News: Quebec to fund IVF treatments’should other provinces follow?

I’ll let you know up front that I do not have children, nor have I ever tried to have a baby. So I cannot even imagine what it would be like to want a child with all my heart and not be able to conceive. I’m sure it must be agonizing, especially since in vetro fertilization treatments are so expensive. But now, couples in Quebec who want to try IVF treatments can now do so on the provincial government’s dime, reports the CBC. Quebec’s health minister, Yves Bolduc, announced today that the province will fund IVF treatments to the tune of $32 million in year one and $80 million over the next three or four years. The program is expected to begin in the next few months and will fund up to three treatments per couple.

Whatever you think about IVF treatments, the program seems to make a lot of sense, financially’it’s expected to save the province $30 million a year in treatments for premature babies that result from IVF. That’s because funding will be dependent on regulations that limit the number of embryos implanted to three. To me, that is the number-one benefit of this program. Aside from allowing more couples the possibility to conceive, there will finally be some rules to regulate IVF. I understand that couples want to try everything they can to become pregnant, even if it means implanting more than three embryos to increase their chances. Perhaps for many couples who can’t afford more than one treatment (which cost about $10,000 each in Quebec),  that’s the only option they have. But multiple births pose risks to women and their babies.

Do you think that other provinces should follow suit and provide IVF funding?

Related:
‘ How to baby-proof your marriage
‘ 7 natural remedies for morning sickness
‘ 10 rules for a happier pregnancy