A few years ago, Dr. Jacqueline Gutmann sat down with a man whose chart said he had Klinefelter syndrome, a genetic condition that cuts sperm production to nearly nothing. She casually went over the man’s medical history and he and his partner looked at each other, startled.
“I thought I said something wrong,” Gutmann recalled recently, noting she double-checked the chart before the man clarified he was a trans man. He told a previous doctor he had Klinefelter to explain why he wouldn’t be providing a sperm sample. The man hadn’t felt comfortable coming out to that doctor, which Gutmann said is not an uncommon experience.
“We want to be a warm, welcoming space for everyone,” she said of working at RMA of Philadelphia at Thomas Jefferson University. “Infertility issues are complicated. People are often very private about it. It’s important for people to be aware of what’s out there. Our goal is to open the dialogue.”
To that end, RMA of Philadelphia is hosting five free web chats with its doctors to mark National Infertility Awareness Week. The chats take place from April 25-29. The theme is #StartAsking to encourage people to start asking their doctors about fertility options and their employers about insurance coverage for fertility services.
The specialists scheduled to speak include Dr. Benjamin Gocial at 7 p.m. April 25, Dr. Martin Freedman at 7 p.m. April 26, Dr. Arthur Castelbaum at 7 p.m. April 27, Dr. Kara Nguyen at 7 p.m. April 28 and Gutmann at 6 p.m. April 29.
The content covered in each web chat will be dictated by participant questions. People can submit their questions anonymously through a chat box.
“The goal in managing the live chat is to do our best to make sure all voices are heard,” Gutmann said.
She said doctors at RMA of Philadelphia have a lot of experience with lesbian couples, as well as gay couples and transgender people. Some issues couples can face in their family planning include sperm and egg donation, surrogacy, reciprocal in-vitro fertilization and egg or embryo freezing.
“In all cases, cost can be an issue based on insurance coverage and resources,” Gutmann said. “We do discuss financial planning.”
Everyone who participates in the web chats will be contacted afterward to offer feedback on their experiences. At that point, they may also consider setting up further appointments with RMA of Philadelphia specialists.
For more information or to register, visit www.rmaspecialists.com and click the link for National Infertility Awareness Week.