My 13 month old son was conceived through IVF. We tried for years to have a baby naturally but just weren't able to. I didn't want to adopt. For whatever reason I felt like I wanted to go the IVF route and so did my wife. We may have looked at adoption if IVF failed but we were hoping to have our own little baby. Calgary is lucky in that the fertility clinic here has the highest success rates in the country (50% give or take). Unfortunately that also means long waiting lists as people come from all over to be treated here. By the end we were lucky. My wife was pregnant on the first try!
We spent close to $20,000 over the course of the year but the money doesn't matter. I can't think of one couple who has had children through IVF that complain about the cost. It is a lot of money but at the same time it isn't because most of us would have spent whatever it took, especially now that we see the gift that we received. If you really understand what it feels like to desperately want a child of your own and to be helpless to make that happen - then the money means nothing in the end.
Having said that, I know some childless couples who didn't have the same opportunity because of the costs involved. These are people who I know would have been great parents and that is sad. For ourselves, we took one more run at it a few months ago and failed. I guess that is the 50% success rate rearing its ugly head. I hate to keep bringing the cost into it but if it seems expensive to get IVF and be blessed enough to produce a child than imagine how expensive it seems when you spend the money and come away with nothing. We aren't sure if we will try again but if I had to guess I'd say we will.
Do I think AHC should fund IVF (and other fertility treatments)? I don't know. What I do know is it would change a lot of lives for the better and would enable a lot of children to be born to parents who would do anything to ensure the kid had a great life.
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