| Q: Must
I be referred by a physician in order to have a
consultation at OVO Clinic?
Q: What are the fees and duration
should we expect for the first consultation?
Q: What is the maximum age for
IVF treatment?
Q: What is the difference between
intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilisation?
Q: What is the duration of an IVF
treatment cycle?
Q: What are the steps of an IVF
treatment cycle?
Q: What are steps for an intrauterine
insemination?
Q: How much does an IVF cycle cost?
Q: How much does a cycle of intrauterine
insemination cost?
Q: What are the chances of success
with these treatments?
Q: What does the egg donation
program consist of?
Q: Who can become an egg donor?
Q: Who can become a sperm donor?
Q: Is there any remuneration for
egg and sperm donors?
Q: How is sperm frozen?
Q: How are embryos frozen?
Q: Can we freeze eggs?
Q: Can I have intrauterine insemination
after having had my tubes tied?
Q: Can we have intrauterine insemination
after a vasectomy?
Q: What is an ICSI?
Q: What is "hatching"?
Q: Must
I be referred by a physician in order to have
a consultation at OVO Clinic?
A: No, it is not necessary to
be referred to obtain a consultation with one
of our medical specialists. On the other hand,
if you have been referred by a physician, it is
important to bring a copy of the results of any
tests and analyses that you may have already had
done.
Furthermore, couples without
any known fertility problem, should have had unprotected
sexual relations for a period of at least 6 to
12 months before taking medical advice. Women
over 35 years of age should consult after 6 months
of trying.

Q: What
are the fees and duration should we expect for
the first consultation?
A: You can expect the first consultation
to take approximately 30 minutes and the fees
are covered by the Regie de l’assurance
maladie du Quebec. If you are not covered by the
R.A.M.Q. the fees are 75.00$ per person. We do
not have any fees for opening your file.

Q: What
is the maximum age for IVF treatment?
A: We offer treatment for women
of 44 years of age or less. After this age, the
chances of success are considerably reduced and
each case must be presented to our medical council
who will study the medical profile of the patient
and evaluate if the chance of success of treatment
are reasonable. For older women, egg donation
could be an alternative, up to the age of 50 years
old.

Q: What is the difference
between intrauterine insemination and in vitro
fertilisation?
A: An intrauterine insemination
consists of collecting a sample of sperm (or using
the sperm of a donor) in order to inject the sperm
directly into the uterus of the patient at the
moment of ovulation. The fertilisation takes place
in vivo, that’s to say in the body of the
woman and not in the laboratory.
in vitro fertilisation involves
harvesting the sperm and eggs (by aspiration)
in order to put them together in the laboratory
so as to obtain embryos which can then be transferred
into the uterus of the woman where they can implant.

Q: What is the duration
of an IVF treatment cycle?
A: This depends on the protocol
which is recommended for you, since every treatment
is individualised. However, if you figure on the
treatment starting on day one of your period,
it could take between 4 and 8 weeks.

Q: What
are the steps of an IVF treatment cycle?
A: In the first place there is
the period of preparation and stimulation which
takes between 2 to 5 weeks and which consists
of taking medication to stimulate the ovaries
in order to promote the growth of many follicles.
During this phase of treatment, the growth of
the follicles will be monitored by ultrasound.
You can expect 2 to 4 ultrasounds depending on
how the cycle develops.
Once the stimulation is completed
there will be an egg collection which consists
of emptying the follicles where the eggs have
been growing. We will harvest as many eggs as
possible to keep in the laboratory and put with
the sperm.
Approximately 48 to 72 hours
later, we will proceed to transfer the embryos
obtained in the laboratory, into the uterus of
the patient where they can implant. Two weeks
after the egg collection, there will be a pregnancy
test to determine if implantation has occurred.

Q: What are steps for
an intrauterine insemination?
A: Generally, an intrauterine
insemination cycle starts with taking a medication
to stimulate the ovaries. There are also ultrasounds
to follow the development of the treatment and
plan the date of insemination. Ovulation is initiated
by medication and the insemination takes place
36 hours later.
The day of the insemination,
we perform an injection of the sperm, which has
been washed to obtain the best quality sperm,
into the uterus of the patient.

Q: How much does an
IVF cycle cost?
A: A treatment cycle of stimulated
IVF costs 4,500.00 $. Once the medication is added
you can expect to pay between 6,000.00 $ to 7,
000.00 $ per cycle.
For a cycle of natural cycle
IVF, the basic fee is 3,000.00 $ and when the
cost of the medication is added, the total cost
may become from 3,500.00 $ to 4,500.00 $ for a
cycle.

Q: How much does a cycle
of intrauterine insemination cost?
A: Intrauterine insemination
using the sperm of your partner, without medication,
costs between 300.00 $ and 400.00 $. The costs
for the medication vary between 35.00 $ to 60.00
$ and between 500.00 $ to 600.00 $ per cycle depending
of the type of medication prescribed.
An amount of 500.00 $ for the
sperm sample should be added to this if you need
to have insemination with donor sperm.

Q: What are the chances
of success with these treatments?
A: The chances of success are
evaluated individually since each case is different.
The best way to obtain an accurate answer to this
question is to discuss it with one of our specialists
who have access to your medical file. However,
we would invite you to consult our Statistics
section of our web site to have an idea of our
results relating to IVF cycles.

Q: What does the egg
donation program consist of?
This program is designed for
women who have a poor ovarian reserve and for
whom the chance of success with an IVF treatment
cycle are almost nil. It consists of finding a
fertile person who agrees to donate her eggs in
order to perform fertilisation in the laboratory
and transfer the embryos to the recipient.

Q:
Who can become an egg donor?
A: Any fertile woman in good
health, between 18 and 35 years of age, who meets
the selection criteria set by the clinic (no previous
serious illness, no history of genetic illness,
etc.) Several tests must be carried out before
someone can be considered for egg donation.

Q:
Who can become a sperm donor?
A: Any healthy, fertile man,
between 18 and 35 years of age, who meets the
selection criteria established by Health Canada
(no previous serious illness, no history of genetic
illness, etc.) Several tests must be carried out
before someone can be considered for the sperm
donation program and during the period of donation.

Q:
Is there any remuneration for egg and sperm donors?
A: The law C-6 forbids all Canadian
clinics from offering any form of remuneration
or advantage to someone in exchange for donating
eggs or sperm. Only expenses incurred by the process
of donation may be reimbursed on production of
a receipt.

Q:
How is sperm frozen?
A: Samples of sperm are frozen
in straws and stored in a tank which contains
liquid nitrogen. The samples may be kept frozen
for many years like this.

Q:
How are embryos frozen?
A: Embryos are frozen in straws
and stored in a tank which contains liquid nitrogen.
The samples may be kept frozen for many years
like this.

Q: Can we freeze eggs?
A: The freezing of eggs has been
experimental for some time. Results are more and
more promising. Several projects of research are
currently underway in order to improve the success
of egg freezing. This would represent an important
scientific advance and a very advantageous alternative
for thousands of women. It is hoped that egg freezing
will soon be added to the list of available treatments.
Q:
Can I have intrauterine insemination after having
had my tubes tied?
A: You will need to firstly undergo
a reanastomosis, a surgery which can be performed
in some cases, depending on which method was used
to tie your tubes. This procedure is carried out
in the hospital setting and is performed in certain
hospitals only. Once this step is completed, pregnancy
may be possible with natural methods or by insemination,
depending on the results obtained.
If the reanastomosis is not possible,
IVF treatment would be an alternative.

Q:
Can we have intrauterine insemination after a
vasectomy?
A: The first step would be to
have a vasovasectomy to return fertility. If this
intervention is successful, fertilisation can
take place naturally or by insemination.
If the reversal can not be performed,
we can proceed with collecting sperm directly
from the epidydimis or testicle with an aspiration
technique. (PESA - TESA). However, the quantity
recovered in this manner in not sufficient for
intrauterine insemination, and only IVF is possible.

Q:
What is an ICSI?
 |
A: ICSI is a laboratory technique
which consists of injecting the sperm directly
into the eggs, rather than simply putting the
eggs and sperm in contact in order to achieve
fertilisation.
This technique is performed when
the quantity or motility of the sperm is too poor
to achieve fertilisation alone. If there is an
indication for ICSI, your physician and the embryologists
will discuss the technique with you.
|

Q:
What is "hatching"?
 |
A: Assisted Hatching is a laboratory
technique which is carried out just before the
embryo transfer. It consists of making a small
hole in the wall of the embryo/s with a computer
guided laser, in order to ensure the safety of
the embryo and its cells.
Before attaching to the uterine
lining the embryo must ‘hatch’ from
its shell or wall. In some cases this shell is
more tough or thickened than normal and may impede
hatching, and thus implantation. If there is an
indication for assisted hatching, your physician
and the embryology team can discuss this technique
with you.

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| Before assisted hatching |
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| After assisted hatching |
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