systems that truly support people. She is also the founder of The Village Advocate, where she supports individuals and families navigating fertility, pregnancy, and postpartum experiences.

Lauren understands, in a very real way, that family building is not linear. She understands the uncertainty, the emotional weight, and the resilience it takes to keep moving forward. That lived understanding matters here.

As Board President, I am confident in Lauren’s ability to lead AllPaths into its next chapter. We will continue to expand access to support, strengthen our advocacy, and ensure that more individuals and families know they are not alone.

AllPaths has always been a place where people find connection, understanding, and strength in one another. Lauren reflects that spirit. She is someone who has been supported by this community and who has, in turn, helped others find their way.

If AllPaths has been meaningful to you, or if you’ve been looking for a way to give back, we would love to welcome you more deeply into this community. Whether through volunteering, advocacy, or simply showing up for others, there is always a place for you here.

Please join me in welcoming Lauren into this role.

With gratitude,

The post Introducing Our New Executive Director! appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

In this episode of the AllPaths podcast, hosts Emily and Liane sit down with author Amy Gallo Ryan to discuss her infertility memoir, You May Feel a Bit of Pressure: Observations from Infertility’s Heart-Wrenching Ride. Amy shares her struggle with unexplained infertility, recounting the grueling process of multiple IVF rounds, the isolation of quitting her job to focus on treatment, and the heartbreak of an ectopic pregnancy followed by emergency surgeries. Despite these challenges, Amy eventually welcomed her daughter, Hazel, and later twins, through a journey that taught her the profound lesson of being out of control.

The conversation delves into the emotional “connective tissue” of the fertility experience, which inspired Amy to organize her book by universal emotions such as hope, courage, and shame rather than just medical diagnoses. She reflects on how infertility became an identity marker for her, leading her to transition from women’s journalism to writing as a way to process her trauma and reclaim a sense of control. By sharing her story with profound vulnerability, Amy hopes to make others feel “seen” in a way she never was during her own treatment and offers a message of hope to those in the “darkest depths,” reminding them that there is a future where this pain will not be their daily reality regardless of the outcome of their journey.

Amy Gallo Ryan is a writer and former Condé Nast magazine editor whose personal essays have appeared in Vogue, Lit Hub, Hippocampus, Self, Motherwell and Literary Mama, among other publications. Her memoir-in-essays, You May Feel a Bit of Pressure: Observations from Infertility’s Heart-Wrenching Ride, was released in October 2025 from Unsolicited Press. Amy lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children, all conceived through IVF. 

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post You May Feel a Bit of Pressure appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

Beyond her path to parenthood, Rachel discusses how these life-altering experiences served as a catalyst for a complete career transformation, prompted in part by a lack of support from her corporate employer when she experienced complications requiring bedrest during her first pregnancy which unfortunately ended in a loss. Today, Rachel uses her personal experiences with grief and professional pivoting to help others navigate major life transitions. She emphasizes the importance of building a “board of advisors” for emotional support, sharing how a curated support system of medical professionals, therapists, and community members helped her navigate isolation and grief and encouraging anyone going through an identity transformation to embrace the philosophy that “grief shared is grief divided.”

After 15 years marketing brands and 10 years in helping founders, Rachel Spekman’s world came to a full standstill when she found hers on a three-year fertility journey. When she finally did have her first child, she knew something internally had shifted and ultimately left the corporate world to become a therapist. Rachel is now a career strategist who helps high-performing professionals trade high-paid, soul sucking careers for soul-aligned work that still makes them a great income and a therapist who supports people through identity transformations. Connect with Rachel at http://www.rachelspekman.com.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post Grief Shared Is Grief Divided appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

Lana shares how she transformed her struggle into a mission to help others rediscover their purpose beyond parenthood. The conversation explores practical strategies for reclaiming joy and relevance when the dream of motherhood does not come to fruition and the ways that Lana introduces a roadmap for life beyond infertility through her coaching program, Thrive After Infertility, her own podcast, and book, So Now What?. We also dive into her creation of The Other’s Day Brunch, an annual event in Chicago designed to provide a supportive community for childless women during Mother’s Day weekend, and her advocacy work with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to improve the continuum of care for patients whose treatments do not result in a baby and tips for people tackling the broader social challenges of being childless.

Lana Manikowski is an author, certified life coach, and infertility advocate dedicated to helping women thrive after infertility. She is the founder of The Other’s Day Brunch and host of The ‘So Now What?’ Podcast, creating spaces where childless women feel seen, understood, and empowered.

After a seven-year journey through fertility treatments that ended without a child, Lana experienced the isolation, self-judgment, and grief of navigating a future she never planned for. When she couldn’t find the support she needed, she built it herself. Now, through her coaching, advocacy efforts, and community outreach, she helps women rediscover their relevance, connection, and purpose beyond motherhood.

With an advanced coaching certification in grief and post-traumatic growth, Lana helps women process the loss of the dream of motherhood and move forward with intention. Her coaching program, Thrive After Infertility, guides women in rebuilding relationships and creating meaningful milestones that bring fulfillment in the decades ahead.

Her book So Now What?, offers a transformative roadmap for embracing life beyond infertility, helping women reclaim joy, meaning, and a sense of belonging without the children longed for. Lana is known for her powerful message: your story isn’t over, it’s just beginning. She lives in downtown Chicago with her husband and their furbaby, Coco.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

The post So Now What? appeared first on AllPaths Family Building.

This struggle was compounded by insurance obstacles when her insurance company refused to cover her fertility preservation, claiming it was “not medically necessary”. Rijon realized the inequity of this situation, noting that while her initial treatment carried a 20% risk of infertility, a potential relapse would require chemotherapy with a nearly 100% infertility rate. These experiences sparked a “fire” in her to address these inequities through legal advocacy.

Although she originally trained to be a litigator and had ignored earlier “signs” pointing toward reproductive law during law school, Rijon ultimately felt that her cancer journey was the catalyst that put her on her destined professional path. She has since collaborated with the Alliance for Fertility Preservation to advocate for and successfully pass a House bill in Texas that requires insurance companies to cover fertility preservation for cancer patients, and now helps others navigate the legal complexities of assisted reproduction, domestic and international surrogacy, and establishing legal parentage.

Rijon Charne is the founder and managing attorney of Sunray Fertility Law, a nationwide law firm specializing in reproductive law, family formation, and women’s health. Licensed in eight states, she leads one of the fastest-growing law firms in the field, representing intended parents, surrogates, egg and sperm donors, cross-border fertility cases, and guiding families through the complex legal frameworks of assisted reproduction and establishing parentage.

Her path to becoming a fertility attorney is deeply personal. As a cancer survivor, she underwent fertility preservation before chemotherapy, only to face barriers when insurance deemed it “not a medical necessity.” That experience became the catalyst for Rijon’s passion to change the law. Through her advocacy work, Rijon helped secure passage of Texas House Bill 1649, which now requires insurance companies to cover fertility preservation for cancer patients. This legislation was a critical milestone in recognizing that fertility and family-building are essential healthcare, and it continues to shape policy conversations nationwide.

Beyond direct client service, Rijon have become a national voice in fertility and maternity rights. Her TEDx talk, “Redefining the F Word: Making Fertility a Right, Not a Privilege,” challenges the stigma and financial barriers surrounding family-building and calls for systemic reform. She is frequently featured in outlets such as NBC News, Bloomberg, People Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, and NewsNation, where she speaks to the legal, ethical, and human dimensions of family-building and maternity.

Interested in sharing your story? Get in touch here!

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