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9 IVF Facts You May Not Know
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of Louise Brown, the world’s first IVF baby. Since then, many people have built families via IVF, but Louise Brown will always be the most celebrated IVF baby ever. To mark this special occasion, I’ve put together 9 IVF facts that you might not know just to have a little fun. Whether you are an IVF baby yourself, or have been through the process, you can learn something here. IVF is an incredible advancement of reproductive technology and the procedure has changed so many lives in the last 40 years. Read on for more. IVF Facts Trivia These facts and tidbits are…
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Five Reasons IVF Funding Matters to BC #IVF4BC
It’s time for BC infertility patients to have accessible, affordable fertility treatment. What does that look like? Well, an IVF funding program can take many forms. A tax credit, a full round of funding, or a grant. In fact there are numerous different IVF funding models in place in four Canadian provinces. But BC infertility patients currently have no IVF funding program. That means BC infertility patients are worse off than many others living in Manitoba, Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick. There are currently four provinces in Canada that offer a fertility funding program for infertility patients. But, BC sadly is not one of those. Here are five reasons why IVF Funding Matters to…
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The EEVA Test – Boost Your Chance of IVF Success #EEVACAN
Many times over the past four years I have written about infertility and the emotional and financial cost of treatment. While some infertility patients get pregnant with drug treatment alone, there are also times when in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the prescribed course of action. Where in vitro fertilization is medically prescribed, there is often a great financial cost involved. Couples have sometimes been through the ringer emotionally and had to save thousands of dollars for a chance at doing a round of in vitro fertilization. Even if they manage to save the amount necessary and wade through all of the emotions involved, IVF, while extremely efficient, is not a guarantee of success. That’s…
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Best Provinces For Fertility Treatment #CIAW #IVF4ON
Canadian Infertility Awareness Week is upon us again and infertility advocates have accomplished a great deal this year. Funding is in place and many Ontario infertility patients are now accessing their funded round of IVF treatment. That’s a huge success for Ontario patients and advocates and frankly it saves money and helps to create healthier families. Over 50 different clinics across the province now offer government funded fertility treatments.We are already seeing the first pregnancies as a result of the Ontario IVF (in vitro fertilization) funding program. Conceivable Dreams patient group thought it would be worthwhile this year to take a look at what other provinces are doing and not doing to support infertility…
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Why Chrissy Teigen’s Gender Selection Choice is None of Your Business
Chrissy Teigen has been in the news a lot this past week for telling the world she had a girl embryo transferred after her infertility struggle and her in vitro fertilization treatment. Shortly after she made that seemingly off the cuff statement about her gender selection choice, the conversation deteriorated rapidly on line into something that bordered on bullying and was anything but supportive of someone’s infertility journey. That left me feeling a bit sick. You are maybe wondering why I should care. I don’t know Chrissy Teigen. I am not her cheering section, her publicist, her BAE, or her long lost cousin. She’s a celebrity after all, married to a famous…
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Ontario’s IVF Funding Program Makes a Merry Christmas for Infertility Patients #IVF4ON
Ontario’s IVF Funding Program It’s a hopeful and Merry Christmas for Ontario infertility patients. Ontario’s promise to create an IVF funding program became reality this week with the announcement that 50 clinics throughout Ontario will now be offering a funded IVF (in vitro fertilization) cycle. That’s a Happy Holiday announcement for the many infertility patients in Ontario who have been struggling to access affordable infertility treatment necessary to help them start a family. It’s been several long years since a group of Ontario infertility patients, called Conceivable Dreams, started advocating for reinstatement of IVF funding. With Ontario’s IVF funding program there are now four provinces that offer some contribution to the…
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History is Made For Ontario Infertility Patients With IVF Funding Program #IVF4ON
This week was a truly active and historic occasion in the fertility world throughout Canada. There were many changes, conferences and much news as well. But nothing captured the headlines and the hearts of readers like the announcement of an IVF funding program in Ontario. [View the story “Ontario Infertility Patients Celebrate Wynne Government IVF Funding Program Announcement #IVF4ON #onpoli” on Storify]
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IVF Math in Alberta – How Does IVF Funding in Alberta Save Money? #abhc4ivf #abpoli
IVF Math really isn’t that complicated. Areas of the world that fund in vitro fertilization, with a stipulation of single embryo transfer, save money. The above IVF funding in Alberta infographic breaks it down. In 2013 the Government of Alberta commissioned a report done by the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health to review the province’s approach to IVF. That report indicated the province could save as much as $179 million over the course of 18 years if single embryo transfer were publicly funded and IVF regulated. Alberta, like much of the rest of the country, is forced to make some serious smart economic decisions for the future. A…
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Advocacy Goals After the 2015 IVF Funding Program is in Ontario #ohip4ivf #onpoli
This week we had a Linked Moms conversation with patient group Conceivable Dreams about advocacy and the shape that can take after a major goal has been reached. With a 2015 IVF funding program on the way by end of year it’s important that patient advocates continue to brainstorm what their advocacy looks like after the program is in place. This is what that conversation looked like: [View the story “Thoughts From Conceivable Dreams Infertility Patient Advocates in Ontario AFTER The #ohip4ivf Program Arrives #onpoli” on Storify]
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What’s Next for Infertility Patients in Ontario? #ohip4ivf #onpoli Twitter Chat Live June 10 at 8 p.m. EST
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…