I’m a strong proponent of funded healthcare for infertility. Under Dr. Ellen Greenblatt’s direction, and with the support of the provincial government of Ontario, we will soon have access to public coverage of IVF in Ontario, allowing us to direct patients to this low-risk, highly effective treatment for all our patients. There are many arguments… Read more »
Receive email alerts about OHIP-covered IVF in Ontario
Because we’re a national blog, we don’t want to overwhelm patients outside Ontario with frequent updates about OHIP. So we’re going to slow down on the Ontario IVF news, but we encourage Ontarians seeking IVF to contact their clinic for updates. You can also receive updates by signing up for IVF email alerts at the Hannam Fertility Centre — members… Read more »
Important announcement: OHIP-covered IVF cycle to launch December 2015
The Ontario government has finally announced its plans for OHIP-funded IVF. In summary, starting in December 2015, the government will fund one cycle of IVF for women under 43 years of age. The government also reversed its recent move to cut funding for certain OHIP-covered fertility monitoring services (such as blood tests), which is a big… Read more »
Panel advises excluding women over 42, severely obese women, from OHIP-covered IVF
OHIP-covered IVF was expected to roll out in Ontario months ago. To meet the province’s expectation of launching in 2015, things are going to have to develop quickly. And we’re already seeing that happen, with news about a panel’s advisory re: OHIP-covered IVF recently surfacing. (If you aren’t caught up, I recommend reading my post on… Read more »
It’s September 2015, what’s the status of OHIP-covered IVF in Ontario?
17 months ago, the Ontario provincial government promised to extend OHIP coverage to cover one round of IVF for eligible patients. This change was expected to occur in 2015. However, many questions about the coverage were unanswered — and unfortunately, still haven’t been answered. Now that we’re creeping closer to the end of 2015, patients… Read more »
3 situations where you’ll want to consider IVF
Nobody wants to do IVF. Whenever a couple or individual arrives at a fertility clinic, the strong goal is to work as naturally as possible to maximize the chances for pregnancy. My suspicion is that this comes down to two reasons. Financial, yes, but importantly, emotional: For all of us, the plan was to achieve… Read more »
What is DNA Fragmentation?
The DNA Fragmentation is one of several elements of semen quality used to assess the male fertility potential. Sperm’s ability to fertilize an egg is dependant on healthy DNA. But some sperm are fragmented. Healthy DNA is arranged in a double-helix spiral bound by cross-bonds resembling a ladder. DNA damage means the bridges become unstable… Read more »
What are the guidelines for known sperm donation?
Health Canada does not support known-donor, fresh-sperm insemination. The rationale is to protect the health of women involved. Guidelines are clear that couples must be having sexual intercourse before a fertility clinic can use a fresh sample in an insemination. We can help you monitor your cycle – we can even make sure you have… Read more »
We’re considering using an anonymous sperm donor. How does it work in Canada?
Health Canada has guidelines in place to allow women to have safe access to donor sperm. However, there are some logistical challenges limiting choice. There is only one Canadian sperm bank: ReproMed, based in Toronto. To allow for a greater variety of sperm available to Canadians, Health Canada has allowed for the importation of non-altruistically-donated… Read more »
What can I do about pain during procedures?
“I am scheduled for an Echovist HyCoSy test as part of my fertility diagnostic process. I have serious concerns about the pain I will experience during the procedure given the scar tissue on my cervix from a laser cone. (A regular pap test is painful; a colposcopy is almost unbearable.) I am wondering whether it… Read more »