Lafayette sits at the heart of Acadiana, the francophone cultural core of south-central Louisiana, and serves as the primary medical hub for southwestern Louisiana and the Cajun prairie communities stretching toward Lake Charles and Alexandria. It is here, adjacent to the Women's & Children's Hospital campus on East Farrel Road, that Fertility Answers has operated one of the state's most established fertility practices for more than two decades. This Lafayette location — part of the same two-clinic Fertility Answers network that includes a Baton Rouge site — carries a 4.8-star patient rating drawn from more than 187 Google reviews, a reflection of consistently positive outcomes and attentive care in a region where specialist access can be scarce. For anyone surveying fertility clinics in Louisiana, this guide breaks down exactly what the Lafayette clinic offers.
Physicians and Clinical Team
The Lafayette location is led by two board-certified reproductive endocrinologists whose combined training spans LSU, Emory, the University of Vermont, and UT Houston.
Dr. John Storment, MD is the practice's founder and Medical Director. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University in 1992, completed his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency at UT Health Science Center in Houston, and pursued fellowship training in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Vermont College of Medicine — the same fellowship program that would later train his colleague, Dr. Conway. After three years with the Fertility Institute of New Orleans, Dr. Storment established his own Lafayette practice in 2002, built it from a single location into a two-site network, and in 2014 expanded into Baton Rouge. He is board certified in both Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Obstetrics and Gynecology, holds memberships in ACOG, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the Society of Reproductive Surgeons, and is fluent in Spanish — a practical asset in a region with significant Spanish-speaking communities. Patient reviews describe him as warm, direct, and unhurried even during busy monitoring cycles.
Dr. Susan Conway, MD joined Fertility Answers in June 2014 as the second reproductive endocrinologist anchoring the Lafayette site. Her academic credentials are extensive: she earned her MD from Emory University in Atlanta in 1993, a Master of Medical Science in Clinical Microbiology from Emory, and a Master of Public Health — also from Emory — before completing her OB/GYN residency at the University of New Mexico Health Science Center in Albuquerque and her Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility fellowship at the University of Vermont College of Medicine. Before arriving in Louisiana she practiced in Atlanta and Seattle. Dr. Conway's clinical focus encompasses female infertility, IVF, endometriosis, and ectopic pregnancy, and she has published numerous peer-reviewed articles and abstracts on those topics. She is a member of ACOG, ASRM, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, and the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology.
The practice also partners with reproductive urologists Dr. Tolulope Bakare, MD and Dr. Evan Mulloy, MD through Posterity Health for male-factor evaluation, acknowledging that male-factor infertility plays a role in roughly half of all fertility cases. This collaboration means couples rarely need to seek andrology services elsewhere.
Services and Treatments
Fertility Answers Lafayette offers a comprehensive list of diagnostic and treatment options, most of which can be completed entirely at the Lafayette clinic:
- In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) — fresh and frozen embryo transfer cycles
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) — for male-factor cases or prior fertilization failures
- Preimplantation Genetic Testing (PGT) — chromosomal screening and hereditary condition testing before embryo transfer
- Blastocyst Culture and Transfer — extended culture to the blastocyst stage for improved selection
- Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) — often the first-line treatment recommended after initial evaluation
- Ovulation Induction — with timed intercourse or IUI for appropriate candidates
- Egg Freezing (Oocyte Cryopreservation) — elective fertility preservation and medical indications such as cancer treatment
- Egg Donation Program — coordinated through the clinic's established donor framework
- Fertility Surgery — laparoscopic procedures addressing endometriosis, fibroids, tubal blockages, and related structural issues
- Tubal Reversal Surgery — for patients who have had prior tubal ligation
- Endometrial Ablation — for patients with abnormal uterine bleeding
- Male Infertility Evaluation and Treatment — semen analysis, hormonal workup, and surgical sperm retrieval in collaboration with Posterity Health urologists
- Cancer Fertility Preservation — sperm, egg, and embryo banking for patients facing oncology treatment
- Telemedicine Consultations — available for initial evaluations and follow-up, extending care to rural parishes across southwest and central Louisiana
The range is broad enough that most patients complete the full diagnostic and treatment arc within the practice rather than receiving a patchwork of outside referrals.
Laboratory and Success Rates
The IVF laboratory at the Lafayette location operates as part of the Ovation Fertility network, a nationally recognized embryology lab system staffed by doctoral- and master's-level scientists. The Ovation team includes Tricia Adams, PhD (Senior Embryologist and Lab Manager), Julie Dupre, MS and Mariah Markle, DVM (Senior Embryologists), and Whitney Gaspard, PhD (Embryologist) — a concentration of advanced-degree scientists unusual for a regional practice outside a major academic center. This depth of embryology expertise matters directly: fertilization rates, blastocyst development rates, and embryo survival through vitrification are all laboratory-dependent variables.
Fertility Answers reports its cycle outcomes to SART (the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology), the industry standard for fertility clinic transparency in the United States. Nationally, SART data shows a live birth rate of approximately 55.6% per retrieval cycle for women under 35, though individual results vary substantially by age, diagnosis, and ovarian reserve. Prospective patients should request the clinic's current SART data during a consultation and review it in context. Detailed, independently verified ART outcome statistics are published annually by the CDC ART National Summary Report.
Patient Experience
Sustained 4.8-star ratings at fertility clinics are not automatic — the treatment process is expensive, physically demanding, and emotionally taxing, and outcomes are never guaranteed. At Fertility Answers Lafayette, reviews identify consistent themes that explain the rating.
Physician availability and attentiveness. Patients describe Dr. Storment and Dr. Conway as accessible and genuinely engaged — doctors who track individual histories closely rather than relying on patients to fill in the gaps at each appointment. Multiple reviewers note that physicians take time to explain protocols, answer questions thoroughly, and revisit decisions as circumstances change.
Coordinated, compassionate staff. The nursing team, medical assistants, and financial coordinators are cited repeatedly as contributors to a low-anxiety environment. For patients undergoing monitoring-heavy cycles with frequent early-morning visits, the quality of day-to-day interactions with support staff becomes as important as the physician relationship.
Continuity in a fragmented landscape. Because Fertility Answers operates two full-service locations in Louisiana and satellite access in Alexandria and Lake Charles, patients in southwestern and central Louisiana rarely face the choice between proximity and clinical quality. The clinic explicitly serves patients who would otherwise travel three or more hours to a fertility specialist.
Telemedicine integration. The availability of virtual consultations for initial evaluations and follow-ups reduces the burden of distance, particularly for patients in Opelousas, Breaux Bridge, Crowley, and the surrounding rural parishes within Fertility Answers' stated service area.
Considering At-Home Insemination?
Not every fertility journey begins in a clinic. At-home intracervical insemination (ICI) is a lower-cost, private option that suits patients with no known fertility diagnosis — including single parents by choice, same-sex couples, and people who want to try a few cycles before committing to clinical treatment.
At-home insemination kits like those from MakeAMom come with step-by-step instructions designed for donor or partner sperm. Kits are a one-time purchase that can be reused until conception succeeds, require no clinic visit, and arrive in plain, discreet packaging. Many patients use them as a first step while working toward a fertility consultation — or alongside ovulation tracking while they wait for an appointment slot.
If you have a known fertility diagnosis, have been trying for 12 months without success (six months if you're over 35), or your physician has already recommended IUI or IVF, a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist is the right next step.
Insurance and Financing
Louisiana is among the majority of U.S. states that have no insurance mandate requiring coverage of IVF. This means most patients at Fertility Answers Lafayette pay out-of-pocket for IVF cycles, which typically run several thousand dollars before medication costs. However, the practice has built multiple mechanisms to reduce financial barriers.
The Gift of Hope IVF Grant Program, established by the practice in 2006, awards one free IVF cycle annually to a qualifying Louisiana applicant. The grant is funded by Dr. Storment, Dr. Chappell, Ovation Fertility, YPS Anesthesia Services, and pharmaceutical partners, and covers laboratory work, ultrasounds, fertility medications (up to $3,000), egg retrieval, embryo transfer, anesthesia, initial embryo cryopreservation, and PGT-A screening. Applicants must be Louisiana residents, have documented medical need, carry a combined household income at or below $120,000 annually, and have minimal or no infertility insurance coverage. Recipients are selected by an independent committee. A separate IUI grant is also available for eligible applicants.
Beyond the grant, the clinic partners with CapexMD to offer 0% financing for the first six months, alongside customized loan programs with competitive rates for patients who need longer repayment windows. Some employer-sponsored plans — particularly large self-insured plans governed by federal ERISA law — may include fertility benefits even in states without a mandate; patients should verify their specific plan documents before assuming no coverage applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who leads the Lafayette location — is it different from the Baton Rouge site? Yes. While both Dr. Storment and Dr. Conway practice across the Fertility Answers network, the Lafayette clinic at 206 E. Farrel Road is the founding location and Dr. Conway serves as the primary reproductive endocrinologist anchoring that site. Dr. Neil Chappell, MD, MSCI, the third reproductive endocrinologist in the practice, is primarily based at the Baton Rouge location. Patients beginning at Lafayette stay within that location's care team for the full course of treatment.
What is the Gift of Hope and how do I apply? The Gift of Hope is an annual IVF grant program that covers one complete IVF cycle for a qualifying Louisiana couple. Eligibility is based on documented medical need, Louisiana residency, household income under $120,000, and minimal insurance coverage for fertility treatment. Applications are submitted through the Fertility Answers website; recipients are chosen by an independent committee. The grant has been awarded every year since 2006.
Does IVF have to be the starting point, or are less intensive treatments available first? Not at all. The physicians at Fertility Answers follow a step-wise approach. After a diagnostic workup — typically including semen analysis, ovarian reserve testing, and uterine assessment — many patients begin with ovulation induction or IUI rather than jumping straight to IVF. The IVF guide on this site explains when each treatment tier is typically appropriate and how physicians make those recommendations.
Does the clinic serve LGBTQ+ patients and single parents by choice? Yes. Fertility Answers treats same-sex couples, single women, and single men pursuing family building, offering donor sperm, donor egg programs, and IUI for a broad range of family structures. Telemedicine consultations make it practical for patients anywhere in Louisiana to begin the conversation without an in-person visit first.