IVF funding Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

What’s Next for Infertility Patients in Ontario? #ohip4ivf #onpoli Twitter Chat Live June 10 at 8 p.m. EST

Paula — Tue, 09 Jun 2015 18:13:37 +0000

How does a patient group like Conceivable Dreams evolve once they’ve met one of their biggest advocacy goals? This is the topic we’ll talk about on Wednesday night at a special Linked Moms twitter chat at 8 p.m. EST. Infertility patients in Ontario are invited to brainstorm what shape their advocacy should take next. In fact, this is an important topic for any advocacy group, charity or non profit. It’s not uncommon for a group to come together with one goal as a mission. But a successful group needs to consider the future too. Succession planning and remaining focused are crucial to long-term success. Right now infertility patients everywhere are feeling the considerable weight of the season. Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be hard. Infertility Awareness Week or Month also leads into spring and summer when it seems like everyone is expecting a baby, or announcing a new baby on their Facebook page. For people who are still trying to conceive, the season is full of triggers. By this time next year we hope many Conceivable Dreams patient group members are the ones announcing their happy news, as a result of the success of the 2015 Ontario IVF funding program. But once the program is here and more healthy families are created what comes next? [tweetthis]If you are an infertility patient in Ontario chances are you have heard there’s an IVF funding program on the way #ohip4ivf #onpoli[/tweetthis] If you are an infertility patient in Ontario, then chances are you have heard the news that the Ontario government is working on an IVF funding program. First of all a few facts: [tweetthis]An Ontario IVF funding program has been committed to and funding included in 2 consecutive budgets. (2014 and 2015). #ohip4ivf #onpoli [/tweetthis] An Ontario IVF funding program has been committed to and funding included in two consecutive budgets. (2014 and 2015). The initial announcement that Ontario would develop an accessible IVF funding program stated that about $50 million a year would be committed. The Ontario IVF funding program 2015 is still on target to be ready in 2015 as promised all along. Members of Conceivable Dreams have been working behind the scenes on the advisory panel that is building the 2015 IVF funding program. [tweetthis]Conceivable Dreams members have been involved on the advisory panel helping to build IVF funding program 2015 #ohip4ivf #onpoli [/tweetthis] The program is likely to be one round of treatment which is also likely to be contingent on single embryo transfer (because single embryo transfer leads to lower health care costs and healthier moms and babies.) It is now almost halfway through 2015 and this program should be ready soon. It’s time for infertility patients to start asking what comes next? Do we need to stay active and involved as advocates? We have an accessible program, right? So what now? Is our job done? I have been writing about infertility and infertility funding programs for over 3 years now. Conceivable Dreams has grown over that time and they have evolved throughout their seven or more years of championing accessible health care for fertility patients in Ontario. They have met an important goal and soon will be able to recognize that and celebrate it. Many other countries and areas have IVF funding programs. Some have maintained their programs extremely well and crafted themselves into groups that are powerful. Some, like the group based in Quebec, were less active once they had been given a health care program. – Recently the Quebec program was dramatically altered when a new health minister targeted it and began implementing health care cuts. The Quebec IVF funding program is now a shell of what it once was. [tweetthis]What can infertility patients in Ontario learn from the ART program cuts in Quebec? #ohip4ivf #onpoli [/tweetthis] – In Australia, a patient group there has had exceptional success because they have maintained a high profile active membership. They have managed to celebrate each successful birth and bring babies created through the program into it as young members who can also advocate beautifully any time a new political party targets their program for cutbacks. Please join us Wednesday night for a twitter chat at 8 p.m. EST. The hashtags are #ohip4ivf #onpoli Please remember to use these to follow the conversation. Also please follow: @ohip4ivf @inkscrblr @downshiftingpro @linkedmoms @thexaviers

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Families Are the Future of Alberta: Public Funding For In Vitro Fertilization Is Efficient #abhc4ivf #abpoli

Paula — Sat, 14 Feb 2015 10:12:53 +0000

Family Is The Future: In some small way I started in Alberta. It’s true. When my Mom and Dad got married they had their honeymoon in Banff. From Ontario, they took the train through the Western provinces to stay in Alberta. For a truck driver and a teacher in their twenties, newlyweds, Alberta was glamorous and beautiful and different. It was the destination where they started to think of the future, together planning for a family that would come first in the shape of a baby girl and then 2 years later, a baby boy too. Alberta is a place where many start to think of family and planning a future as a family. It is where the Lufts, shown in the picture above started planning to have a family before Kevin was diagnosed with cancer. For many couples health care issues will mean fertility is compromised. For many others infertility will come with no real reason ever and yet, family will remain elusive. This Family Day it is important to realize too that for one in six couples of reproductive age, infertility will often stand in the way of realizing a future, of growing a family. This Family Day many couples will struggle seeing reminders of children and families everywhere. Most people can agree: family is the future. This is as true for Alberta, as it is for every province. Children are the future. But not everyone is able to conceive without medical help. One in six couples will be diagnosed with infertility. That’s a life altering diagnosis when you are ready and hoping for the future. The diagnosis is even more devastating when told that there is a treatment that very often works to help couples conceive, but that very treatment is not funded by anyone. IVF, in vitro fertilization is very often prescribed as medically necessary to help couples conceive. But at $10,000 to $13,000 a round it is beyond the reach of many. Alberta time and again proves it is a province with huge heart. It is a world leader in so many things. It rallies even when the odds are almost insurmountable. Remember the strength of spirit shown during the Calgary Flood? It is a province filled with strong and brave people. It consistently ranks as one of the top three provinces on education report cards for Canada, alongside BC and Ontario. It is a province with many assets and Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund is an important one, providing hope for couples needing financial assistance to proceed with health care treatment. The Current Economic Reality: This year so far has been a challenging one for the Alberta economy. There is a revenue shortage for government and it has been widely talked about. It is time for Alberta to take a close look at every dollar and decide to spend it wisely. Generations of Hope supports and wants that. Generations of Hope is committed to helping find ways to build a sustainable, equitable public program to provide some financial assistance to Albertans suffering from infertility. The Generations of Hope Fertility Assistance Fund has given over $1 million in grants to date helping over 100 Albertans create their family. 128 babies have been born, with 21 more on the way because of this assistance. That is an amazing legacy. [tweetthis]Generations of Hope has given $1 million in grants to date #abhc4ivf #abpoli[/tweetthis] Public funding for In Vitro Fertilization is Efficient: IVF is a highly successful treatment which can have success rates as high as 70 % per cycle when fresh and frozen cycles are combined. (that’s cumulative success rates.) A recent study in Melbourne indicated that IVF resulted in higher pregnancy and live birthrates and was almost five times more cost effective than intra-uterine insemination (IUI).The Royal Women’s Hospital and Melbourne IVF study put the cost per live birth at $8735 for IVF versus $42,487 for artificial insemination. [tweetthis]IVF is highly successful with success rates up to 70 % per cycle – #abhc4ivf #abpoli[/tweetthis] Children are the future for every province, even in times of economic turmoil. Children grow into smart consumers, taxpayers, caregivers, policy makers, politicians and business owners. They inherit and build the future. That’s why it’s so important to keep talking about funding IVF with single embryo transfer. IVF funding with SET builds healthy babies, healthy families and healthy futures. [tweetthis]Children are the reason it’s important 2 keep talking about IVF funding with SET #abhc4ivf #abpoli[/tweetthis] Public Funding For In Vitro Fertilization Saves Money: The 2013 Assisted Reproductive Technologies Report found that if IVF were tied to single embryo transfer savings of up to $179 million could be realized over the first 18 years of life. Shortly after 18 the child starts to contribute to the economy as a taxpayer. Why does SET and IVF funding make sense? Because when couples are forced to take on three jobs, or take out a bank loan to pay for IVF, they tend to take more risks transferring multiple embryos. Multiples come with higher risk of health complications to Mom and baby. In the end they end up costing much more to the health care system. [tweetthis]Multiples come with higher risk of health complications to Mom and baby #abhc4ivf #abpoli[/tweetthis] Family matters for every province. In Ontario the province has allocated $50 million annually to an IVF funding program being rolled out this year. The future of Alberta is partly dependent on smart allocation of resources which lead to healthier outcomes. This is what funding IVF would do. IVF funding tied to SET has been shown to be successful in multiple areas of the world from Australia to Northern Ireland, Belgium, Norway and Sweden. Poland is another example of a country that funds IVF. Public funding for in vitro fertilization is efficient because it leads to fewer multiple births in areas of the world where funding is tied to SET. Healthy babies, healthy Moms and more efficient health care spending are all the direct result of public funding for IVF. [tweetthis]IVF funding (SET) has been shown to be successful in multiple areas of the world.[/tweetthis] Family matters, on Family Day, and every day in Alberta. Family is the future. Right now Alberta needs to be smart and funding IVF is the smartest course of action moving forward. I am community manager for Generations of Hope and as such I am compensated. My opinion is all my own and it is truthful.

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IVF Funding: What’s Happening in 2015? #ohip4ivf #onpoli

Paula — Thu, 25 Dec 2014 22:16:41 +0000

Usually the holidays roll around and the season itself is cause for sadness among those who are trying to conceive, struggling with infertility. That may be the case still for some people, because infertility is emotionally, physically and financially draining, but this coming year there is good reason to hope and be optimistic and thankful too. So as we close 2014 I thought it was important to take a moment and reflect on what we have accomplished in Ontario and remind people of what’s happening with IVF funding in 2015. So here’s what we know about Ontario’s IVF funding program in 2015: 1. $50 million has been promised for an IVF funding program in Ontario. [tweetthis]$50 million promised 4 IVF program in 2015.[/tweetthis] 2. That should help an estimated 4,000 people a year. That might look like one fresh cycle and two frozen. Might. [tweetthis]The coming IVF program should help 4000 patients #ohip4ivf [/tweetthis] 3. The new program is being worked on right now and will be ready some time in 2015. 4. Doctor Marjorie Dixon has indicated that patients should not wait if they have been advised to proceed with treatment. Time is of the essence when dealing with infertility. [tweetthis]Do not delay treatment #ohip4ivf #onpoli. Time matters.[/tweetthis] 5. There are patient members on the advisory board to the government helping to decide on what the program looks like. 6. There will be eligibility criteria in place. There is almost always a cut off age in areas of the world where funding occurs presently. Criteria might be age. There might be an income test for the program. Criteria are crucial to setting up a sustainable and cost effective program. 7. Canada has come a long way in terms of funding IVF in the last two years. While Quebec recently did a review of their program, they did decide to keep the program. (It has however changed dramatically.) The fact that the program has been kept speaks to the reality that this is a very useful and successful program worth maintaining. Alberta is making progress and advocates there are hopeful. Quebec still has some funding as does New Brunswick. Manitoba has a tax credit model. 8. With Ontario’s commitment, areas of Canada that don’t offer any funding or rebates for IVF are now in the minority in Canada. We have come so far in this past year and we all deserve a pat on the back. But at the same time, the journey is never over. The most successful patient groups remain in tact and motivated. In the last couple of years I have spent a lot of time educating myself on successful patient advocacy groups. Australia’s infertility patient group is extremely successful and has been over the long term because they are always able to mobilize support when a government suggests or hints that cuts might be coming to fertility funding programs. This is the ideal way forward in my opinion. After the program itself rolls out and many have accessed and built healthy families then I believe patient advocates should remain committed and involved. If you need more reasons why IVF funding programs make sense you can read this post. I am community manager for Conceivable Dreams. I while heartedly support this cause. For more information about this program as it develops and takes shape please follow all the social channels. Conceivable Dreams is on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ohip4ivf And on Pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/ohip4ivf And, if you need support, or can offer support to someone struggling with infertility, please visit Facebook to join the group Conceivable Dreams – Ohip4ivf. https://www.facebook.com/groups/conceivabledreams/ And there is also a fan page: Conceivable Dreams

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Raise Your Voice IVF Funding Alberta Twitter Chat #abhc4ivf #abpoli

Paula — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 01:43:00 +0000

It’s time, Alberta. Wednesday night at 8 p.m. EST. It’s time to raise your voice and make some noise on twitter. It’s time to challenge our notion of a health care system that is accessible to all. It’s time to tweet and talk and write and visit and share this message with the politicians in your area – the MLAs you vote into office. It’s time to tell them healthy families matter to everyone in Alberta and IVF funding matters to Alberta. By now you have to know the facts. I talk about them often enough here in this space. Infertility impacts one in six. Infertility is a complex health condition as recognized by the World Health Organization. Infertility is crushing. Infertility is devastating emotionally and financially. IVF is often the prescribed course of action, but with a price range of $8,000 to $14,000 in Alberta (depending on whether medications are included in that total or not) the cost of this health care treatment is not a possibility for most Alberta couples. That leaves families in need of health care wondering how do I pay for in vitro fertilization (IVF). Several provinces of Canada now have funding for IVF, or a commitment to fund IVF. Quebec started funding IVF in 2010. Manitoba has had a tax credit in place for a few years. New Brunswick recently announced an IVF funding grant of up to $5,000. And most recently Ontario pledged to fund one round of IVF. That program is expected to be ready some time in 2015. Details and criteria for who qualifies for the program are currently being developed. Many areas of the world have successfully funded IVF for years. There are numerous different funding models. The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada has stated they support public funding for in vitro fertilization combined with single embryo transfer as the healthiest choice for families in Canada. But Alberta still has no program in place to help infertile people access the treatment they need to conceive. [tweetthis](The Assisted Reproductive Technologies report) shows that IVF funding coupled with SET can save up to $179 million over 18 years #abhc4ivf #abpoli [/tweetthis] In Alberta right now we are at a critical juncture for infertility advocates and public funding advocates. This fall, the province chose a new premier, Jim Prentice. A report by the University of Alberta (The Assisted Reproductive Technologies report) has been under review by the Alberta government for months now. That review is expected to be finished soon. That report found that the province of Alberta can save up to $97 million by coupling IVF funding for Alberta with single embryo transfer for those who need treatment. Want to read more: Five Reasons Why Public Funding for IVF Makes Sense for Alberta Three Things You Can Do to Help How One Person Can Make a Difference [tweetthis]The time for IVF funding for Alberta is now. #abhc4ivf #abpoli[/tweetthis] The time for IVF funding for Alberta is now. Join us on Wednesday the 8th at 8 p.m. EST to talk about the many reasons this makes sense and next steps for advocates. Don’t forget to follow twitter chat hosts and panelists. Linked Moms Inkscrblr Generations of Hope Downshiftingpro and My 3 Lil Kittens as well as MsBrookeBerry and use these hashtags: #abhc4ivf #abpoli. Retweet the hosts and any questions the hosts share. It’s time for Alberta. I am community manager for Generations of Hope and I wholeheartedly support public funding for IVF because it builds healthy families. I am also a member of the blog team for Generations of Hope and as such I am compensated. My opinion is all mine.

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Five Ways to Pass the Two Week Wait IVF #infertility

Paula — Mon, 05 May 2014 18:18:00 +0000

The two week wait. Cue ominous music. In infertility terms the two week wait is a suspenseful, frustrating, stressful time. It’s the two week wait IVF or IUI. After what is often months, and sometimes years of treatment the two week wait is one of the final hurdles and it can be a frustrating time. Here are some ideas to pass that time without going stir crazy. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock Anyone who has struggled to conceive and undergone fertility or infertility treatment such as IVF or IUI knows the torture of the two week wait. The two week wait IVF is bad enough without adding the stressful factors of infertility. Financial strain, time off work for doctor’s appointments, potential lack of support from family members and employers, makes infertility treatment draining. When you are trying to conceive and fertility treatment is in full swing, the two week wait is essentially the period of time that is between the treatment (in vitro fertilization – IVF or intra-uterine insemination – IUI) and the precious moment you can take the pregnancy test. Why do you wait? Well, one of the hormones taken during IVF is hcG, the same hormone home pregnancy tests detect to measure whether you are pregnant or not. So inaccurate tests results are common when you take your pregnancy test too soon. Like the song says the waiting is the hardest part. During the two week wait it’s completely common to overanalyze each twinge, cramp or slight symptom happening in your body. So how can you fill the two week wait without coming completely unglued? Five Ways to Pass the Two Week Wait. 1. Yoga: Yoga is a calming activity that helps keep both mind and body strong and centred. There are many useful reasons for yoga and even specific yoga for fertility sessions you can join. But you don’t have to go crazy. A routine of using the mind body breathing techniques incorporated into yoga practice can help many people with many different health care situations. 2. Meditation: Meditation is the practice of calming your mind and centring your energy. Sometimes it involves focussing on a word or picture to calm the outside world and soothe mind and body. This is a great way to positively change anxious thoughts and slow worry down. 3. Journalling: Put your thoughts on paper. I kept busy working while I was undergoing infertility treatment (that’s my go to default cycle when I am stressed and I am sure that probably didn’t help my infertility treatment.) Those who know me also know we ended up choosing adoption to create our family. When I was waiting to adopt I journal led and then passed the book on to my daughter to let her know how much she was wanted. She hasn’t read it yet but I know she will one day. Plus it helped me take my mind off waiting to be a family. [tweetthis]How did you pass the two week wait? #IVF #infertility [/tweetthis] 4. Go outside and restore. Fresh air does a body good. Or you could schedule a low key movie night with your partner or, on your own if you are single. Go easy on yourself right now. A purely escapist entertaining movie might be just the ticket to help. 5. Reading: Take a book that is fiction or something totally removed from infertility and parenting and health fields. Then escape into it and free your body to do what it needs to do while your mind is otherwise occupied. See also Five Free Infertility Apps. and Five Reasons why Public Funding for IVF Makes Sense.

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IVF Funding Ontario Could Have Made a Difference to This One Family’s Journey #OHIP4IVF #Onpoli

Paula — Sun, 20 Jan 2013 14:19:00 +0000

With thanks to Kerri-Lyn Cuppage for her family photo. It is a given this time of year when temperatures dip and families begin the process of nesting through the winter, when holidays are pending and the year winds slowly to a close, that we all take stock of our blessings, our gifts, challenges and triumphs. For families whose children came to them either through adoption or in vitro fertilization, whose start was rooted in the sad realization of infertility, then compounded by medical issues and potential financial difficulties the blessings are magnified. But the challenges are not to be forgotten. What if it cost you $10,000 to build your family? Or $50,000? Such a great expense to start what many take for granted, what comes easily for some. Would your family support you? Would you tell them? Would they, sometimes closing in on retirement themselves, gift their money to you so that you can have a baby through IVF? Would your dream come true? At what cost? Kerri-Lyn Cuppage of Orangeville is a Mom to a growing, busy, healthy 16-month-old girl. Her story is pretty typical of the many I have heard over the last few months interviewing and meeting families struggling with infertility. Like each of the families who succeeded through IVF, they are overjoyed just to have the gift of a child and yet the journey was difficult and the financial costs were staggering. Many, like Cuppage, continue fighting for others who wait, who battle insurance companies, employers and the public health system just to become a family. Cuppage supports grassroots organizations like Conceivable Dreams, the #OHIP4IVF campaign to challenge OHIP to reinstate coverage for IVF and encourage private employers also to support all families no matter how they are made. She believes everyone should have the same chance to build family. IVF Funding Ontario would help families struggling with infertility. Cuppage and her husband began trying to conceive when she was 34. For several years their infertility went unexplained and even after diagnosis there was no clear indicator of why she couldn’t conceive. It was a potential egg quality issue but never really 100 % clear.”For so long my goal was to become pregnant.” Five IVF attempts and $50,000 later their beautiful baby girl was born. “At the beginning we had $2.100 coverage for drugs only.” But that was used up quickly. “We are in debt like most people who do this. We did a few little fundraisers along the way. I made bracelets. Every couple hundred dollars mattered. We put everything on the credit cards.” One year for Christmas they asked their friends to forego Christmas presents in favour of Visa gift cards they could apply to the cost of IVF. “Family support was amazing.” At $7,000 – $10,000 a cycle, the costs add up fast and many couples choose to transfer multiple embryos rather than a single embryo. As a result the rate of multiple births in Ontario is 28%, much higher than in other jurisdictions. Multiples are 17 times more likely to be born pre-term, to require caesarean delivery and require expensive medical care throughout their lives. [tweetthis]Multiples are 17 times more likely to be born pre-term, to require caesarean delivery and require expensive medical care throughout their lives. #ohip4ivf #onpoli [/tweetthis] Three quarters of Ontarians support a policy of funding IVF similar to Quebec’s. In Quebec funding for IVF has been in place for two years now. The public funding there permits three rounds of IVF and has already shown system savings in maternal health care areas and the area of medically challenging multiple births. The savings are estimated to be in the millions fast. As well, in Quebec, public funding means that couples are not discriminated against because of their income. The official name of the Quebec program is the Quebec Program of Assisted Procreation. It is the first of its kind in North America. Right now several other provinces including Ontario are paying close attention to Quebec’s results. As it is right now, many couples who struggle to conceive and take out a second mortgage just to afford IVF end up transferring multiple embryos, in the efforts to increase their odds and maximize chances. But that has also led to an increase in risky multiple births. In Quebec, since the program started the results have been dramatic. The public program permits a single embryo transfer and three rounds of in vitro fertilization are funded. Although, it is still early Quebec which had a 30.9 % rate of multiple births in 2009 has since decreased that number to 7.9 %. That is a more dramatic difference than any of the other global jurisdictions that fund IVF, including Sweden, Belgium and Denmark. [tweetthis]Many jurisdictions fund IVF such as Denmark and Australia #ohip4ivf #onpoli[/tweetthis] An analysis by health economist Lindy Forte estimates costs savings around $282 million during the first five years of the program. The area most profoundly impacted will be neonatal care. A Swiss economist Mark Connolly has been a bit more conservative in estimates. In the end $50,000 was worth it according to Cuppage, but it also shouldn’t be so hard to build healthy families in the province of Ontario or Alberta or any other province in a country with public health care funding. The entire pregnancy went well for Cuppage but she spotted through the first trimester and she was more anxious than someone for whom pregnancy came fast. “Every week was like well if she makes it now then there’s a 30 % chance she’ll be okay.” Cuppage found support through the on line forum IVF.ca. There she learned everyone felt the same. Everyone who conceived after a battle with infertility and miscarriage, found they were worried through much of their pregnancy. Not only that but Cuppage felt extremely conscious of how other’s reacted to her also. Their infertility struggle mattered to family and friends and impacted everyone. Cuppage knew friends who became pregnant easily during that time and she felt they were often so sensitive to her feelings they held back a lot of their own joy. “It changed a lot of people around me as well.” The last 16 months have been filled with moments of magic and happiness beyond measure for Cuppage. Cuppage was a buyer in the electronics industry and her husband is a gas technician. She has since earned her real estate license. “I am conscious every day that life with her is a blessing.” If you are struggling with infertility, or know someone who is please join us in our campaign to build healthy families in Ontario http://www.twitter.com/ohip4ivf/ or ask to join the group page. Conceivable Dreams is a group advocating for public funding for in vitro fertilization (IVF funding Ontario), and seeking to create awareness of infertility issues. https://www.facebook.com/groups/conceivabledreams I am a valued member of the Conceivable Dreams blog team and community manager as well. I fully support this initiative to restore public funding for IVF in Ontario. I support the recommendations originally contained in the Expert Panel’s Report on Infertility and Adoption. Related articles across the web Legal Aspects of Frozen Embryo Adoption Planning for maternity leave Tip for Traveling During the Second Trimester Tax Deductible Pregnancy Medical Expenses I Am More Then 1 in 6

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