People seeking fertility treatment in the Yukon call for more government support
When Amélia Koeppel started trying to conceive with her partner, she didn’t predict they’d eventually end up with a $30,000 bill.
Koeppel and her partner first reached out to a doctor in September 2021. The Whitehorse couple had been trying to get pregnant, but had been unsuccessful and suspected they might be having fertility issues. They went through blood tests, ultrasounds and semen tests, all of which came back clear. They were told to keep trying.
But a few months later, in December 2021, Koeppel went in for another test. The results showed her tubes were blocked. Soon after, a laparoscopy revealed she also had endometriosis, a painful condition where tissue resembling the uterine lining grows outside the uterus.
Those results confirmed the couple would be unable to conceive naturally, and they started looking at other options.
“That’s when we first talked about IVF,” Koeppel said. “And we discovered that there really is no clinic in the North.”
During IVF, which stands for in-vitro fertilization, an egg is fertilized outside the body then placed in the uterus. It’s a common option for people experiencing infertility.
To get IVF in Canada, people are typically referred to a private clinic. That alone can be a costly and arduous process. But in the Yukon, there are no fertility clinics, so people seeking the treatment must travel South to get it.
High cost for Yukoners
Koeppel and her partner travelled back and forth to Vancouver five times in the spring for treatment. The first trip, which would confirm Koeppel’s infertility, was covered by the Yukon’s health plan. But the treatment itself and travel for it was not covered, Koeppel said.
Koeppel estimated the clinic fees alone amounted to around $17,000, not including the cost of medication, which also cost thousands of dollars. On top of that, they paid for at least five trips back and forth from Vancouver, one of them for a full week’s stay. Her partner’s insurance plan covered some of the medication costs. Otherwise, the couple paid out of pocket for everything.
Koeppel said she was shocked at the price tag.
“You’re just a person with a credit card,” Koeppel said. “And on top of the stress of is it going to work or not, it’s, ‘how am I going to find the money for the next step?’ All the time. It’s a lot of stress.”
Koeppel estimated the clinic fees alone amounted to around $17,000, not including the cost of medication, which also cost thousands of dollars. On top of that, they paid for at least five trips back and forth from Vancouver, one of them for a full week’s stay. Her partner’s insurance plan covered some of the medication costs. Otherwise, the couple paid out of pocket for everything.
Koeppel said she was shocked at the price tag.
“You’re just a person with a credit card,” Koeppel said. “And on top of the stress of is it going to work or not, it’s, ‘how am I going to find the money for the next step?’ All the time. It’s a lot of stress.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Leaving Ukraine was painful but necessary, says family now happily settled in Yukon, CBC News
Finland: Project to educate Finnish students about Sami needs to be permanent: Youth Council, Eye on the Arctic
Greenland: International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples important to mark says Inuit org, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Russian Sami activist protesting Ukrainian conflict seeks asylum in Norway, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: Fleeing Russia, Andrei seeks asylum in what for him is still historical homeland, Sapmi, CBC News
