NWSL North Carolina Courage

North Carolina Courage Partners with US Fertility and Shady Grove Fertility (SGF)

Published on May 26, 2022 under National Women's Soccer League (NWSL)
North Carolina Courage News Release


Cary, NC - Today, the North Carolina Courage announced that Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), a founding partner of US Fertility, is now its official fertility partner.

SGF will support NC Courage players by providing them with options so that they do not have to choose between their careers and their future families. SGF will provide NC Courage players with complimentary fertility physician consultations, fertility evaluations, egg retrieval and freezing, educational events led by SGF physicians, and other fertility planning resources.

"Shady Grove Fertility's track record speaks for itself, and we are thrilled to be able to offer their services to our athletes," North Carolina Football Club President Francie Gottsegen shares. "At NC Courage, we strive to support our players in every way possible and are excited to provide them with tools that can empower and encourage them. When we learned that this type of benefit was of importance to our players, we immediately leaped into action and reached out to partner with a national leader."

Age is the single most important factor affecting fertility for females, as conception becomes more difficult with age, and the chances of a chromosomal abnormality, miscarriage, or pregnancy complication become more common as eggs diminish in quality and quantity. The good news is that egg freezing, or oocyte cryopreservation, helps preserve future fertility all while leaving current fertility intact. By offering egg freezing to NC Courage players, SGF can help players safeguard their future fertility options, while still allowing them to continue their roles as professional athletes.

"As female athletes, we are often asked to choose between the sport that we love and the families we desire," NC Courage forward, Rylee Baisden, shares. "It is incredibly empowering to now have access to best-in-class fertility specialists who understand our needs and have a 30-year track record of helping build families."

US Fertility is the largest physician-led integrated network of top-tier fertility practices in the United States. The network completes more than 29,000 IVF cycles annually and performs 1,000+ elective and donor egg freezing cycles annually. SGF, which is part of the US Fertility partnership, is home to 100,000 babies born from 30 years of continuous innovation, a commitment to research, and patient-centered care.

"My North Carolina roots run deep, and I have a great affinity for the NC Courage team and what they represent - excellence, dedication, and opportunity. I look forward to working alongside NC Courage's incredible athletes and coaching staff as they make important and timely decisions about their family-building options," shares SGF reproductive endocrinologist and former Medical Director, Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Wake Forest School of Medicine, Erika B. Johnston-MacAnanny, M.D. "Through SGF's partnership with NC Courage, we put time back on their side, as the younger a woman freezes her eggs, the higher chance of a successful outcome should she choose to use those eggs to achieve a pregnancy in the future."

SGF, once referred to by Washingtonian as the country's biggest babymaker, holds the spot as one of the top five egg freezing programs in the U.S., with the number of women choosing egg freezing at SGF continuing to rise at an unprecedented rate. In fact, SGF has seen a 50 percent increase in women freezing their eggs since 2019. In addition, SGF is one of only a few centers in the nation with published success rates for women who return to use their frozen eggs.

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