Alberta women share an expensive and “devastating” birth rate journey in the hopes of helping others

It was a role Brean Irving always knew she wanted to take on.

“For me, “children” were never “understood.” That was always a definitive 'yes',” Irving said.

However, the path to motherhood for Calgary women has proven more difficult than expected.

The 36-year-old palliative care doctor first thought about freezing eggs at age 30, but decided that her career was just a willing complication of other personal life, and that wasn't the right time.

“I kept on saying no. I need to finish this medical training. I don't need to sort this out first.

Almost four years later, she began the process during a period of rapid change in her life, confirming that she had the opportunity to have a family when she was ready.

“We're not waiting anymore, we don't have any timeline extensions anymore,” Irving said.

“I felt something was really wrong (waiting) and I don't know if that's going to go to 'Mayday!' ”

Irving's fertility journey began with a shocking discovery in her ovarian sanctuary low, and if she wanted to have a child, she had to start freezing her eggs right away.

The surprise continued when she learned that egg quality and production generally reduces production for women over the age of 32.

“I was so distraught that I remember having to schedule a follow-up with a fertile doctor after the initial consultation,” Irving reflected. “I don't know if I can explain that in words.

“It was devastating, especially since I always wanted to be a mom.”

Long eggs and embryo freeze process – no guarantee

Freezing eggs and embryos is not an immediate process, according to the Pacific Centre for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) in Edmonton, one of Canada's largest clinics.

To freeze the eggs, women need to undergo a process that is very similar to the in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle.

This involves the infusion of follicle-stimulating and gonadotropin hormones stimulate the development and maturation of multiple eggs within the ovaries for approximately 10 days.

The egg is then removed from the ovaries from the needle and checked under a microscope for maturation.

At this point, if the patient is undergoing IVF, the eggs will be inseminated in the lab, departing for 5 days, then moved to which embryo before transferring to the female uterus. If multiple viable embryos are formed, some patients choose to freeze them for later pregnancy attempts.

For those trying to freeze eggs and embryos to use the road, they are frozen using a flash freeze technique called vitrification.

Eggs can be frozen indefinitely without being damaged, and according to Canadian guidelines, women can use frozen eggs to achieve pregnancy up to the age of 50.

Vancouver-based Irving fertility doctors were able to retrieve only three eggs during the initial collection cycle.

After a break, Irving tried again and returned to the second round, when the doctors were able to collect 10 more eggs.

Of these 13 eggs, nine were fertilized, but only one became a viable embryo.

Having a viable embryo does not mean guaranteeing a successful full-term pregnancy, so Irving plans to return to the third round despite physical, emotional and economic costs.

How much does it cost? Spoilers: Lots

Fertility treatment is not cheap. Not all facilities list prices, but PCRM does it and prices vary based on the procedure, the medication required, and the complexity of what is involved.

PCRM frozen eggs cost around $10,000 just for the procedure, and the additional medication required is $3,600-8,600. Thawing and fertilizing these eggs is an additional $8,650.

One round of IVF at PCRM is the cost of the above drugs, in addition to about $12,250, which depends on what you need. Egg or embryo storage is $750 a year, and frozen embryo migration starts at about $3,500. As the complexity of the procedure increases (such as genetic testing), so does the cost.

A round of IVF can cost almost $24,000 in Alberta, and there is no guarantee that it will lead to pregnancy and baby success.

Last year, a study by Alberta Fertility Alberta showed costs were a major barrier to many people struggling to start a family.

The Advocacy and Outreach group surveyed approximately 650 Albertans in September 2023.

It turns out that 74% of those asked did not proceed with fertility treatment due to costs. 90% of these respondents said that financial aid from the state government allowed them to try.

Last year, British Columbia announced it would join Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec in April 2025 to fund vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.

Alberta covers consultations with infertility experts, but the actual fertility treatment itself – the most expensive part – is not funded by the state.

Residents must rely on private insurance plans. Many of them are not just procedures that cover only certain things, such as lifetime financial constraints or drugs.

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Irving has so far spent between $50,000 and $55,000 in the process.

Next week, she heads to BC's fertility doctor for the third round of egg retrieval.

“The hardest part is the uncertainty. You really don't know whenever you do what the outcome will be,” Irving said.

“At least I knew there was still something I could do about it, but I definitely felt regret about 'oof'. I hope I went sooner. ”

One in six Canadians face birth problems

We mark Canada's Fertility Awareness Week from April 21st to 27th.

One in six Canadians face fertility issues, and supporters say it is still a topic that can be overshadowed by stigma, and can hinder those who want to know all the options for families.

“In school, it's all about sex education,” Carolynn Dube explains Fertility Matters Canada. “We're learning how to prevent pregnancy and STDs and have not had a conversation about reproductive health and future family planning.”

Fertility Issues Canada wants to change how fertile treatments can be seen through Canada's Fertility Awareness Week campaign.

“Sometimes, you feel it's just you, so the more people can share, the more you feel like someone else understands how you feel,” says Dube.

As the average age of first-time mothers continues to rise in Canada, it hopes to be a conversation fertility expert. He is now nearly 32 years old, and has risen since he was 27 in 1977.

Dr. Ariana Daniel is a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility expert and medical director at the Albertary Productive Center, which opened in 2023.

She previously worked at the Center for Reproductive Medicine (PCRM) at the Pacific Centre in Edmonton.

Daniel's clients range from couples looking to conceive, to members of the LGBTQ+ community and those looking for fertility preservation services for people undergoing cancer treatment.

She said that infertility affects 17% of the population and increases the age of patients, but biology has not adapted to social change.

“(The new parents) are starting to meet us later for infertility treatment,” said Dr. Ariana Daniel. “At that point, that might mean they don't have that many options, they don't have that many eggs, and the treatment doesn't work well either.”

Dr. Daniel said that fertility care can be sought before the child is ready to be born, especially if they are considering freezing eggs, as an active tool for family planning. She encourages people to look into it earlier than they do later.

“You may not predict your ability in the future, but now it's more important to you and you can say that it's more important for someone else to meet a fertility expert and do the test.

“And we're going to make a really informed decision as to whether now is the time to really step in and make a difference in whether we can have a child.”

Breanne Irving will be able to get enough eggs back to make the family she has always wanted.

She hopes her story will help others learn what she has found in the difficult way. It's not too early to know your options.

“It helped me to regenerate a few things in my life. Instead of seeing buying a house, I decided to spend money on fertile things.

“I think a lot of women would probably reevaluate their family plans if they knew that the important reduction was 32.”

– Quinn Ohler files, Global News