TAMPA, Fla. — A local mother of two is sharing her IVF journey and hopes treatment becomes more affordable to people looking to start a family.
Allison Freeman started fertility treatments in 2016. She became pregnant through IVF and gave birth to a daughter in 2019.
"It's just the chance, right, there is no guarantees with fertility treatments like you're just paying for the chance to have a baby," she said.
Freeman who is a mother of two also works as an attorney. She specializes in IVF and fertility law.
She said she would love to see IVF treatments become more affordable for people looking to start a family.
"It's thousands and thousands of dollars for each of those rounds and you pay for, you know, the retrievals, the storage of your embryos, transfer of your embryos. Every single thing adds up slowly through the process," she said.
On Thursday, President Donald Trump announced he struck a deal with EMD Serono to reduce the cost of a common fertility medication.
People could buy fertility medications directly from TrumpRx.gov at a discounted price, he said.
President Trump also announced new federal guidance to encourage employers to offer fertility coverage similar to a dental or vision plan.
"I am happy to hear this being discussed on a national scale. I think a lot of people don’t realize, first of all, how many people need fertility treatments to have to build their families and then also just how expensive it is," said Freeman.
Freeman said the change will not happen overnight, but President Trump's announcement is a step in the right direction.
"Everything that was announced yesterday is wonderful and we're hoping it leads to progress, right, we're hoping it leads to more change within fertility treatments and fertility care, but it's not immediately happening," said Freeman.
"We don't know if employers are going to get on board," she added.
The Trump administration and EMD Serono estimate that discounts for fertility medications will be available starting in January 2026.
For more information on President Trump's announcement, click here.
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