Toronto couple struggles to have children after failed fertility treatments

WATCH: Part 2 – Toronto couple struggles to have children after failed fertility treatments. Carey Marsden reports. 

TORONTO – David Chisholm and Carly Weiner have spent nearly $50,000 on fertility treatment to try to get pregnant and haven’t had any success.

“We did two years of fertility treatments a total of 12 treatments, three IVFs, six IUIs using donor sperm and then by the end we had been lucky enough to receive six donor embryos that were made by an egg donor and a sperm donor and they were perfect, had resulted in other children, unfortunately none of those worked,”said Weiner.

A childhood cancer left Chisholm with infertility issues and as a result, he and Weiner have spent thousands in hopes of conceiving a child of their own.

“It’s just really hard because we’re not really enjoying our lives at that point when it’s all about trying to get pregnant,” said Weiner.

Chisholm and Weiner are part of growing group of Ontario couples who have had to pay out of their own pockets because the IVF treatments are not covered by OHIP.

According to the ministry of health, treatment is “only insured for the first three treatment cycles where the infertility is due to complete bilateral anatomical fallopian tube blockage that has not resulted from a sterilization procedure.”

In 2009, an expert panel appointed by the Ontario government recommended OHIP cover fertility treatments under certain conditions.

But the province declined to follow up on the recommendations and earlier this year, Health Minister Deb Matthews reiterated her desire not to fund those procedures.

Ontario’s stance is contrary to that of neighbouring Quebec where three cycles of IVF are paid for provincially.

Chisholm and Weiner have since stopped IVF treatments but they continue to relive the memories of how hard it was to go through the process without any results.

“I know it was emotionally taxing on myself anyway and also as well for Carly,” said Chisholm. “It starts to take a toll on you I think after several years of you know, you’re doing the cycle monitoring and then having all the procedures done.”

Still, the Toronto couple continues to hold out hope that they will someday have a child of their own.

WATCH:  (Aug 29) Toronto couple David Chisholm and Carly Weiner join The Morning Show to talk about the challenges of conceiving a child.