Pregnancy and Fertility Support Program (Cooley's Anemia Foundation)

The Cooley's Anemia Foundation offers reimbursement of up to $1,000 for approved expenses related to fertility and pregnancy among U.S. thalassemia patients, recognising that individuals with thalassemia may face fertility or pregnancy challenges related to the disease, its management, or treatments involving bone marrow/stem cell transplantation or gene therapy. The reimbursement may be provided twice during a patient's lifetime for a total of $2,000, and an application may be submitted only once per year between July 1 and June 30. Covered expenses include fertility enhancement processes, storage of eggs or sperm, in vitro fertilization and surrogacy-related expenses; applicants must provide proof of expenses paid, and the reimbursement does not apply to treatments fully covered by insurance. To be eligible a person must be a U.S. thalassemia patient registered in CAF's patient database, a U.S. resident for a minimum of two years, and must not already have received $1,000 under the program for expenses incurred in the current July 1 – June 30 period.

Applicants should first contact CAF Patient Services Manager Eileen Scott (escott@thalassemia.org) indicating the amount to be reimbursed and approximately when the application will be submitted. After receiving a response, the applicant completes and submits the required application with attachments, including receipts or proof of expenditure and, in some cases, verification that the treatment or device was approved by a healthcare provider. Applications may be submitted between July 1 and June 30, once per year.