Experienced Team at Heartland Fertility Opens State-of-the-Art Fertility and IVF Centre

Anna Almojuela talks about her 8-month-old baby daughter, Elyanna, with all the warmth and gratitude of a mom who always wanted to be a parent yet struggled with fertility issues. In 2022, Anna and her husband Rezan, underwent In vitro fertilization, also called IVF, where an egg is combined with sperm in a lab.  

Under the careful guidance of the experienced medical team at Winnipeg’s Heartland Fertility clinic, the second round of treatment worked and Anna and her husband, became the parents they had always intended to be. 

Almojuela emphasized that having access to fertility care and treatment expertise in Manitoba made the process so much easier. Almojuela said, “The medical team and nurses were all very supportive along our fertility journey. When things become emotionally heavy and unknown, it helps to have such a caring team who is always available to answer any questions and explain the complexity of each step.” Almojuela added, “Most, if not all fertility treatments are time sensitive. So having a fertility clinic within close distance made all the difference.” 

Anna and Rezan Almojuela and their daughter Elyanna with Dr. Gord McTavish

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, one in six people deal with infertility, a number that has doubled since the 1980’s. To assist more people along their personal fertility journey, Heartland Fertility is expanding the size and scope of its clinic, reducing wait times, and offering a wider range of services and treatments – including third-party reproduction services, which is assisted reproduction involving a surrogate or an egg or sperm donor.  

A new state-of-the-art, full-service clinic and IVF centre is now open in the Tuxedo Business Park. The IVF centre includes a fully equipped embryology and andrology laboratory utilizing the latest innovative technologies to ensure every patient’s best chance of success with a healthy pregnancy and baby. The expanded medical team will be able to see more patients and perform more treatments. Wait time to see a fertility specialist was previously up to a year long and with the new centre is now only a few weeks. The new facility also features a hysteroscopy suite and skilled staff to provide the non-invasive hysteroscopy procedure which is vital to diagnosis of gynecologic issues, representing an important part of the practice’s commitment to supporting the region’s hospitals by freeing up their operating room capacity. 

Dr. Gordon McTavish, Founder and Medical Director as well as a reproductive specialist, said their team’s mission is to help more intended parents reach their family goals. McTavish emphasized, “With that at our core, we’re taking the next step in our growth to expand our ability to serve more patients from across Manitoba and beyond. We are also providing them with the most leading-edge innovations in treatment, and ultimately, helping more families achieve their dreams of parenthood.” 

Carolynn Dubé, Executive Director of Fertility Matters Canada, says research has shown that psychological burden is the number one reason why people stop their fertility care and treatments. Having a full-service clinic in Manitoba that offers broad access will make the entire process so much easier for intended parents. Dubé remarked, “The fertility journey can be long and very challenging for many; Heartland Fertility’s commitment to improving the landscape of fertility services in Manitoba will positively impact the experience of all fertility patients in that province and beyond.”

Marla Warnick agrees. Marla and her wife, Alana, underwent Intrauterine insemination at Heartland Fertility, called IUI for short, where sperm is placed directly into the uterus. Their third round of treatment worked and Marla and her wife, Alana, became the parents they had always intended to be. Four and a half years ago, they welcomed their son, Smith, into the world.  

Warnick emphasized, “Heartland Fertility is very welcoming to same sex partners and their staff were awesome! Having a fertility clinic in our home province lessened the emotional experience of undergoing fertility treatment.” Warnick added, “The province’s very generous Fertility Tax Treatment Credit also meant we also were able to receive up to 40% of our treatment back in a tax credit which was very helpful.” 

Marla Warnick, her wife Alana and their son Smith

About Heartland Fertility:

Since its inception in 1997, Heartland Fertility has been recognized as the leader in fertility care in Manitoba and has helped grow more than 15,000 families. Offering a broad range of assisted reproduction services and treatments, its world-class physician team includes six (6) reproductive medicine and fertility specialists. Heartland Fertility patients are also accompanied throughout their journey by highly trained nurses, embryologists, and caring staff to coordinate the details of their care, all of whom are eager to support where and whenever needed. In early 2024 Heartland Fertility opened a new state-of-the-art, full-service clinic and IVF centre spanning 15,000 square feet and including an advanced embryology and andrology laboratory, as well as a hysteroscopy suite for diagnosis of gynecologic issues. More details can be found at Heartland Fertility.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:

Nicole Harris

Solv Communications

Cell: 204.470.4555