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.
Before assisted hatching
After assisted hatching