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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

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.

“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

GLOBAL_JUN162013

We began considering the possibility of a new reproductive care facility in the fall of 2011. We recognized that we weren’t effectively meeting the needs of our patients, and the increasing demand for infertility care in our province. We were just as concerned as our patients and medical colleagues about the long wait times for consultation and treatment.  After considering many options, it became clear what we needed to do.

Our goal from the start has been to do better for our patients: to provide a better patient experience, regardless of the outcome of treatment, more timely care, in a more patient-friendly setting. We have focused on the patient care experience at Aurora, emphasizing comfort, privacy and efficiency. Our brand new lab is state-of-the-art in both design and function, with an eventual capacity almost 3 times greater than our previous lab.

We have always prided ourselves on our individualized approach to patient care, and this philosophy will follow us to Aurora. You will see some familiar faces at Aurora – a group of exceptionally committed staff who share our passion for the work that we do everyday. We have also been approached by many other individuals who are eager to be part of Aurora, and who will bring new ideas, energy and skills to our growing team.

A project like this is not an easy endeavour. We have had many challenges and roadblocks to overcome. With every setback however, we were able to take a bigger step forward, and it has been very exciting and rewarding to see our vision take shape. We would like to thank the many individuals whose knowledge, skills and expertise have made valuable contributions to this project. We are looking forward to continuing to care for our current patients in our new facility, and to welcoming many more new ones. We are thrilled that Aurora Reproductive Care is about to open its doors!

So here we are ready to open our doors and we are so excited to welcome you to Aurora. First of all, we are thrilled about the clinic that we designed. It is located on the lovely South Saskatchewan River. We put a lot of thought into creating an environment that is warm, comfortable and efficient. It also has the space and flow to allow us to see more patients, and this means shorter wait lists. We know that after months or years of waiting to get pregnant, the last thing you want to hear is that you have to wait to see the specialist.

One of the most important parts of a fertility clinic is behind the scenes. The laboratory at Aurora is state-of-the-art, and was designed by scientists at the forefront of the field. This is so important because this is where the miracles happen!

And let’s not forget the team. We are so happy that some of our dedicated team chose to join us from our previous practice. We can’t emphasize how valuable their experience, compassion and commitment is to the care we provide at Aurora. And we are also welcoming some new team members who will shake us up and challenge us to push our boundaries and solve problems in new ways.

So here we are!  And we are ready to welcome you to Aurora! You’ve come to the right place.