SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Alison Wolfe has always dreamed of being a mother. She met the love of her life, got married, and decided it was time to start her family. After trying with no success, Wolfe went to a fertility doctor where she was diagnosed with female factor infertility.

Wolfe's husband had to switch jobs in order to get insurance that covered fertility treatments, but even then, there are still out of pocket costs. The closest fertility clinic they could get coverage at was in St. Louis, so the couple has to travel there regularly for appointments. 

"Being told that there's a very slim chance that you could ever conceive naturally, was heartbreaking," said Wolfe. "So not only do you do the emotional work, you do the mental work, and you do the physical work. And unfortunately, with gaps in insurance, because infertility is an elective for a lot of insurance plans, we had to do the financial work just to be able to have a shot at having a child." 

Many couples do this just for one opportunity to have a child, but for Alison, it took more than one round of IVF. After a four-year journey, she's pregnant with a girl, set to be born in late December. 

"It's a balle, it is absolutely a battle but it is definitely worth it," said Wolfe. " I don't think I will actually be able to breathe until she's in my arms, but I'm one of the lucky ones... and a lot of women are suffering and having to figure out how to pay $60,000 just for one treatment." 

Dr. Ricardo Loret de Mola is the Director of the SIU Fertility and IVF Center in Springfield. It is the only fertility center in Illinois between Chicago and St. Louis. At the clinic, Dr. Loret de Mola has had a hand in bringing more than 10,000 babies into the world, and sees the many struggles these couples face. 

"One in six couples struggle with infertility," said Dr. Loret de Mola. "Here in Springfield at the SIU Fertility and IVF Center, you can expect for patients under the age of 35 to have a 63% chance of taking a baby home per treatment, but the national average is actually 40 percent." 

The doctor says couples frequently have to make sacrifices to pay for their treatment, as there is always some out of pocket cost. Even when couples get pregnant, they will face more costs for delivering the child and caring for it in its first year of life.

"Any patient who comes in for fertility treatments, they pretty much know that this is going to be costly, and insurance companies sometimes cover part, but rarely do they cover all," said Dr. Loret de Mola. "There's always an out of pocket component." 
 
During the November election, voters will be asked to answer yes or no to this advisory question: "Should all medically appropriate assisted reproductive treatments, including, but not limited to, in vitro fertilization, be covered by any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides coverage for pregnancy benefits, without limitation on the number of treatments?"
 
The question is meant to gather public opinion on a topic, but will not directly cause any law to change. 
 
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