'This is groundbreaking': Pair of doctors ready to open N.L.'s first private IVF clinic next year

Two St. John's fertility specialists say their plans to open a private in-vitro fertilization (IVF) clinic in 2026 are "well underway."

Talking with The St. John's Morning Show host Jen White, the pair said the new clinic will be located in the old Costco building on Stavanger Drive — which will also house the province's new ambulatory care hub, scheduled to open this fall.

Outgoing Premier Andrew Furey has promised the province will have an IVF clinic as soon as January 2026. 

Despite that, Dr. Deanna Murphy and Dr. Sean Murphy notified interim Health Minister John Haggie last week that they plan to take it upon themselves to open a private clinic. 

The pair hopes to open their clinic late next year.

Dr. Deanna Murphy says the new development will allow patients to access IVF from their home province, as well as other services such as egg preservation. She says it will also cut down on the amount of time patients need to take off work for travel.

"Having it all streamlined in the one full-spectrum fertility service I think will make a big difference," she said.

Making a difference

Dr. Sean Murphy calls the clinic groundbreaking.

He says a big part of the IVF process — for now — is having to travel away from a support system. Now, patients can commute from their homes to St. John's in a "minimal amount of time."

Patients can still avail of a recently announced one-time IVF subsidy of $20,000. 

Dr. Deanne Murphy says that money is a "big win," and will be helpful for people who have to travel to the city from other parts of the province. 

She added that the two doctors are planning to maintain a continuity of care so patients are met with familiar faces throughout their treatments. 

Because of the barriers to travel, and the service itself, she says people are often reluctant to consider IVF as an option to start a family. 

"It's very daunting for a lot of people," she said. 

She's ready for that to change, even if she says it's been a "much slower process" than she anticipated to get there.

Dr. Sean Murphy is excited to get started, too.

"To have that conversation for the first time to say, 'listen, you can now do this here. It's available, it's accessible, let's do it,' that would be world changing to me," he said.

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