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Dr. Adrian Gamelin was interviewed by Global Regina in a story on Fertility Funding.

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REGINA – Rod and Jayleene Sully have been married for nine years, and have decided it’s time to add a child to their family photos.

“We started trying and ran into some problems,” said Jayleene.

The couple consulted a fertility specialist and were told they were unlikely to conceive without help – either from a sperm donor or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

The Sullys prefer not to go with a donor, but IVF is a pricey procedure – costing upwards of $10,000.

“We had hope, (thinking) ‘Maybe we can do this,’” Jayleene said. “Then we found out the cost and said, ‘I don’t think we can afford that.’”

Depending on the province, some in vitro treatments are paid for by health care. In Saskatchewan coverage is only provided for infertility investigation, including sperm testing.

Infertility Saskatchewan – an advocacy group pushing for public funding of infertility treatments – wants to change that, citing a new report from the University of Alberta.

It says funding some forms of IVF could actually be more cost effective for the health system.

“We can try and reduce the financial barriers so couples are more inclined to transfer a single embryo during their fertility treatments, there will be fewer multiple pregnancies,” said Dr. Adrian Gamelin of Saskatoon’s Aurora Reproductive Care – the province’s only fertility clinic. “Therefore, the government will actually save money.”

While treatment is on the rise, doctors say, too often infertility isn’t recognized as a health issue.

“Infertility is a medical condition,” Gamelin said. “It’s not a choice any couple would make not to be able to have children.”

Rod and Jayleene don’t believe IVF funding will arrive in time for them, but they’re not done trying – to conceive and to effect change.

“Anything we can do, so that someone doesn’t have to say ‘no’ to a family because they can’t afford it.”

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You can view the VIDEO on Global website by clicking here

We are pleased to share that we are now accredited as a Non-Hospital Surgical Facility (NHSF) by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Saskatchewan. This is an extensive process that requires facilities like ours to review all aspects of the care they provide, with an emphasis on patient safety and high quality care.

The preparation leading up to our on-site inspection in June required a huge effort by the Aurora team. We would also like to thank the College of Physicians and Surgeons and the Saskatchewan Medical Association for their assistance and support over the last several months as our hopes and vision for fertility care in Saskatchewan came to life. It is a pleasure to work with these groups who are truly dedicated to improving medical care in our province.

SASKATOON – Nearly half of all infertility cases involve men, yet it’s often perceived as a woman’s issue according to local patient advocacy groups.

“I think that women are maybe more comfortable discussing issues like this with their physicians, they’re more likely to be seeing their physicians on a regular basis,” said Dr. Allison Case, Aurora Reproductive Care co-director.

Anna Baker experienced infertility five years ago and had to seek treatment.

“I felt so alone. I felt like nobody understood this. I didn’t have anybody to talk to,” she said.

Baker started the Regina Infertility Support Group and sees firsthand how men often deal with the challenges of infertility.

“Men and women do tend to cope differently, mostly it has been women who come to the group, it seems to be women who want to reach out and talk.”

Case said men often suffer in silence and are reluctant to seek treatment.

“There may be some embarrassment, about providing semen samples for investigation and other issues such as that,” said Case.

Patient Advocacy Group ‘Infertility Saskatchewan’ said advances in treatment mean 99 per cent of male factor cases are treatable.

“All around education is very important, so education of the community, and of patients, but also of physicians,” said Case.

Dr. Adrian Gamelin with Aurora Reproductive Care said it’s important for physicians to tell patients about what can cause infertility.

“Smoking can reduce the likelihood of getting pregnant with fertility treatment by up to 50 per cent,” said Gamelin.

She also said age can be a factor.

Local doctors said infertility used to be a much bigger challenge but modern technology has now given hope to anyone struggling to conceive.

By Amber Rockliffe, Global News

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