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For years, we've advocated for expanded IVF funding for Ontario fertility patients, and we're incredibly excited to do our part in reducing the wait list and improving access to care. This milestone brings us closer to our mission of making advanced, compassionate IVF care available to as many patients as possible.
Please read the following OFP Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about what’s included, your eligibility, and the process of receiving your funded cycle.
A funded IVF Cycle may be available if the individual:
• Is a patient at one of our Ontario clinics (Toronto, Ottawa, Sudbury)
• Has a valid Ontario Health Card (OHIP)
• Is under 43 years old at the time of treatment
• Has not already used a funded IVF cycle
No. Fertility preservation is funded separately and does not count as your one funded IVF cycle.
Note: Pollin does not offer funded fertility preservation cycles.
You must be under 43 years old on the day of your egg retrieval (OPU) and embryo transfer. If you turn 43 before either of these steps, you will no longer be eligible for funded IVF at that stage.
Yes. Wait times vary by clinic and can change depending on demand. At Pollin, only Pollin doctors can add patients to the funded IVF wait list. Eligible patients who express interest in funding will be added in order based on the date of their first consultation with a Pollin doctor.
Yes. You can join multiple clinic waitlists, but you may only sign one funding agreement. Once you sign a funding agreement or complete a funded cycle at any clinic, you cannot receive funded IVF at another clinic.
No. Funding is tied to the clinic where you signed your funding agreement. Once your cycle begins, you cannot transfer funding to a different clinic. If you have signed a funding agreement but have not yet started a cycle, you may be able to transfer your funding to Pollin.
Your funded cycle includes:
Medical care: physician and nurse assessments, consultations, and counselling
Monitoring: up to two attempts at cycle monitoring (bloodwork, urine tests, ultrasounds as required)
Procedures: one egg retrieval, sperm collection, or one surgical sperm retrieval (using approved techniques)
Lab services: embryology, ICSI, assisted hatching, blastocyst culture
Embryo care: freezing, thawing, and culture of embryos from that cycle
Transfers: single-embryo transfers of all embryos created in that funded cycle (fresh or frozen)
Yes. While the funded program covers many core services, there are ancillary costs that are not included. These are important to budget for and may vary depending on your treatment plan.
The following are outside of provincial funding and must be paid out-of-pocket or through insurance:
All medications and fertility drugs
Storage or shipping of eggs, sperm, or embryos
Purchase of donor sperm or donor eggs
Psychological or social work counselling
Optional/add-on lab tests (e.g., PGT-A, PGT-M, EMMA/ALICE, etc.)
Fees for advanced lab tools and technologies
Services for partners or donors who do not have OHIP coverage
To make sure your funded cycle runs smoothly, ancillary fees must be paid before your cycle begins. You can easily take care of this through the Pollin app.
If payment isn’t received within 30 days of your cycle start, we may need to pause your treatment and place you back on the waiting list. Our team will always reach out to support you before this happens, so you’ll have time to plan and ask any questions.
The Ontario-funded IVF program is designed to cover the essential medical steps of an IVF cycle. Ancillary costs reflect optional services, ongoing storage needs, or items outside the scope of provincial funding.
No. Fertility medications are not included. You may have partial coverage through private insurance or the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program. We recommend that medications are purchased directly from Pollin.
Our program follows a single-embryo transfer policy, meaning only one embryo can be transferred at a time. In rare cases, exceptions may be considered based on age and medical factors. Your physician will review this with you.
The intake form, for both you and your partner (if applicable) is a collection of critical medical information we need to know about you in order to provide you with the best and most efficient care possible. We ask for this information prior to your initial consultation so our physicians can review it before meeting with you.
The intake form is found and completed within the Pollin app.
Your funded cycle begins with any of the following:
An egg retrieval
A donor egg retrieval for you
Use of previously retrieved eggs
Use of previously created embryos
A funded cycle ends as soon as one of the following occurs:
Two cycle monitoring attempts with no egg retrieval
One failed egg retrieval
One failed surgical sperm retrieval with no alternate sperm source chosen
Fertilization and culture result in no viable embryos
All frozen embryos are thawed/cultured with no embryos available to transfer
All viable embryos from the cycle have been transferred or are no longer available
Cycle monitoring refers to the process after stimulation medication is started, with ultrasound and blood test monitoring leading up to an egg retrieval. Up to two monitored attempts are included in your funded cycle.
One failed egg retrieval marks the end of your funded cycle.
If fertilization and culture result in no viable embryos, the funded cycle ends.
No. You may continue with single-embryo transfers of any remaining embryos from your funded cycle. However, you will not be eligible for another funded retrieval.
Yes, if both partners have OHIP coverage. The partner undergoing the transfer must meet all eligibility criteria, including age. Donor egg retrieval is only funded if the donor also has OHIP.
Start: You thaw and transfer previously created embryos - this begins your funded cycle.
End: If two monitored stimulation attempts are cancelled before retrieval - the cycle ends.
End: Retrieval occurs, but no viable embryos are created - the cycle ends.
Ongoing: You still have embryos remaining → single transfers continue until none are left.
