If you are under 35 years old and have been having unprotected sex for 1 year: if you are over 35 and have been having unprotected sex for 4 to 6 months: if you are any age and have a problem known to be associated with infertility and have been having unprotected sex for 6 months, you should speak to your doctor about a referral to a fertility specialist.
The typical wait time for the initial consultation is one to three months.
There is no real minimum age but it is accepted that patients are adults because of the decision-making required and consequences of treatment. The maximum age limit is generally 43 years old unless patients are willing to consider using an egg donor.
We encourage couples to attend visits together as both will be involved in the process. After the initial consultation, both partners will be tested. The details can be found on our process page.
After the preliminary testing, you and your partner will be seen for a discussion of the results and at that time we also have a discussion of treatment options and their probability of success.
Yes it is normal for the semen/sperm to run out of the vagina after intercourse. The sperm that are capable of fertilization will already have begun to swim forward through the cervix and uterus to the tubes. The excess fluid will leak out of the vagina.
No, it is not necessary for you to elevate your legs and buttocks after sex but it is a good idea to lie down for 5 minutes as studies have shown that it takes 3 to 5 minutes for the sperm to swim from the vagina to the Fallopian tubes.
Once the initial consultation and investigations are completed, if you wish to consider use of a donor for eggs or sperm, we will be able to help arrange that for you.
Yes.
In Canada, sex selection is not allowed for ethical reasons and thus we do not offer this service.
You and your partner will often be required to make lifestyle changes. Smoking and excessive use of alcohol, recreational drug use have been shown to affect both egg and sperm quality and thus we would advise quitting these. We also generally recommend a healthy well-balanced diet with limitation of processed foods, high fat and high carbohydrate foods. There may be some interaction between herbal supplements and some of the drug treatments used and thus herbals are best avoided.
There can be side effects to any medication and the specific details will be discussed at length with your doctor prior to use.
Pregnancy success rates will vary greatly depending on the patients’ age, diagnosis, and type of treatment.
Yes we see patients who live in provinces other than Ontario. Ontario has a reciprocal arrangement with all other provinces in Canada except Quebec. Therefore, if you live in another province (except Quebec), your consultation and most of the investigations will be covered. Once the treatment plan has been made, if you need accommodations close to the clinic, we can help facilitate this.
The clinic is open on weekends and holidays for cycle monitoring and intrauterine inseminations only. We do not do consultations on weekends.
The initial appointment and most of the investigations are covered by OHIP. Any further costs will be determined once a diagnosis has been made and a treatment plan has been outlined. These costs will depend on the particular medication you will need and/or any particular procedures you will require.
Services not covered by OHIP would include medications and some procedures. You may pay by cash, debit, visa, mastercard, bank draft or money order. If you do not have coverage from insurance at work, you can obtain a bank loan or we can help facilitate your obtaining a health-spending account if you are self-employed. We would be happy to speak to you about that in more detail if necessary.
The majority of employee benefit plans do not cover the cost of procedures such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilization but depending on the specific plan, some or all of the medications may be covered.
