The reason the Strudwick family approached Carrie Doll and CTV News with their story was to help give other families facing the same obstacles hope, and help, in handling the sometimes overwhelming obstacle in having a family.

“If you [want to be] a parent, and you’re struggling to have a kid, how do you become aware of these options?” Doll said. “It’s overwhelming just talking about them. That’s what they were faced with when they started to battle infertility.

“What options exist? Where do you go? What’s an egg donor? Where do you get sperm donation done? Is there funding available?”

Options for adoption in Alberta

There are four options for Alberta parents choosing to adopt a child:

  • Government adoption – about 200 children are available for adoption through the Children in Government Care program, there is no fee involved, and adoptive parents are eligible for funding
  • Licensed adoption agencies – through four licensed adoption agencies are available in Alberta
  • International adoptions – an international adoption agency can be used by parents looking to adopt a child from outside of Canada
  • Private Direct Adoption – where the birth parents make a direct placement with the family they choose

To adopt through one of the licensed adoption agencies available, the process can cost up to $12,000 - but that is only for legal and social work leading up to the adoption.

International adoption can cost up to $25,000, it's more expensive because it involves coordinating different levels of government, and immigration.

IVF with an Egg Donor

The couple ended up having their egg donation procedure done in Seattle, where the entire procedure could be done in one place – costing about $25,000 – similar to what the cost to have it done in Edmonton would have been, as it’s not insured in Canada.

In Canada, egg donation is allowed – but there are only two options to obtain donated eggs:

  • Altruistic donation, where the eggs are given as a gift from a friend, or family member
  • Purchased from outside of Canada, as paying for human tissue, including eggs, is not allowed

To have the same procedure done in Edmonton would cost between $15,000 and $20,000 – depending on the cost of the eggs.

Currently, there are about 900 couples on the waiting list for IVF treatment in Edmonton – with an eight month wait.