VA provides fertility and infertility care

You don’t have to struggle on your own as you strive to build your family.

For many people, having a family is a core life goal. However, that goal can be more challenging for people who experience infertility. VA is here to support you as you build your family.

From infertility and fertility treatment to mental health counseling, we provide resources and support. We can address your family planning needs and help ease your fears as you look to start or expand your family.

If you or someone you know is experiencing fertility issues, know that it is more common than you may think. Experts estimate that 1 in 8 women experience infertility.

Infertility rates increase with a woman’s age, with the steepest drop-off of fertility happening after age 35.

Infertility may create a sense of loss. That feeling can be troubling for individuals and couples to cope with on their own. It’s an invisible loss that people often blame themselves for and can be very hard to talk about socially.

It can also cause a substantial amount of distress.

Fertility and infertility help from VA

VA provides a range of fertility and infertility services for eligible female and male Veterans, including hormone therapy, genetic testing, counseling and imaging services.

We also provide In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) for Veterans with certain service-connected conditions that result in infertility.

VA also offers mental health counseling for individuals and couples who are experiencing infertility or are undergoing infertility treatment. We can help you navigate and cope with your journey.

Counseling can be beneficial for couples and individuals who are experiencing anxiety, depression, guilt, trouble with communication, self-blame, and tension related to infertility treatment, or for those who want to improve their coping abilities.

Let VA ease the reproductive journey

Intimate relationships, marriage or long-term partnerships can be affected in many ways. Some couples report that infertility brings them closer together and deepens their relationships.

Others find a great deal of tension and bumps along the way, as they navigate an infertility journey together.

Additional resources VA provides to help ease the reproductive journey include Women’s Mental Health (WMH) Champions and the Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Consultation Program.

WMH Champions are mental health clinicians who have specific interest and specialized training in women Veterans’ mental health. They work to develop local resources for women Veterans facing mental health challenges, including those related to infertility and infertility treatment.

Talk to your provider about VA services

Veterans may particularly struggle with feelings of frustration, helplessness, and lack of control from infertility because they have had a life of achievement, from boot camp to their service in their military occupational specialty.

Infertility treatment is a way toward feeling more empowered, which can broadly affect a person’s sense of well-being.

VA’s Women’s Reproductive Mental Health Consultation consists of a team of national experts who can address questions about infertility and reproductive mental health.

Talk to your provider about the range of services that are available, particularly if you have been trying to conceive for 12 or more months.

You can also talk with your provider if you are planning to conceive in the near future. They can help you on the path to a healthy and safe pregnancy.

VA is here to support you as you build your family.

Related blog post: Veterans seeking fertility find help at VA