For Victoria couple Amy and Kayla, the path to parenthood took a few unexpected detours. Both were teaching in Northern B.C. when they decided it was time to start their family and made the move home to Victoria. As a same-sex couple, they knew they would require the support of a fertility clinic to achieve their dream of becoming parents. Their journey led them to Olive Fertility Victoria, a place known for its expertise and compassionate care.
“We first started going to Olive in July of 2022, and we were so excited to start our family,” says Amy. “After getting a referral from our family doctor, we were pleasantly surprised to be contacted by the Olive Victoria clinic almost immediately. We had all our fertility testing and our first appointment with Dr. Graham within a month.”
Comprehensive support
Olive Fertility has been a pioneer in providing inclusive and supportive fertility services for the LGBTQ2SIA+ community. “At Olive Fertility, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to create a family,” says fertility specialist Dr. James Graham. “Advances in fertility science mean that an individual or couple does not need to have their own eggs, sperm and uterus to have a baby. Egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy have made it possible to make the dream of having a family a reality for many who want to be parents in the LGBTQ2SIA+ community.”
The initial steps
For LGBTQ2SIA+ couples or individuals wanting to have a child, the first step is to see their family physician or a virtual clinic for a referral to a fertility clinic. At the initial consultation, the fertility specialist reviews the results of fertility tests and discusses family building options. There are various approaches to treatment, depending on the circumstances.
“For couples or individuals with eggs and a uterus, the process of getting pregnant can be quite straightforward,” explains Dr. Graham. “They can use a known or anonymous sperm donor and have monthly inseminations of sperm into their uterus. For couples and individuals without eggs and a uterus, the process is more complicated, as they need donor eggs and IVF with a gestational carrier who has a uterus to carry the baby.”
Amy and Kayla's journey
For Amy and Kayla, the results of their fertility workup were normal, and given that Amy was only 30, they had a good chance of conceiving with intrauterine insemination (IUI). This simple procedure places sperm directly inside the uterus. However, after four unsuccessful IUIs with donor sperm, Dr. Graham advised them to move on to in vitro fertilization (IVF). IVF involves retrieving eggs from the ovaries, fertilizing them with sperm in a lab, and then transferring the resulting embryo into the uterus. Many fertility experts recommend trying up to three to four cycles of IUI before pursuing another reproductive treatment like IVF.
“I then completed an IVF round, and we were lucky enough to end up with five fertilized embryos. My first embryo transfer was in June 2023, and I actually got pregnant, but ended up miscarrying in late August. Our second transfer was right at Christmas time and didn’t work. Then our third transfer in January stuck, and I am now 23 weeks pregnant with a baby girl.” says Amy.
Looking forward to the future
Amy and Kayla are excited to welcome their daughter in early October. Reflecting on their journey, Amy notes, “Our journey didn’t take the path that we thought it would at all, and the ups and downs were really challenging, but now that we are finally expecting, we know it was all worth it.”
Amy and Kayla’s journey highlights the resilience and determination that many LGBTQ2SIA+ couples and individuals exhibit on their path to parenthood. “Olive Fertility is committed to providing inclusive, personalized care and leveraging the latest advancements in fertility science to help make the dream of having a family come true.” says Dr. Graham.
With clinics in Vancouver, Victoria and Kelowna, Olive Fertility Centre is one of Canada’s leading fertility centres, offering an award-winning IVF lab, personal care teams, and innovative programs including IVF, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI), donor sperm, donor eggs, surrogacy, egg freezing.
Fertility consultations and most fertility tests are covered by MSP in British Columbia with a referral from a family physician or virtual clinic.
Virtual referral
Book a same-day. virtual referral appointment at rocketdoctor.ca/olive-fertility. Your referral will be automatically sent to Olive Fertility and a member of our intake team will contact you shortly thereafter to book your fertility appointment.
Currently patients can see an Olive Victoria fertility specialist within a month of being referred.
You can learn more about LGBTQ2/sia+ family building here https://www.olivefertility.com/fertility-services/lgbtq2sia-family-building.
