IVF Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

9 IVF Facts You May Not Know

Paula — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 12:23:28 +0000

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 interesting little knowledge nuggets that I found while reading. I thought they were interesting, so I’ve put them all together here just so everyone can learn a little more about IVF. This year on July 25, 2018 Louise Brown turns 40. That’s 40 years of successful IVF treatments globally. AMAZING!! IVF Stands For… Okay, this is an easy one, but not everyone knows it. And what better way to start out the trivia than with what IVF stands for – In Vitro Fertilization. This means the egg is fertilized outside of mom’s body and then reintroduced to the womb. Infertility Isn’t Uncommon Although it can feel like you’re alone, you’re not. 12% of the world’s population suffers from infertility. In Canada statistics are often quoted as 1 in 6 couples. In the USA 1 in 8 couples of childbearing age struggle with infertility. To read more about Infertility check out any of my 9 Things We Want You To Know About Infertility post. Acupuncture Helps with IVF Specialized acupuncture used before, during, and after IVF cycles has been shown to increase IVF success rate. The Age of the Eggs is What Counts Often the general public with limited infertility experience and knowledge might think infertility is related to age. Women waited too long to have babies. We’ve heard all of that before. It’s not technically Mom’s age, but the age of Mom’s eggs that matters. Egg Health is a big factor impacting rates of conception. A woman in her 40’s who uses the donated egg from a woman in her 20’s will have a much higher success rate of getting pregnant. More Sleep Equals Higher Success Rates Studies have shown that getting a good night’s sleep increases the success rate of IVF. Too little OR too much sleep reduces your odds. IVF Rarely Produces Quadruplets or Higher A common misconception in IVF facts is that it can produce a high likelihood of multiples. Actually, the likelihood of twins is the only one that increases. Triplets, quads, and other high multiple pregnancies are usually the product of a completely different procedure (IUI or fertility medications). WHEN IVF is coupled with a single embryo transfer policy the success rates for a health viable pregnancy and healthy baby are high and the process is fairly controlled. Not All Eggs are Good Eggs Just like with unassisted pregnancy, not all eggs will be good candidates for insemination. Out of the 10 to 20 eggs harvested, only a few may be viable for IVF. This may sound frustrating, but the same can be said for natural conception. The percentages are higher with IVF. Other Countries Could Learn from Australia Australians struggling with infertility have an easier time with IVF treatments. Australian Medicare and their Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme subsidize IVF cycles. Australia has been supportive of IVF process for many years now. In Ontario, we have the Ontario Fertility Program which helps people become parents by financially alleviating the stress of the first cycle. The Proper Term is NOT Test Tube Baby You’ve all heard someone use the term TEST TUBE BABY. It’s actually offensive to infertile people and it’s inaccurate as well. Babies aren’t conceived in test tubes. With IVF, sperm and egg are introduced in a Petri dish and then left to do their natural job of creating an embryo. A healthy embryo is then transferred into the uterus. Louise Brown was the first IVF baby for her parents and for the world. Four years later, her parents used IVF to conceive her baby sister. Interesting IVF Facts for a Ground-breaking Subject I’ve always found the idea of IVF fascinating. Many of my friends have been through the treatment and successfully built their families in the last 40 years. Having the technological and medical skills to fertilize an egg and transfer an embryo, which will one day become a human, is amazing. I hope you found these IVF facts fun and interesting. This procedure changes lives for the better and really is a miraculous advancement. This post contains affiliate links as a service to my readers. I receive a small commission from purchases made via these links at no extra cost to you. Thank you for reading.

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Five Reasons IVF Funding Matters to BC #IVF4BC

Paula — Wed, 28 Dec 2016 14:02:22 +0000

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 BC: The Savings: IVF Funding Programs Save Money. (see point five for more on that) Why? Because when couples spend thousands of dollars on IVF treatment, they often transfer multiple embryos thinking they will maximize their chances. That approach often leads to multiples. While twins and triplets are adorable, they are often born pre-term and spend time in costly NICU. Multiples come with higher risk of health complications to Mom and baby. Multiple births cost much more to the health care system than healthy single births do. Successful funding programs, like the one in Ontario, mandate SET (single embryo transfer) which helps to save health care money and assets. Maternal Health Outcome: IVF Funding Coupled with single embryo transfer policy is Best for Maternal Health and child health as well. Multiple pregnancy is the most powerful predictive factor for adverse maternal, obstetrical, and perinatal outcomes. Single embryo transfer provides better outcomes. One healthy singleton birth is much less taxing on mother and the health care system. Smart Policy: The BC economy is in good shape. This is a smart health policy initiative to invest in. Provinces that invest in families creating good health policy now, build healthier futures for everyone. In fact, healthy children become taxpayers and politicians, parents, doctors, and teachers too. Accessibility: It’s 2017 and four provinces have some level of funding in Canada. Quebec offers some financial support through its continued fertility drug coverage, and sliding scale tax credit for expenses related to IVF, which is based on income level. Alberta and BC have no coverage, despite advocates striving for support there for many years. Manitoba has a tax credit and New Brunswick has an IVF grant up to $5,000. Proven Success: IVF is a highly successful treatment with success rates as high as 70 % per cycle when fresh and frozen cycles are combined. ( cumulative success rates.) A Melbourne study 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. IVF Funding Programs Save Money The World Health Organization recognizes infertility as a complex health care issue. Four Canadian provinces know infertility patients need access to the right treatment at the right time. IVF funding programs save money while creating healthier moms and babies. It’s time BC also understood and implemented an IVF funding program. [tweetthis]It’s 2017 and it’s time BC had accessible fertility treatment for patients in need #IVF4BC #BCPOLI[/tweetthis] I am working with BC patient advocates to share their stories, and as such I am compensated. My opinion is my own and it is also truthful.

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The EEVA Test – Boost Your Chance of IVF Success #EEVACAN

Paula — Wed, 29 Jun 2016 14:09:39 +0000

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 where the EEVA test comes into play. EEVA TEST What is the EEVA test and should I do it? EEVA stands for Early Embryonic Viability Assessment. It helps your clinician and fertility team consistently pick the best quality embryo for transfer. That can help increase your confidence and give you a bit of control over the infertility process. EEVA can boost your chances of success. EEVA is a test that carries an extra fee. There are benefits and risks associated with the Eeva Test. EEVA test has been cleared by the FDA for use in the United States to aid in embryo selection. To date thousands of women in Europe, Canada and the US have chosen to include the Eeva Test in their IVF cycles. Basically EEVA uses time lapse video to determine which embryo is the best quality. Genesis Fertility Centre in BC was the first clinic in Canada, to offer patients the Early Embryo Viability Assessment (Eeva), cutting-edge technology that helps people trying to conceive. Genesis is also the first commercial clinic in North America to offer EEVA. Now there are many other clinics in Canada and the US that have the EEVA test. Recent tests show that using EEVA test in addition to standard lab practices increase chance of success by up to 10 %. One study demonstrated that EEVA test together with traditional methods increase chances of forming a blastocyst, an important developmental milestone, by 53 %. ASK your clinic if they have EEVA. This is a sponsored post and as such I have been compensated. My opinion is 100% truthful.

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Best Provinces For Fertility Treatment #CIAW #IVF4ON

Paula — Thu, 12 May 2016 12:22:39 +0000

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 patients. In Canada 1 in 6 people of reproductive age struggle with infertility. Are clinics accessible in each province? Are there any clinics in certain provinces? Is fertility treatment accessible or affordable in each province? That remains an important question for each province. Fertility Treatment by Province Consider this a bit of a state of the country infographic. Ontario comes out on top for a few reasons. Ontario has now got one fully funded cycle of IVF for patients that need IVF. Ontario also is the province with the largest number of fertility clinics. Why does that matter? Because if you are a patient living in London, Ontario then you have a couple of clinics to choose from right in your city whereas if you live in Alberta there are far fewer options and you are likely to have to travel to get any fertility treatment necessary. People in rural and urban areas both have access to treatment in this province. Quebec still has some coverage. They were once the envy of the country and sadly that’s no longer the case. Now Ontario has overtaken that position. While Quebec was once the leader in Canada in its support of infertile patients, it dropped behind Ontario since it stopped fully funding IVF in late 2015. However, the province still offers some financial support through its continued fertility drug coverage, and newly-implemented sliding scale tax credit for expenses related to IVF, which is based on income level. Alberta and BC have no coverage despite advocates and patient groups striving for support there for many years. Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland both have no clinics and no coverage. That’s the worst case scenario for fertility treatment and infertility patients in those provinces. Hence why they came in dead last in this infographic. Manitoba has a tax credit that is accessible and New Brunswick has an IVF grant up to $5,000. [tweetthis]Ontario also is the province with the largest number of fertility clinics. #IVF4ON[/tweetthis] Canadian Infertility Awareness Week was started in 2007 by the Infertility Awareness Association of Canada to raise awareness and hope for Canadians struggling with infertility. This year, the initiative runs from May 12-20, 2016. [tweetthis]Ontario is the best province to live in if you need fertility treatment #IVF4ON #CIAW[/tweetthis] In 2012, the most recent year for which statistics are available, a total of 27,356 cycles was reported at Canada’s 32 IVF centres. These cycles resulted in 5971 live births. (CFAS web site) People can visit conceivabledreams.org for more information or contact their local fertility clinic. I am community manager for Conceivable Dreams and as such I am compensated. My opinion is all my own and it is also 100 % truthful. I often write about fertility and infertility matters.

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Why Chrissy Teigen’s Gender Selection Choice is None of Your Business

Paula — Wed, 09 Mar 2016 14:34:22 +0000

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. Why Do I Care? 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 musician. Doesn’t that make her a target? I am not here to say heck yes go ahead and choose your baby gender, or wag my finger to tell you that’s the worst thing ever. In fact, I don’t have the first insight into a super model’s lifestyle. I don’t have a window into her home, or her heart, at all. On Infertility But I know a thing or two about infertility. I know Chrissy Teigen is 30 and she’s been through infertility. That in itself is a vile insult to any human being. From where I sit in my 40s, 30 is still a young woman. It’s me 15 years ago. Member of a sad secret club where your period, that thing you prayed you’d get when you were 13 so that your friends would stop asking and you wouldn’t be the last one, is now the enemy. Because it keeps on showing up month after month of trying. Nobody Chooses Infertility I know she didn’t choose that club. Nobody chooses infertility. The meetings are typically restricted to one, or two at most, held behind a closed bathroom door where everyone sits crying. I’ll just bet she did that too. It doesn’t matter that those doors were luxury resort rooms, where she was staying while doing Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model catalogue shoot, or bathrooms with marble floors, it still sucks and it’s cold and lonely in there. Some will emerge from this awful sorority as parents, by adoption, by IVF, occasionally by nature (although not nearly as often as media and TV would have you believe). Others may find surrogates, donor eggs, donor embryos. And some will never leave the club. They might conceive and have hopes dashed 2, 3, 7 times over as they miscarry sometimes again and again. Hollowed out emotionally, wrung out financially. Devastated can’t begin to come close to how that feels. It is a lifetime of remembering each loss, a kick in the stomach as every date passes. This is what would have been my due date. This is the date that might have been her first birthday. And this one and so forth. It is numbers and dates and sometimes monthly reminders of what you spent trying to get there. A Different Language Infertility is speaking a different language – TTC and BFP and TWW – it’s code and science and money and tears and doctors, scrapes and prods and biopsies sometimes and transfers. It’s red, tired eyes and buying vats of VISINE and sunglasses to cover the swelling. It’s sore hips, swollen stomach and often weight gain. It’s depression and anxiety and worry and all of the emotions minus the happy. I don’t know her at all…. but there are a few more things I know. When It’s Everyone But You I know that dozens of my friends have walked that path, first spending months, and often years trying first excitedly, then perfunctorily and then as if having sex is a job to be timed and scheduled, charted and managed. Hoping each month that something will click, followed by the gut wrenching devastation of watching each month when your period shows up again. It’s invitations to the baby showers of all your university and college friends. Your sister, your brother, the neighbour down the street..everyone but you… having their turn at pregnancy. It’s all those sweet smelling new babies you can barely bring yourself to hold for fear you might not ever let go of someone else’s baby. Fear you might just let your heart love the feeling of cradling a baby right in the crook of your elbow football style a little too much. Fear you might break. I know there are many voices in the on line community right now and some are saying She Makes Me Sick because she has all the money in the world and she chose a girl embryo. And she gets to make a gender selection. And she can afford the fertility treatment easily. Like it’s just an every day thing. I used to think Oh but I just want a baby. Gender doesn’t matter one tiny bit. I just, we just, want a baby. One baby. I used to flinch when I read those kinds of stories about gender selection – of people choosing baby girls or baby boys. But now I think I understand a piece of that on a very different level. Infertility Robs You Pretend that you always took for granted you would be able to have a baby one day. You had the life plan, the pretty picture all in your head. Maybe you never said it out loud, but it was there. You had these little life goalposts hidden somewhere in your brain or your heart. By 2001, I’ll have a life partner, and by 2002 we’ll have our house and then 2 years later we’ll have a baby. And then 2 years later we’ll have another one and hopefully two years after that baby number three and then our family will be complete. Infertility takes all that away. It rips choice in to pieces. It wrestles control completely out of your hands. Sometimes it chews through relationships and nearly ruins you. Instead you stood in bathrooms crying. You, or your partner shot your body full of injections hoping you’d produce enough eggs. You skulked out of work for the morning appointments hoping nobody asked you why? Or called into question your work ethics. Maybe you scrimped and saved for treatment in the first place. You kept all that to yourself and felt like you had the biggest saddest secret on earth. So, you carried that around instead of carrying the baby that you fought so hard to have. Maybe you wanted three. I wanted three. You Have No Control After nine years one precious girl finally arrived. I didn’t choose a girl. I was matched with one and was thrilled by that. While I might not walk in a celebrity like Chrissy Teigen’s footsteps, I understand, this. There isn’t the slightest element of control or choice or free will over anything about this scary miserable infertility journey so how could anyone fault someone for wanting to be able to take back a tiny piece of control over the process of family making? Unless you went through infertility, don’t pretend to understand and shoot off your twitter handle about whether she did the right thing or not.

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Ontario’s IVF Funding Program Makes a Merry Christmas for Infertility Patients #IVF4ON

Paula — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 02:56:17 +0000

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 cost of infertility treatment. Ontario will now fund IVF and artificial insemination for couples and individuals who need help to conceive. That’s powerful news for the thousands of infertility patients in Ontario. It brings hope to other provinces throughout Canada watching this groundbreaking program to see how it evolves. The Ontario government announced several months ago that they would find IVF and unlimited rounds of artificial insemination. They will not discriminate according to sexual orientation, gender discrimination or family status. In London two clinics will offer IVF funding. In 2014 IVF funding was promised in the provincial budget. A few key facts: This is expected to help 5,000 patients a year. Women under 43 are eligible. There are 50 clinics that are able to offer a funded IVF round. The province will fund one cycle of in vitro per patient per lifetime for eligible people. 1 in 6 Canadian couples suffer from infertility. Not everyone with infertility requires IVF. Each IVF (in-vitro fertilization) treatment costs an average of $12,000 per cycle. In the last decade, the national birth rate has declined 25%. For more information you can read this post about the clinics offering funded treatment. Happy Holidays to all the infertility advocates who helped make this happen and to the MPPs who supported creating an IVF funding program in Ontario. Related articles across the web First ‘Test-Tube’ Puppies Born, Researchers Report Ontario doctors turn to lottery to meet rising demand for IVF Legal Aspects of Frozen Embryo Adoption

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History is Made For Ontario Infertility Patients With IVF Funding Program #IVF4ON

Paula — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 23:27:23 +0000

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

Paula — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 22:09:58 +0000

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 new government this year under the NDP party headed by Rachel Notley is currently undergoing pre-budget consultations. SO, the time is right for advocates to speak up, tell their stories and help politicians understand IVF math. 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 ( single embryo transfer) 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 cost much more to the health care system. [tweetthis]Alberta can’t afford the status quo. IVF funding is necessary to save health care dollars #abhc4ivf #abpoli [/tweetthis] Here’s How You Can Help: Share this post. Share this infographic and talk to your MLA about why Alberta can’t afford to wait to fund IVF. Ontario is currently building an IVF funding program expected to be ready to announce any time now. It was promised for 2015 and the Ontario government is making good on that promise. Right now, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick all have a commitment to fund, or a funding program of some sort in place to help infertility patients access vital health care treatment to help them conceive. In Manitoba that’s a tax credit. In New Brunswick it’s a grant. It’s time Alberta had an IVF funding program too. It makes economic sense. Alberta can’t afford the status quo. 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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Advocacy Goals After the 2015 IVF Funding Program is in Ontario #ohip4ivf #onpoli

Paula — Sat, 13 Jun 2015 01:40:28 +0000

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

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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