SAN ANTONIO – Infertility impacts one in six people across the globe, according to the World Health Organization. Brooke Army Medical Hospital at the Fort Sam Houston military base is working to make the complex process more manageable.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Samantha Simpson is the BAMC Division Chief of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility.
“The biggest risk of IVF is having multiple pregnancies, so like twins and triplets,” Simpson said. “We’re really dedicated to safety here and making sure that we have good pregnancy numbers but also keep it safe with singleton pregnancies. So, we’ve been recognized for good fertility outcomes and for singleton pregnancies, which we’re really proud of.”
Not only are the success rates positive, but some patients praise BAMC for its timeliness, cost and convenience. Amanda Fischer and Isabel Paulk are two of BAMC’s REI patients.
Fischer has two children, both conceived through infertility treatments, but the treatments for her firstborn were done at a hospital in North Carolina.
“I had to travel four hours, and I was going every other day for ultrasounds,” Fischer reflected on her time being seen in North Carolina.
However, at BAMC, everything can happen in one place, which is beneficial for both Fischer and Paulk.
“It was all in one integrated place, which is convenient for me because I only have to drive to one hospital,” Paulk said. “So, if I needed the pharmacy, the fertility clinic, it’s all in one space.”
Although, that one space is more than an hour drive away from Paulk. Paulk’s family is stationed at Fort Cavazos in Killeen. Paulk tells KSAT, Fort Cavazos didn’t have the infertility treatment capabilities that she needed so she was referred to BAMC. This makes it that much more helpful that everything for her treatments can be done at Fort Sam Houston.
In addition to convenience, cost is another major factor in why people travel to BAMC for infertility treatments. Patients with military insurance can be treated at BAMC for infertility with little to no cost up until a certain IVF method is needed, significantly cutting costs. That is because BAMC is training OB-GYN Residents.
“In order to be able to adequately train our OB GYNs in the military, to go off and serve overseas or wherever they’re going to go, they need exposure to IVF,” Simpson said. “We are able to keep the cost really low comparable to civilian facilities because of that benefit, which we’re really excited to offer our patients.”
While many of the costs for infertility at BAMC are covered by the patient’s insurance, if a particular point in the process is reached, the treatments could cost a family $7,000 or more. Paulk said she would encourage anyone looking into treatments or already getting them to ask about any potential costs as early as possible.
The benefits are for more than just San Antonio residents. While patients do need to have military insurance, they don’t have to be stationed in San Antonio.
“We do have some out-of-state patients who travel here to get IVF … and then they come here because of the cost-benefit,” Simpson said.
They’re always working on improvements, but Simpson and her patients are pretty content.
“We meet national outcome targets for pregnancy percentages and live birth percentages,” Simpson said. “With just basically a four-man team, it’s two doctors, two nurses, and then an administrative assistant.”
They are able to provide infertility treatments to about 120-150 patients each year.