Fertility clinic expands, cutting wait times to weeks

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This article was published 11/01/2024 (994 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Anna Almojuela is now mom to an eight-month-old girl, but she needed help.

Almojuela, who struggled with fertility, received in vitro fertilization, and now she and her husband, Rezan, are parents to Elyanna.

“When I was ovulating, I had a very short window of time to access fertility treatment and having a fertility clinic in Manitoba made all the difference by not needing to travel out of province,” she said.

Now a new expanded clinic will help more Manitobans have children whether they need surgery or in vitro fertilization.

Heartland Fertility has opened a 15,000 square-foot clinic in the Tuxedo Business Park complete with a hysteroscopy suite, where gynecological issues can be diagnosed, and other laboratories.

Dr. Gordon McTavish, founder, medical director and reproductive specialist, said the new site — double the size of its former home on Portage Avenue — along with additional specialists have already helped the clinic reduce its waiting list from a year to a few weeks.

“The demands for fertility have expanded and we needed to grow to handle those demands and offer more services,” McTavish said Thursday.

“I think the expansion will make a big difference to people wanting to start a family. We’ve opened up self-referrals, which will speed up patients to be seen by a fertility specialist sooner. This alone will help reduce the anxiety of a long wait that people have to endure.”

The initial consultation, any required surgery, blood tests and X-rays are all covered through Manitoba Health.

“If a couple has an infertility problem that needs artificial insemination, that is an uninsured service and they pay privately,” McTavish said, adding artificial insemination costs about $1,000, while in vitro fertilization costs around $20,000.

There is a 40 per cent tax credit of up to $8,000 that can help, he said.

“As well, there is also the medical expense tax credits, so, all together, they can get 60 to 65 per cent refunded back. What that does is it makes Manitoba fertility programs one of the most affordable treatments in Canada.”

Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said the provincial government is not changing the current funding arrangements for procedures that are not covered.

“But I am always open to hearing from Manitobans about what it means to them and to hear any thoughts or concerns,” Asagwara said.

Heartland was founded in 1997 and has since helped more than 15,000 Manitobans with fertility problems.

It has grown from a staff of three doctors to having six fertility specialists, a new reproductive surgeon and additional family doctors. The clinic can now also offer expanded services including third-party reproduction services, which is assisted reproduction involving a surrogate or an egg or sperm donor.

“It is amazing how many people I bump into in the grocery store who stop me to thank me for helping them have a family,” McTavish says.

“It is really heartwarming that we can help these families meet their goals and their dreams even more now.”