Fertility Advocacy: Share Your Voice Now - It Matters

October 25, 2025•4 min read

In today’s landscape of fertility care, silence is not an option.

This week’s Health Youniversity episode, Dr. Susan speaks with Barb Collura, founder of Vital Voices Consulting and former CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association. With decades of experience in advocacy and policy, Barb shares why now — more than ever — the fertility community - patients, providers, and companies - must speak up, organize, and act.

As politics, policy, and public perception shift, one message rings true: Our voices matter now more than ever.

A Turning Point in Fertility Care

For years, fertility treatments like IVF have been quietly supported, yet politically misunderstood. But recent events — from Supreme Court decisions to shifting campaign promises — have pulled reproductive medicine into the public spotlight.

The attention is good; yet, awareness without advocacy is not enough. If patients, providers, and advocates don’t share their stories, others will decide the future of fertility policy.

Understanding the Policy Shifts

Recent headlines and executive orders around IVF, fertility medication discounts, and “restorative reproductive medicine” have created both hope and confusion.

While new programs may sound promising, real progress requires transparency, inclusion, and accountability — ensuring that all family-building paths are recognized and supported.

Restorative Reproductive Medicine vs. Ethical IVF: A Divisive Narrative

A new term has entered the national conversation: restorative reproductive medicine.

At first glance, it sounds compassionate — a holistic approach to fertility care. But as Barb explains, the movement behind it has been strategically positioned to limit access to IVF and other assisted reproductive technologies.

Following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared embryos as persons, public figures rushed to express support for IVF. Yet behind the scenes, policy groups began promoting legislation favoring “restorative” care — a subtle shift that could exclude single parents, same-sex couples, and those in urgent need of IVF.

Barb calls this the “mirrored room effect”: where promises of support reflect inclusion but actually obscure exclusion.

The Collective Voice

Real change happens when patients, providers, employers, and companies work together.
Barbara’s firm, Vital Voices Consulting, helps organizations step off the sidelines and become active advocates for equitable care.

Meanwhile, RESOLVE continues to lead grassroots advocacy, empowering individuals to share their stories, meet with legislators, and shift the national dialogue on infertility.

Every voice counts. Every story moves the needle forward.

Together, We Create Real and Lasting Change

Advocacy is the heartbeat of progress.. It’s for anyone who has ever been touched by the fertility journey — whether as a patient, partner, clinician, employer, or friend. Every story told to a legislator, every company that adds fertility benefits, every practitioner who joins a professional organization — all of it matters.

How You Can Take Action

Fertility care isn’t just a medical issue; it’s a human one. And when we come together — as patients, providers and allies, we redefine what it means to have access to build a family.

Start by connecting with:

Vital Voices Consulting — for corporate and policy engagement strategies.
RESOLVE.org — for advocacy resources and community support.

You can also join professional networks like the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and regional groups such as the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society to stand in solidarity with others in the field.

Now is the time to rise, speak, and advocate — once and for all.

Check out all of our episodes on the following platforms:

Know the status of your fertility health. Take our FREE Fertility Quiz now: http://yourfertilityquiz.com/

Fulfill your dream of a family. Know your best options for a healthy pregnancy: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/programs

Boost Employee Productivity by Investing in their Fertility Health. Check out our Corporate Wellness program and know the benefits it can bring to your company: https://www.healthyouniversity.co/corporate-wellness

Barb Collura is the Principal and Founder of Vital Voices Consulting LLC, a firm dedicated to providing strategic consulting and infertility advocacy for organizations, companies, and innovators who share her vision of family building for all. Barb served as the President/CEO of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association from 2007-2025.

Website: https://vitalvoicesconsulting.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barblcollura/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/barbaralcollura
Email: [email protected]

Learn more: https://resolve.org/

Medical Disclaimer:

By listening to the Health Youniversity podcast, you agree not to use this podcast as medical advice to treat any medical condition for yourself or others. Consult your healthcare provider for any medical issues you may have. This entire disclaimer also pertains to any guests or contributors to any Health Youniversity podcast.

Dr. Susan Fox

I am a women’s health expert with a specialty in working with women and couples navigating fertility challenges for more than 20 years. I look forward to helping you realize your dream of family. I’m also a mother, a sister, a friend. I live in beautiful Northern California, where the nature of Mt. Tamalpais, the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay are my backyard. Traditional Chinese Medicine discovered me in 1978, when I was struggling with digestive complaints that flummoxed medical doctors. It wasn’t until I received my first acupuncture treatment and herbal prescription that I connected my medical condition to grief over loss of a loved one; that the stress of holding in such huge emotions was literally tying me up in knots, and I was finally able to heal. Discovering the powerful links between the physical, the mental, the emotional, the spiritual, and the environmental shifted my understanding of health and wellness forever. For more than 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of learning and implementing Whole Systems Traditional Chinese Medicine to understand the root causes of health conditions and realize optimal health and well-being. I am a strong believer in the importance of health education, for knowledge is power when you have the tools for effective self care.

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