Applications for B.C.'s publicly funded IVF program now open
Province will pay for 1 round of in-vitro fertilization per patient
Applications for B.C.'s publicly funded in-vitro fertilization (IVF) program open on Wednesday.
The program will pay for one round of IVF per person for patients covered by the province's Medical Services Plan (MSP). A patient's fertility doctor will have to apply on their behalf.
In-vitro fertilization is a medical procedure where an egg is fertilized by sperm outside of the body before being placed in a womb. It is often used by people facing infertility due to age or reproductive problems.
The funding will provide up to $19,000 per patient.
An eligibility requirement for the funding is that a patient be aged 18 through 41. The province has said that an exception will be made for those who turn 42 between April 1 and July 2, 2025.
According to the province, the funding can be applied to any part of a standard IVF cycle, including egg retrieval, sperm retrieval, fertilization, blastocyst culture and single embryo transfer.
It can also be used to fertilize previously frozen eggs or transfer previously frozen embryos, among other things. Egg freezing, also referred to as fertility preservation, is not covered through the program.
The initiative is receiving $68 million over two years from the provincial budget, and brings B.C. in line with at least seven other provinces that offer either coverage or a reimbursement scheme for people accessing IVF.
- CBC News is looking to speak with patients applying for publicly funded IVF in B.C. If that's you, email ask@cbc.ca.
Applications must be submitted by the patient's doctor, because of the detailed medical information required.
The province has not said how long people will have to wait for the funding to be allocated once applications open on Wednesday. It went on to say funding will be allocated on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The program was set to open for applications on April 1, but was delayed to July 2.
Health Minister Josie Osborne said in April that the delay was due to the complexity of developing the program.
A list of frequently asked questions is available on the B.C. government's website.
Funding will be income-based. Households with a combined pre-tax income of $100,000 or less will qualify for the full $19,000, with benefits phasing out for households earning more than $250,000.
Osborne said at a Wednesday news conference that the program is expected to pay for between 1,100 and 4,500 IVF cycles this fiscal year.
Dr. Ken Seethram is with the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine, one of three B.C. fertility clinics participating in the program.
He said he was seeing an uptick in patients expressing interest in IVF since the province announced the funding a year and a half ago.
"The cost of IVF is really one of the barriers for individuals to undertake it," he said. "It does provide the best success rates that we have in assisted conception right now."
With files from Katie DeRosa, Tarnjit Parmar, The Canadian Press and Tessa Vikander