Join Us Live for The Infertility Awareness Virtual Summit on April 18, 2021
We are excited to present this incredible lineup to support Infertility Awareness Week 2021.
Infertility affects approximately one in eight couples in the United States. That’s roughly 6.7 million people each year who have trouble conceiving. It can be difficult to separate fact from fiction and to know where to go for help. As Infertility Awareness Week 2021 kicks off, the Fertility Foundation of Texas in conjunction with leading experts come together to provide attendees with education, encouragement and stories of couples who have made it to the other side of their infertility journey.
If you are struggling with infertility, have a friend or family member going through infertility, or are simply passionate about family and helping people, we invite you to join us for this inaugural event.
We have put together an incredible lineup of talented speakers and experts who are leaders in their industry. And because we know that the infertility journey is all consuming, we’re including topics like:
- Covid-19 and Infertility;
- Understanding Male Fertility and Overall Health and Longevity.
- What Goes On Inside the IVF Lab?
- 10 Ways to fund your fertility treatments…
- The health and lifestyle connection to infertility.
- Mental Health…
- Getting Support (or Supporting A Loved One)…
- Managing Anxiety and Answering Tough Questions…
- Using Acupuncture During Infertility Treatments…
- How to Plan for the Financial Challenges…
- Moving Meditation…
- And more!
We know the toll that infertility takes on couples and individuals so we have decided to make tickets available for donations instead of “selling” tickets and giving you the opportunity to determine what you can contribute to attend.
SO… get your ticket now and plan for an incredible day of education, support, ideas, and more…
About the Foundation
The Fertility Foundation of Texas serves to provide education, awareness and access to quality medical care.
The Fertility Foundation of Texas is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a multifold mission: (1) to create public awareness that Infertility is a treatable medical condition and that the community as a whole benefits when these patients have access to medical care and (2) to raise funds and award grants to qualifying patients.
This summit is part of our awareness campaign where we provide education about infertility (for patients and friends/family members), access to experts and industry leaders, and information from speakers and panelists covering a range of topics facing infertility patients and their families.
Meet the Experts
In conjunction with the Fertility Foundation of Texas and the Fertility and Beyond Mission, we are proud to introduce you to our extraordinary line ups of industry leaders, experts, and panelists for this incredible event. We have worked hard to find a lineup that will touch virtually every aspect of infertility.
While we could have done a technical / medical event, we realize that infertility is so much more than the medical treatment plan prescribed by your physician. It’s about understanding the process, learning about health and nutrition as it relates to fertility and overall health, exercise, acupuncture, financial implications, mental health, how religious leaders are addressing infertility with their congregations and more!
Tex VerMilyea, PhD, HCLD/CC
VP of Scientific Advancement, Ovation Fertility
How An Embryo Becomes A Baby: How the Best Embryo is Selected
Tex VerMilyea will be walking us through what goes on “behind the scenes” inside the IVF Lab. It’s a fascinating tour throughout the entire process.
- How are embryos traditionally selected using traditional morphology and grading methods.
- How movies are made of the first 5 days of embryo development.
- Using genetic testing to identify embryos with the right number of chromosomes.
- How artificial intelligence in the lab is now being used for embryo viability determination.
- And much, much more!
Kaylen Silverberg, MD
Texas Fertility Center
COVID: The Virus and the Vaccines. What We Know and What We Don’t Know.
In this session, Kaylen Silverberg will be discussing the impact COVID-19 has had on infertility patients and treatments.
As patients navigate the Covid-19 pandemic, implications of the virus, as well as vaccine options weigh heavy on everyone’s minds. In this session, Kaylen will discuss:
- The implications of the risks associated with contracting the virus while receiving infertility treatment
- The effects of the vaccine on pregnancy.
- The science behind the different vaccines.
- The latest data regarding embryo development and pregnancy.
- And much, much more!
Sandeep “Sunny” Mistry, MD
North Austin Urology
Understanding Male Fertility and the Role of a Healthy Lifestyle
Men account for 1/3 of all couples facing infertility. Sadly, there is often a stigma about male infertility, but Dr. Sunny Mistry is trying to overcome that stigma and encourage men to get testing and treatment early on in the process.
- Basic and advanced testing for Sperm Function and Male Fertility.
- Aspects of the “Ideal” Male Fertility Diet.
- Understanding the Link between Male Fertility and Overall Health and Longevity.
- Understanding why IVF alone is not enough to make up for poor sperm counts.
- And much, much more!
Sadie Minkoff, L.Ac. FABORM (she/her)
Sage Acupuncture
Acupuncture For Fertility... Explained
Acupuncture is a popular treatment for patients going through infertility. With the right practicitioner, acupuncture can be a great addition to your plan. In this session, Sadie will answer the following questions:
- What is acupuncture?
- How does acupuncture supports fertility?
- How do you use acupuncture on your infertility journey?
- How to find a practitioner?
- And much, much more!
Tara Joyner
LPC
Addressing Tough Questions and Personalizing Your Treatment Plan
Infertility involves taking care of yourself and acknowledging what you’re going through individually and as a couple. In this session, Tara will discuss:
- “Silent cycles” – choosing to take a more private approach to treatment that allows you the opportunity to focus on your own emotions and not others.
- To disclose or not to disclose…? – how to talk about talking about it.
- To test or not to test? – Emotional advantages versus financial costs.
- Let yourself be angry! – Managing the difficulty of managing emotion.
- And much, much more!
Lahana Vigliano, CCN
Board Certified Clinical Nutritionist and CEO of Nuvitru Wellness
How Food + Lifestyle Is Affecting Fertility
Lahana is passionate about holistic health, wellness, teaching clients how our bodies are complex systems and that health is more than a number on a scale. In this session, Lahana will discuss:
- How diet can play a role in fertility…
- How stress/adrenal health affects fertility…
- Environmental toxins that are in our food and life impacting fertility…
- Digging deeper with lab testing (these are not the same “labs” you’re used to having done)…
- And much, much more!
Gene Dooley
Partner, Managing Director Wealth Manager Steward Partners Global Advisory
How To Plan For The Financial Challenges of Affording Infertility Treatment
- Researching the cost of Fertility treatments
- Different options to cover the costs, including thinking outside the box
- Choosing the best option for YOU and creating a plan
- And much, much more!
Sabrina and Tristan Truscott
Moving Meditation
Tristan & Sabrina Truscott created the Satori Method as a unique mind-body-spirit training system that combines the ancient and contemporary principles of movement, meditation and mindset.
Tristan and Sabrina love how the mind and body are connected – and help you understand that by bringing them into harmony you can reach a state of vibrant health and higher awareness known as Satori!!
Poonam Sharma, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Understanding the Emotional Impact of the Infertility Struggle
The experience of infertility can affect every area of your life, leaving you feeling extremely helpless and discouraged. In this session, Dr. Poonam Sharma will discuss:
- Why it can be so difficult to cope with infertility.
- The common emotions most people experience when challenged with infertility.
- Effective strategies for regaining a sense of emotional control and well-being.
- Dealing with the differences in how you and your partner cope.
- How you decide which family members or friends should share your infertility journey.
- And much, much more!
Heather Tankersley
Entrepreneur, Consultant, Marketing Director
Financing Infertility: Creative Ways for Funding Your Treatment
When it comes to infertility, one of the single biggest stress factors (aside from not being able to conceive) is the financial aspect. In this session, Heather will share with you some creative options for paying for your treatments including:
- Pharmacy discount programs and savings cards…
- Insurance options;
- Crowd sourcing;
- How to bootstrap your infertility treatments through supplemental income;
- And much, much more!
Amanda Lesesne
VP of Sales at Progyny
How to Advocate and Bring Fertility Benefits to Your Workplace
Did you know 65% of employers added a fertility benefit because an employee asked for it? We see more employers supporting their diverse workforce with family building benefits, but some don’t realize not covering it is an issue. In this session, you will learn:
- Why you should advocate for yourself or a friend
- What questions to think about when considering a fertility and family building benefit
- How to make the case at your organization
- And much, much more!
Minister Angela Denise Pearson
Staff Minister at Word of Faith Christian Center Church, San Antonio, TX
Having a spiritual foundation is the key to dealing with the difficulty of infertility.
It is not God or medicine but instead God and medicine. Medicine heals the body but God heals the whole person (spirit, soul and body).
- The idea of family originated with God.
- God is not against the medical approach.
- Faith is what supplies the strength to be able to handle the journey of infertility.
- And much, much more!
Rabbi Amy Cohen
Chief Social Services Officer at Shalom Austin and the Jewish Family Service Executive Director
Judaism, Infertility and Family
- Rabbi Cohen will be speaking about how Judaism views fertility treatments today and historically how those views have evolved. Cohen will also discuss how the Jewish community supports women and men throughout their journey of creating a family or deciding not to.
- And much, much more!
Natasya Ikbal
MD, OB-GYN, Austin to Women's Partner in Health
Identifying Infertility Early and When to Refer to a Specialist
- Your fertility: starting the conversation.
- Common pitfalls with infertility treatments.
- Barriers to seeking out infertility care.
- And much, much more!
Infertility Awareness Summit Sponsors
We are so thankful to the companies and organizations that are supporting this event and who continue to provide treatment, medication, education, and support to couples going through infertility treatment. At the Fertility Foundation of Texas, we really do believe that “It’s All About Family”
Modern Family
First Family Speaker Sponsor
Dr. Kaylen and Carol Silverberg
Royal Family
Other Sponsors
Sponsorship Levels: It's All About Family
Royal Familiy Sponsor
A Royal Family sponsorship funds a partial grant to cover limited expenses, such as critical medications or a grant designated specifically for preconception genetic testing (this technology is available to IVF patients at an additional cost and is life changing because it informs the healthy parents who may not realize that they are carriers but could pass a life-altering genetic disorder to their children).
- Prominent Logo placement on Event Signage
- Prominent Logo placement on Event website for 3 additional
months - Banner Acknowledgment between talks
First Family Speaker Sponsor
A First Family sponsorship funds a full Fertility Foundation of Texas grant that will impactfully reduce a couple’s financial obstacles to receiving IVF treatment and give new hope for the opportunity to have a child.
- Exclusive Banner Acknowledgment throughout entire talk for the
Speaker of your choosing - Premier Listing on Event website pre and post event for 6 additional months
- Social Media pre- and post- event promotion as a Speaker Sponsor
Modern Family Event Sponsor
A Modern Family sponsorship highlights key corporate leaders in the Infertility community.
- Banner acknowledgment throughout the Entire Program (banner covers approx. 1/4 of screen)
- Emcee recognition
- Event Sponsor Logo placement on Event website for one year
- Social Media pre- and post- event promotion as Event Sponsor
Royal Family Sponsor
A Royal Family sponsorship funds a partial grant to cover limited expenses, such as critical medications or a grant designated specifically for preconception genetic testing (this technology is available to IVF patients at an additional cost and is life changing because it informs the healthy parents who may not realize that they are carriers but could pass a life-altering genetic disorder to their children).
- Prominent Logo placement on Event Signage
- Prominent Logo placement on Event website for 3 additional
months - Banner Acknowledgment between talks
First Family Speaker Sponsor
A First Family sponsorship funds a full Fertility Foundation of Texas grant that will impactfully reduce a couple’s financial obstacles to receiving IVF treatment and give new hope for the opportunity to have a child.
- Exclusive Banner Acknowledgment throughout entire talk for the
Speaker of your choosing - Premier Listing on Event website pre and post event for 6 additional months
- Social Media pre- and post- event promotion as a Speaker Sponsor
Modern Family Event Sponsor
A Modern Family sponsorship highlights key corporate leaders in the Infertility community.
- Banner acknowledgment throughout the Entire Program (banner covers approx. 1/4 of screen)
- Emcee recognition
- Event Sponsor Logo placement on Event website for one year
- Social Media pre- and post- event promotion as Event Sponsor
For more information, contact
Carol Silverberg
fertilityfoundationoftexas@gmail.com
$1,000 Family Favorite Sponsor
This is your chance to acknowledge a miracle child, send
encouragement or congratulations to an infertility couple or thank a
professional who has made a difference during someone’s infertility
journey..
• “Made In Honor of” Event Signage
• “Made In Honor of” on Event website
Stories of Infertility
To protect the privacy of our grant recipients, we have changed the names and faces of the recipients, but the stories highlighted below are couples who have been personally touched by infertility. These are their stories and their experiences. We realize that everyone’s personal journey is their own. Our hope in sharing these stories is that we can help couples currently facing infertility know they are not alone and to bring awareness to the emotional toll that the process can take on couples.
Endometriosis
When the endmoterial tissue grows outside of the uterus, not only can it cause painful periods for women, but it can also affect the function of the ovaries, uterus and fallopian tubes.
Recurrent Miscarriages
Miscarriages are one of the most emotional and painful events in a couple’s journey towards parenthood. The sadness, the loss and the fear of another miscarriage in the future is devastating.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome)
PCOS, is the most common ovulatory disorder in women of reproductive age.
Cancer Survivor
Certain cancer treatments can make it hard to have children depending on the type of cancer and treatment. Collecting and freezing eggs, sperm or embryos prior to treatment can help cancer survivors realize their dream of having a family.
Issues with Sperm Health
Infertility affects men as often as it does women, but there’s often a stigma attached to male factor infertility. The good news is there are a lot of options for testing and treatment to help families go on to have healthy babies.
IVF (In Vitro Fertilization)
IVF is the solution that so many couples need to achieve their dream of becoming parents. Through IVF, there are lots of options from injecting sperm into the eggs (ICSI), genetic testing (to minimize miscarriages), and more.
Unexplained Infertility
Nobody WANTS to be the reason they can’t start a family, but unexplained infertility introduces so many more questions, emotions, and fears to the process.
Your Personal Story
While there are many common threads between couples facing infertility, your story is unique and personal to you. It is our goal to provide you with information and access to care.
Testimonials
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Testimonials
We are forever grateful to the Fertility Foundation of Texas for the grant money we received to have a frozen embryo transfer. The application process, interview and correspondence with the foundation has been wonderful and we have felt that they truly care about us throughout this whole process. Without the generosity of the foundation we would not have been able to welcome our sweet daughter into our lives.
ERIN, JAMES AND MAURA DAVIS
March 18, 2021
We are complete, our two beautiful girls are the best part of our life. This wouldn’t have been possible without God and The Fertility Foundation of Texas. They are an amazing group of people!
Cassy and Tony Black
March 18, 2021
Words can hardly express the gratitude that we feel for Fertility Foundation of Texas. Connor had a been a dream in our hearts for over 5 years before our dream finally became a reality through the work of our outstanding physicians and the support of Fertility Foundation of Texas. There is not a day that goes by that we don't look upon Connor in amazement and with thankfulness for him. He truly is even more than we could have asked for and we can't imagine our lives without him. Without the emotional and financial support of FFOTX, our dream of achieving our family would not have been possible and we are forever grateful to them for helping us to bring Connor into the world. We are proud to be his parents and part of the Fertility Foundation of Texas family.
Sterling Family
March 18, 2021
We are the Anand family and thanks to the Fertility Foundation of Texas for making our dream of keeping the family name of Anand (meaning happiness in Indian origin) complete in all its glory! The foundation was a ray of light in our lives when faced with a multitude of Infertility challenges. The generosity, kindness and warmth from the members of the foundation is something we are eternally grateful for. They held our hands each step of the way and addressed our every stumbling block with the most sincerest efforts and enthusiasm. We are so blessed to have known and become a part of this wonderful foundation which stands true to the saying that the true purpose of life is to be useful, compassionate and make a difference in the lives of our fellow beings. We are doting parents to a beautiful 5 month old son today and can’t thank the Foundation enough for this immense blessing. Best wishes to this outstanding foundation built on hope, love and humanitarianism.
Anand Family
March 18, 2021
Travis and I are so thankful for the help we received through The Fertility Foundation of Texas. It was a pleasure to get to know the team, and everyone we met was so caring and kind throughout our Infertility journey. We welcomed our twins Zane and Elliana in December of 2018, the very best Christmas gifts we could ask for!
ROSA, TRAVIS, ZANE & ELLIANA BEACHY
March 18, 2021
04-16-2010 was the date of our first insemination. Over the years we have had 25 inseminations between the two of us. We had pretty much given up when we found the FFOTX. We were told that we would need to do IVF and we had no way of paying for that treatment after everything else we tried. When I received the email telling us that we had been picked for the grant I couldn’t believe it, I was stunned. Without the FFOTX we never would have been able to have Grayson. We can never thank you guys enough. You have given us the one thing we wanted most but could never get!
TALIA, DIANA, AND GRAYSON GARCIA-EVANS
March 18, 2021
The financial burden of IVF was an impossible dream until we found The Fertility Foundation of Texas. Today, thanks to their help, we get to hug our son every day. What an immeasurable gift of love.
NIKI, DISWAL & TORIN TAKASAHENG
March 18, 2021
The Fertility Foundation of Texas was such an important part of the birth of our daughter Rowan. We decided to start a family several years ago, but ran into serious obstacles almost immediately. There were heartbreaking false starts, years of frustration and the eventual discovery that we were both carriers of an incredibly rare genetic disorder. The odds that we could conceive “naturally” were small.
IVF, combined with genetic testing, provided the chance we were hoping for. There was no genetic test for BBS1 embryos in existence. We used DNA from family members to create a “probe” that embryos could be tested against. One of those healthy embryos became our healthy baby, who is sitting on my lap right now.
The science and technology that made the birth of our daughter possible still seems like science fiction. Like most ”medical miracles” though, the financial cost was high. Very few of our expenses were covered by insurance, and the out of pocket costs started to add up quickly. The support of The Fertility Foundation of Texas allowed us to create the genetic probe used to test for our specific disorder.
It will be a few years before Rowan is old enough to really understand how many amazing people contributed to her birth. Because of her dedicated medical team and the Fertility Foundation of Texas, we have a healthy, happy baby. There is no way to say thank you often enough.
Michael, Desiree and Rowan Caufield
March 18, 2021Frequently asked questions
– We realize that this event is a pretty jam-packed day. Feel free to come and go as you please.
– We do have multiple options for tickets available based on donations. For any donation level of $50 or more, you will receive the All Access Pass to all of the event recordings and materials so that you can access the information at your convenience.
– We will have certain segments/experts that will either be open for individual questions or breakout rooms for questions following the speaker’s sessions so that you can speak with the presenter in smaller groups.
NOTE: Not all presenters will be available for private questions following their session.
– All registration levels with a $50 donation or higher will receive the All Access Pass, which includes all of the event recordings, transcripts and any supplemental materials. These recordings will be available within 30 days of the live event, likely much sooner.
– All ticketholders will receive access to the Event Dashboard which will contain important information, login information, the event program, and more. The final schedule, however, will be posted the week prior to the event in order to make sure we have flexibility with scheduling as needed.
– A virtual event is an event you can attend from the comfort and convenience of your home, office, car, hotel, or any other location you can think of through your computer or mobile device (phone, tablet, etc.) We are bringing the best of the best to you! This saves you time, money and hassle.
– The Infertility Awareness Summit is being hosted on Zoom. We do recommend setting up Zoom prior to the event so you don’t have any trouble logging in the day of. We will be hosting a tech registration on Friday, April 16th and Saturday, April 17th to walk you through any technical issues prior to the event.
– We will send you the necessary instructions the week prior to the event. Please make sure that the email address that you use to register for the event is accurate and up to date (and is the PRIMARY email address that you check).
– Most up to date computers and mobile devices such as laptops, desktops, tablets and phones are capable of running this event for you. Prior to the event, we will be providing you with a tech check option as well as a link to test your settings.
– Yes! You will be able to see all of the sessions.
