‘Navigating the path to parenthood’: Markham 2SLGBTQ+ couple overcome barriers to build a family

Building a family can be a challenging journey for many, but for the 2SLGBTQ+ community, it often entails additional layers of complexity.

Many in this community require donor eggs, donor sperm, or a surrogate, necessitating a higher level of expertise and support. Genetic consultations are also crucial, given the potential for inheritable genetic conditions for any family.

Dr. Meivys Garcia, the medical director and owner of Markham Fertility Centre, has been serving the fertility community, including the 2SLGBTQ+ community, since the early 1990s.

Her clinic offers a comprehensive program including dedicated donor and surrogacy services, as well as a specialized health and genetic department, all designed to address the unique reproductive care needs of the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

“We are with you at every step of the journey. This includes connecting them with sperm and egg banks, assisting in the selection process, providing genetic counselling, and offering psychological support,” Dr. Garcia said.

Once patients are comfortable with their choices, the clinic is able to proceed with treatments such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) or in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Queer couple Brianna Salmon and Francis Nasca had tried to build a family since 2019, but the pandemic slowed everything down.

Salmon was referred to another fertility clinic in Toronto, however, changes to known donor legislation in 2021 and the initial clinic’s unfamiliarity with the new regulations led to several frustrating years.

“I finally got referred to Markham Fertility Centre in July 2022, and everything was moving very smoothly,” Salmon shares, “We did the implantation in March 2023 with a donation from a known donor, and it resulted in a healthy pregnancy the first time.”

Their baby, Loic, is now almost seven months old.

The cost of fertility treatments has been rising, with donor sperm prices significantly increasing due to high demand and stringent regulations aimed at preventing too many children from the same genetic donor in a single area. Dr. Garcia advised that direct donations from known donors can sometimes offer a more feasible alternative.

While direct donation from known donors can be a nice option for patients, there are often complexities around the method, which lead to a lot of clinics being unsupportive due to the varying procedures and legal agreements.

Salmon highlights the challenges queer individuals encounter, stating “I think it’s really important to have fertility clinic staff who understand and can help patients in navigating the system. Queer people face more regulatory and legislative barriers to family-making because there are other people involved.”

The couple estimates the total cost can range from $20,000 to $35,000 depending on how many rounds of treatment are necessary.

“OHIP covers the procedure, but there’s a long waitlist for IVF — at least a year. It only covers one round, and it doesn’t cover the fertility drugs, which can range from $10,000 to $20,000,” says Nasca.

“We ended up not waiting for OHIP coverage. Once we decided to pay for the procedure privately, the clinic was able to move us through quickly. We were lucky that it worked the first time, but if it hadn’t, we probably wouldn’t have been able to afford a second attempt,” he added.

Despite the challenges, Dr. Garcia finds the work incredibly rewarding. "Helping people fulfil their dream of having a family is my absolute privilege.”

Over the past 30 years, she has witnessed a significant shift in societal attitudes. Where there was once a great deal of stigma, there is now a growing awareness that infertility affects many people, as many as one in six.

In 2015, the government of Ontario introduced a funding program for fertility treatments, extending to 2SLGBTQ+ families.

However, while this was a positive step, fertility treatments remain significant financial and emotional investments for patients.

Dr. Garcia advocates for more comprehensive financial and psychological support from government, and greater commitment from employers to assist their employees in building families.

Scarlett Liu, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Markham Economist & Sun