A new full-service In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinic will be opening in Victoria this fall, providing more access to fertility care for Vancouver Island residents. Olive Fertility Centre Victoria will be opening the clinic, which will be located in Victoria’s Capital Park in September. According to Infertility Specialist Dr. Ginevra Mills, the fertility clinics currently on the Island can provide ultrasounds and pretests, but they cannot do surgeries or full treatment. This means that those needing IVF treatments had to travel to clinics in Vancouver, adding more stress for patients. The opening of this new clinic will reduce the need for travel and make the process of IVF treatments more accessible for local residents.
Dr. Mills added that infertility rates across Canada are rising, with one in six people worldwide experiencing fertility issues. This indicates the importance of full-service IVF clinics, which can provide top-of-the-line equipment and techniques for IVF procedures. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Mills and her colleagues have been working to build another clinic on the Island to ensure that local residents can receive local treatment.
Olive Fertility Centre Victoria will also be partnering with Ocean View Fertility Clinic in Comox to provide better access to care for those living on the North Island. Dr. Chad Van Tongeren, OB/GYN at Ocean View Fertility Clinic, says it will become a satellite clinic for Victoria, providing ultrasounds, pretests, and monitoring for IVF patients. This will also reduce the amount of traveling for those patients, especially during winter months when the Malahat can be treacherous.
One former IVF patient spoke about how great the news is for Vancouver Island residents. Stephanie Curran, an acupuncturist and mindfulness instructor at Elements of Health Clinic, underwent her own infertility journey ten years ago. She stated that the psychological burden is the number one reason why people stop their fertility care and treatments. She added that anything that can be done to reduce that stress through the journey by allowing people to stay local to receive their treatments and to have access to care and resources will go a long way in supporting people in reducing their stress.
Canadian Fertility Awareness Week started on Sunday to highlight fertility issues and access to care. Dr. Mills says this is an important week to open up conversations around these issues, as many people shy away from the topic. Curran finds that it is a personal topic that often brings up a lot of emotions for people experiencing infertility. She says this is why awareness weeks like this one are so important as they open up the conversation and allow people to know they are not alone in their journey.
Throughout the week, there will be events across Canada and resources where people can learn more about fertility. Locally, there is a Facebook live event on mindfulness for fertility that took place on Sunday evening, discussing ways to support well-being through an infertility journey. On April 26, Curran is partnering with Olive Fertility to host a free webinar discussing how to navigate the fertility journey, both from a medical perspective and through diet and well-being. Finally, Victoria City Hall and the B.C. legislature will be lit up green on Wednesday to commemorate the awareness week.