Fertility Friends Foundation is a Canadian registered charity that offers grants to cover expenses associated with assisted reproduction such as IVF, egg and sperm donation and gestational surrogacy.
The challenges faced with fertility struggles encompass more than the physical and psychological stresses, it includes the financial costs of fertility treatments–which for good reason can be daunting.
As Dr. Chloe Roumain of Tripod Fertility, and founder and president of Fertility Friends Foundation, shares, “The cost of fertility treatments is one of the main reasons why patients will not continue their fertility journey.” In regards to how many families they see at their clinic who cannot afford the treatments they need, “A lot… in my mind, no one should give up building a family for financial reasons”, she shares.
Currently, 7 of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories provide various unequal forms of financial help for people needing treatment for infertility:
British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and the territories – where 29% of our country’s residents live – do not cover the cost of procedures like IVF or IUI.
The Costs of Fertility Treatments
The cost of fertility treatments can vary immensely. Each conception journey is unique and the cost associated will depend on many factors such as whether you are using you/your partner's own eggs, sperm, how many IVF/IUI cycles you might need and what types of medication is needed based on these different scenarios.
Thus, it is hard to nail down the true cost for prospective parent(s). The reality is things can add up fast, but having an idea of what costs could arise ahead of time can be helpful.
For example, in vitro fertilization (IVF) fees with your own eggs can range:
$6,000.00 - $10,000 for natural cycles
- Medication costs that range between $600.00 and $1,000.00
$9,000 - $11,000 for stimulated cycles, depending on the clinic.
- Medication costs that range between $5,000.00 and $8,000.00
These fees usually include cycle monitoring, egg retrieval, extended blastocyst culture, laser assisted hatching, fresh embryo transfer and embryo freezing with one year of storage.
Variable fees include ICSI, PGT (Pre-Implantation Genetic Testing), medication, sperm freezing and storage, frozen embryo transfer, embryo thaw and culture, positive serology screening and annual storage renewal (embryo/egg/sperm).
Fresh vs. Frozen
Something to note is there are extra coordination fees depending on whether you are using a fresh or frozen sperm/egg donor. Costs may vary from clinic to clinic.
Frozen sperm: $3000
Fresh sperm donor: $4500
Frozen egg donor: $1,750
Fresh egg donor: $4500
IUI, IVF and Surrogacy
Once the components of egg and sperm have been determined, then implantation must be considered. There are three main ways to go about this:
IUI - Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) is a procedure where specially treated sperm is placed directly in the uterus and timed with ovulation.
IVF - In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) is a procedure where egg and sperm are prepared outside of the body to create an embryo, and then placed in the uterus.
Surrogacy - where a third party, through the process of IVF, agrees to carry and deliver a child on behalf of another individual(s)
A single cycle of IUI will cost around $1,000.
A full IVF cycle using fresh egg donor will cost between $22,000 and $32,000.
A full IVF cycle using frozen egg donor will cost between $9,000 and $15,000.
A full IVF cycle using fresh sperm donor will cost between $22,000 and $32,000.
A full IVF cycle using frozen sperm donor will cost between $20,000 and $32,000.
The cost of gestational surrogacy, including the IVF cycle, the legal fees and various costs, varies between $50,000 and $100,000,
Fertility Treatment Costs
Each fertility journey is unique, and many individuals may commence their paths with specific plans only to find themselves needing to adjust along the way.
One common misconception is underestimating the potential need for multiple IVF cycles, which significantly adds to the overall expense.
This unforeseen need for additional cycles can lead to a considerable increase in costs over time, diverging significantly from initial expectations at the outset of the journey. Many patients will stop treatment due to not being able to afford the treatment cost.
Finances have been and still are one of the main barriers for people to grow their families.
Fertility Friends Foundation
Fertility Friends Foundation is a Canadian-registered charity created to provide financial support as well as educational resources to those challenged with fertility treatments, services, and costs.
The mission of this charity is to offer grants to cover expenses associated with fertility treatments such as IVF, egg and sperm donation and gestational surrogacy. Fertility Friends Foundation is a wonderful resource for those looking for assistance. Their application platform will be open on April 1 2024 until April 30, anyone who is up against financial barriers to growing their family is encouraged to apply. .
For more information you can visit their website: https://fertilityfriendsfoundation.com/
For more information about the grant application: https://fertilityfriendsfoundation.com/grant-application/
Impact of Fertility Friends Foundation
“It’s incredibly frustrating and psychologically painful for physicians and patients to have to delay fertility treatments or choose fewer effective therapies because of financial limitations. A registered Canadian foundation destined to help those families in need achieve their dream of parenthood seemed like an obvious solution. It is time to act!”
Dr. Chloé Roumain, Fertility Friends Foundation Founder and President
“We are so thankful and more than grateful to receive a grant from the foundation. We have been struggling for almost 7 years of secondary infertility. You could just imagine how costly 7 years of treatments can be. Foundations like yours can really help struggles couples like us achieve what we having been dreaming of our whole lives. We are so happy you guys exist and can help many many more couples. You guys are a blessing. Thank you. “
Sim and Cesario – Fall 2022 grant recipients
“Our concerns were finances and realizing that our dream may have run its course. How are we going to afford to live, eat, and achieve this dream? We leaned on our resources, our faith, and our family and friends for their love and support. We are so grateful for this opportunity for help from FFF.”
Jaysun and Khrystyne – Fall 2023 grant recipients