Genesis Fertility Clinic Blog
searching: “funding”
April 14, 2011
Multiple births are risky
Today’s Vancouver Sun had an article discussing the risk of multiple births and highlighting that many of the country’s multiple births (twins, triplets, more) are due to IVF.
We sometimes put more than one embryo back in hopes of increasing a couple’s chance of successful pregnancy. The cost of this practice is that multiple births can occur.
So, we shouldn’t put more than one embryo back, right? If it was only that simple! Genesis has always lead the way in putting the fewest embryos back in young women, yet….
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July 20, 2010Quebec IVF Funding
As of August 5, 2010 the Quebec Provincial Health Plan will cover the cost, including medications, of three IVF cycles. There remains much to be sorted out, for example whether there will be an age limit, whether additional IVF cycles will be funded if a child is born from IVF, how will a wait list be managed?
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April 18, 2010Funding for IVF
Quebec seems to be on track to fund IVF through their provincial health plan sometime this year. It’s unclear just how much of the cost of IVF will be funded and whether other services (e.g. insemination) will also be covered. We’re watching closely. We’re also continuing to push for IVF and other fertility services to be funded for our patients in BC.
If you believe that fertility treatments should be funded provincially in BC, please email BC’s Minister of Health, Honourable Kevin Falcon, at: kevin.falcon.mla@leg.bc.ca
Everyone, rich or poor, should have access to fertility care in BC. Fertility is a disease like any other.
Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility
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August 27, 2009Ontario to fund IVF?
There is a buzz around the clinic. Is Ontario going to fund IVF? Will BC follow?
In 2008 the Government of Ontario appointed an expert panel on fertility and adoption in Ontario. Their report was released this week and it recommends significantly expanded government support for fertility and adoption services. Having just finished reading it I’m struck by how accurate they have assessed the barriers to fertility treatment that exist in Ontario (and most other provinces). Barriers like cost, lack of information, work constraints, and the negative stigma of infertility prevent countless couples from building the families they desire.
The panel’s recommendations, if implemented, would go along way to ensure more people can build their families and would certainly put Ontario at the forefront of public fertility policy in North America. Some highlighted recommendations:
The Government of Ontario should fund up to three IVF cycles for women ages 41 + 12 months and younger.
The Government of Ontario should fund frozen embryo transfers and up to 4 cycles if intrauterine insemination for women ages 41 + 12 months and younger.
The Government of Ontario should introduce a 50% refundable tax credit up to $20,000 to offset the cost of fertility medications.
The Government of Ontario should fund the mandatory counseling required under the Assisted Human Reproduction Act (e.g. donor egg, surrogacy, donor sperm).
The report also supports the creation of an altruistic province-wide sperm, egg and embryo bank. It supports ensuring that fertility doctors are adequately trained, that clinics are accredited (we are already by a few governing bodies) and that work places provide personal emergency leave for employees undergoing fertility treatments.
There are many more recommendations all of which support couples and individuals hoping to grow their families either through adoption or fertility treatments. This is a really important report. The next step is for the government to act on the panel’s recommendations. I am skeptical because of the dismal history of government support for fertility services in Canada, but this is a positive step.
If Ontario leads will other provinces follow? We’ll keep pushing in BC.
The full report is available at www.ontario.ca/creatingfamilies.
Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility