Quebec’s free in vitro fertilization program goes into effect Monday

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The dream of infertile couples or single women in Quebec to have a child will become less expensive next week as the province’s free in vitro fertilization (IVF) program takes effect on Monday.

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Bill 73, adopted last March, offers a selection of free health services for those who hope to have a child, but cannot.

People suffering from infertility can have immediate access to IVF treatments that are now covered by the Quebec health insurance plan.

“It is a priority to allow all Quebecers to form a family,” Quebec junior health minister Lionel Carmant, who sponsored Bill 73, said during a press conference on Wednesday.

At the moment, the procedure costs at least $ 6,000, which does not include the hormonal medication cocktail that is also part of the process.

Those who are not eligible for the program, such as older women or those seeking a second round of IVF treatments, will still have access to a higher tax credit than what was available before Bill 73.

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Carmant estimated that the tax credits would cost the province about $ 6 million annually.

Free IVF treatments will be available to heterosexual or lesbian couples, as well as single women. In the case of female partners, only one can benefit from the program.

Indirectly and through Bill 2, the reform proposed by the Legault government of the family law in Quebec, male couples who use the services of a surrogate mother may also theoretically benefit from the program.

The program could also help transgender people and those who have undergone chemotherapy treatments.

The age limit for free IVF treatments is 41, above which experts consider the procedure’s success rate too low. Women 42 and older can still go to private fertility clinics on their own.

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The Charest government offered free IVF treatments for 10 years before being replaced in 2015 by a tax credit system by the Couillard government.

Restoring free treatments for those eligible was a campaign promise from the Avenir Québec Coalition during the 2018 election campaign.

Carmant expects about 3,500 IVF cycles to be performed annually with the new program, representing approximately $ 42 million in public funding.

In the next year, high demand is expected to see the program fund around 7,000 IVF cycles. Male infertility treatments are also covered in the new program.

Free IVF treatments require several steps and are considered physically and psychologically demanding for those who receive them. They are also not a guarantee of having a child. The success rate of the process is around 10 percent, and older applicants are less likely to conceive.

The program will be available in public and private breeding clinics.