IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

hi, I've not been on BE for a long time, so shame on me. I found everyone's help and support during the dark days of immigration amazing. We have been in BC now for nearly 2 years, we have our PR, but have unfortunately now hit our next big bump and stress in the road.

Ironically we moved to Canada to raise a family, but after a year plus of trying and one laparoscopy last week, my wife and I were told yesterday that we have no chance of having a natural birth. We are both devastated and I'm still not quite sure how and what to do or think. I have been looking into IVF here in Canada (we actually won't know if even IVF will work until we get some more test results back on 16th Dec), as I need to proactively do SOMETHING other than cry.

Anyway in BC, IVF is not covered, nor is it covered by my extended health. The cost per cycle can be anywhere between $10K - $20K each, with many people needing 3 or more cycles. I've been Googling like mad and have found that apparently in Ontario they will offer up to 3 cycles of IVF to anyone who is of PR status and has Ontario Health Insurance (OHIP), which i believe is the same as Medicare in BC. The emotional stress aside, we can't afford even one cycle, not to mention 3, so I am seriously looking at leaving BC and heading East to Ontario where they offer IVF to women with both fallopian tubes blocked (like us).

I really wanted to reach out to the BE community to find out if anyone has had IVF in Ontario via their OHIP, or if they have even moved to Ontario from BC to get it. I don't want to seem like a health tourist, but we live in Canada and pay Canadian taxes (and a lot of them), but by living on the West Coast we could potentially be $60K worse off, and by living here we may also give up the chance of even trying to make our dreams of having a child come true.

Hopefully these are not the ramblings of a madman, but I'm clutching at straws. Any help or advise welcome :unsure::fingerscrossed:

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

I've not but I just wanted to wish you and your wife good luck in whatever you decide to try.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Hey dieseltank - so sorry to hear that. Can't offer any advise, but good luck -hope it all works out for you.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Is adoption not a prospect for you?

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Thanks for all the support guys. I suppose adoption is something we would look at further down the road once all other options have been truly exhausted. As we are in the early stages of looking into IVF then our focus remains on have our own biological child at this point, and we'll go down fighting.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Just thought, has the possibility of unblocking the fallopian tubes been discussed? This is possible in some cases and is a radiology procedure. Similar to an HSG but a very thin catheter is advanced along the tube and can unblock them.

Ask them about this.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

We are combining a whole list of questions for them for the 16th. Basically after the initial procedure last week the doctor told us both that everything was fine and it was a great success. We were stupid enough to even celebrate the fact that there was nothing wrong! Then my wife when back yesterday to see the doctor, for which we believed was a quick meeting to check her wounds were healing correctly, and I went to work as normal. At this meeting he turned everything on it's head an said that her tubes are irreversible blocked and pretty much screwed, he couldn't get any die through them nor could he open them. My wife was in total shock and stumbled out of there in a daze. We now have some time before the 16th to get our heads around it and be armed with some serious questions.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Bloody awful. Was is the same doctor who told you everything was fine, and then later that it wasnt? Or was it the radiologist and then the ob/gyn??

Best of luck with this.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

It was the same doctor/surgeon who told us it was all fine, and then crashed us into despair a week later.:thumbdown:

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

FWIW I have friends who got IVF treatments on OHIP in Toronto a considerable while ago.

After several cycles the lady got pregnant, with triplets.

The gentleman was thrown into a depression as a result and they are now long divorced.

Be careful what you wish for.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

We were told (by a fertility clinic) that OHIP will cover fertility treatment up to the point where it's decided you need IVF and that it will not cover IVF itself - whether this is because we already have one naturally conceived child I'm not sure....

I'd investigate this very carefully before making rash decisions about moving to the other side of the country!

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Ah. Perhaps I was wrong that it was covered by OHIP. Perhaps I just assumed that it was.

This was all a long time ago, the triplets are about 23 now.

Sorry if I mislead anyone.

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Some info on OHIP IVF here, seems it's not as clear cut as yes or no....

http://www.ivfcanada.com/services/fe...e_schedule.cfm

Sounds like if you have blocked tubes then you might be covered to a certain extent.

Hope that helps :)

EDIT: Just re-read your first post and guessing you've already deduced this much.....

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

I have a friend who has had IVF twice (Ottawa) think it cost them $5000 each try, (whether a viable pregnancy or not) that was 9 years ago tho'. Their Insurance company funded the relevant drugs, but OHIP didn't cover the cost of the IVF itself - may have changed in 9 years but I didn't think so. Anyway, after two children conceived via IVF (having been told they would never conceive naturally) they went on to have a further two children "unaided" .

Good luck and fingers crossed for you:fingerscrossed:

Re: IVF in Canada - Help!!
 

Ontario (OHIP) does not, I believe, fund IVF treatments. This was a topic of media discussion/controversy some 3-4 months ago. The OP mentioned 3 treatments but I believe this was the maximum number of treatments to be allowed if Ontario allowed the procedures.

http://www.familyhelper.net/iy/news/...litypanel.html