IVF Funding Makes Sense for Nova Scotia Infertility Patients #IVF4NS #NSPOLI

IVF funding makes sense for Nova Scotia infertility patients, who are one of the worst served infertility patient groups in Canada. Nova Scotia infertility patients face multiple hurdles accessing care they need in order to build healthy families in the province.

Infertility is a challenge for 1 in 6 couples in Nova Scotia, just as it is in every other province throughout Canada. But Nova Scotians are in fact one of the worst served populations of infertility patients in Canada due to several reasons. Not only is there no funding available for patients to pursue IVF in the province, access to clinics is also poor. That leads to extreme challenges for patients in the province.

IVF (in vitro fertilization) is one of the most effective treatments for infertility and can help many couples to become parents. But IVF is also extremely expensive and that means occasionally people take risks that actually end up costing the health care system more money in the long and short term as well.

In Canada, there are now four provinces that fund, or contribute to IVF funding for people needing the treatment. Depending on the province that you live in the cost of IVF can range from $7,000 to $13,000, and that rarely includes drugs. But Nova Scotia is not one of the provinces that currently offers financial support for IVF, fertility treatment. Infertility is one of the most complex health care issues this century.

Funding IVF (in vitro fertilization) with SET ( single embryo transfer) saves money. When couples must pay up to $13,000 for a round of IVF that ends up being extremely cost prohibitive. Some couples borrow, some take out a line of credit and some will take on three jobs, or a second mortgage to be able to pay for costly health care treatment in order to become a parent. That’s when they often end up taking risks because of the cost involved and they transfer multiple embryos. Multiples have a host of lifetime health care needs that healthy singletons do not. Funded IVF can save up to $11 million for the province of Nova Scotia over the course of five years.  with greater societal costs such as lifetime health care and social supports required when children are born prematurely (multiple births).

A few more facts about Nova Scotia infertility patients.

In Nova Scotia 72 % of people surveyed said they supported public funding for fertility treatments.

[tweetthis]72 % of people surveyed in Nova Scotia said they supported public funding for IVF #IVF4NS #NSPOLI [/tweetthis]

When people have to remortgage homes etcetera in order to pay for infertility treatment they often transfer more than one embryo.

Multiples cost more to health care systems over their lifetime.

There is very limited access to infertility care in Nova Scotia.

In fact Nova Scotia tied for last place with PEI in a recent comparison between all of the provinces and their fertility funding programs, number of clinics and accessibility. Quite simply it is one of the two worst places to live in Canada if you need fertility care. Nova Scotia infertility patients deserve better.

This sponsored post was written on behalf of East Coast Miracles Patient Group. For a brief time I was helping to tell the Nova Scotia infertility patient stories. They are active on twitter at IVFforNS.