The Markham Fertility Centre (MFC), a leading fertility clinic based in southern Ontario, is set to expand its services to northern communities, including Sudbury. This move comes as MFC partners with clinics in Barrie-Innisfil, Orillia, and Sudbury to establish a satellite clinic in the city. The announcement comes after the inspiring journey of Renee Higgins, a Sudbury resident who gave birth to her son, Jackson, through IVF at MFC in October 2024.
Higgins, who had been struggling with infertility since Christmas 2019, shared her emotional journey of IVF, which took her and her husband on numerous trips to southern Ontario. After five years of trying and at least 50 trips, they were able to bring their son into the world, with the seventh round of IVF being successful. The costs of traveling and IVF treatments, totaling around $100,000, were a significant burden, something Higgins hopes others in northern Ontario will no longer have to endure.
Higgins has long advocated for better access to IVF services in northern Ontario and has been working closely with MFC to bring these services closer to home. “This is just going to open the door for so many more people,” Higgins said. “There’s tons of people all over northern Ontario who were traveling through Sudbury to get to Toronto. This will help them as well.”
Dr. Meivys Garcia, an infertility specialist at MFC, highlighted the challenges of fertility care, noting that a significant portion of MFC’s patients—30 to 40 percent—come from outside the Greater Toronto Area. For many, the barriers of cost, long travel times, and accommodation expenses are compounded by the already difficult emotional and physical journey of infertility treatment. The new satellite clinics in northern Ontario aim to reduce these barriers by providing more localized care, including bloodwork, ultrasounds, and consultations with nurses and doctors—all within the community.
By offering satellite monitoring, MFC aims to make the IVF process less time-consuming and costly for patients, allowing them to stay closer to home while still receiving expert care. With this development, patients in northern Ontario will no longer need to travel for hours to access these services. They will be able to meet with nurses, undergo necessary tests, and even receive medications closer to home, with fertility doctors overseeing their treatment remotely.
The expansion comes at a timely moment as the Ford government recently announced $150 million over two years to improve access to fertility services, alongside a new tax credit for families seeking IVF treatment. Higgins expressed her joy and disbelief at the changes unfolding, stating, “It’s like my three biggest dreams all coming true in two weeks, after, you know, five years of running for it.”
The new satellite clinic in Sudbury will be located at the WELL Health clinic on Larch Street. Dr. Garcia emphasized that patients will not be under any obligation to continue treatment at MFC if they choose another fertility clinic. MFC is committed to ensuring that all patients in northern Ontario can access IVF services, regardless of the clinic they choose.
Plans for the Sudbury clinic’s launch are underway, with hopes to begin offering IVF services by spring 2025. The clinic is currently in the process of hiring a nurse and setting up equipment.
Higgins, now a mother, continues to advocate for others struggling with infertility, sharing her success story to provide hope. “When I was in it, I found a lot of times I was googling success stories and that was what gave me a lot of hope. So that’s why I’m continuing to share my story,” she said. “I hope that people see me as an unlikely success story, and if they choose to continue treatment, that they find some inspiration and hope.”
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