Anova Fertility (Guelph)

My experience with Anova was incredibly disappointing. I was given clear instructions to call at the start of my cycle so tests could be scheduled. I left a message, followed up multiple times over the next few days, and was repeatedly told a nurse would contact me - even that my request was marked “urgent.” Weeks later, I never received a single call back. For a fertility clinic, where timing is critical and patients are already under stress, this level of communication failure is unacceptable. Waiting another month may not seem like a big deal to them, but it absolutely is for patients. Unfortunately, I’ve lost confidence in their care and will be going elsewhere.

I had clearly informed the nurse multiple times during my visit that I did not want the Vitamin D test, as I had already completed the same test about three weeks earlier. The nurse assured me that the Vitamin D test would not be included. However, I have now received a bill for that test in the mail. When I contacted your office, I was told that nothing could be done. This is concerning because I specifically declined the test beforehand. Additionally, I had to pay $35 just to access my own lab reports…….

I was extrememly disappointed with the level of care I recevied with Anova, it seems that unless you are willing to spend money on an IUI or IVF they don't care about finding the root of your problem. Another docot looked at my medical tests from them and found something instantly that would likely help me conceive. I would not recommend at all.

If you are looking for a fertility clinic that treats you like a human being and not like a pay cheque, steer clear of Anova. Sadly, our experience made us feel like all they care about is collecting money as fast as possible. I especially advise queer couples to stay away since we shouldn’t have had to state over and over again that we are two women who are married seeking one pregnancy, rather than being billed as two individuals seeking two pregnancies. It’s not that complicated. First, I want to note that the admin staff we encountered were kind and helpful, and this is not reflective of direct service from the staff at the Waterloo or Guelph Anova locations. We did not have issues with most individual people, but rather with processes as a whole. Our first negative experience with Anova is that they schedule at any location, despite asking to be seen where we live. I was told to be in Toronto the next day, for procedures that can be completed at their Waterloo location. They were using an app where they did not respond to messages and it was hard to obtain information about the tests we completed. I asked several questions and received no response. They aren’t transparent unless you pay a fee. You pay for your full cycle monitoring and are then required to pay more to view your own medical information. They booked my “day 3” ultrasound on day 7 of my cycle, but continued to call it my day 3 - I am sure there is a difference in results between day 3 and day 7. Our main issues are how they handle their billing and communication. They did not seem to understand that my wife and I are a couple and are not seeking two separate pregnancies. Or at least their systems are not set up for two women seeking reciprocal IVF and one pregnancy. After our appointment with the doctor, they immediately sent my wife an invoice for IUI and me an invoice for IVF. The doctor sped through the appointment, did not question any of our test results - ie. flags for Endometriosis and PCOS from my wife’s results and symptoms, into which our new clinic promptly scheduled further investigation. The doctor didn’t even bother to explain much at all. If we didn’t ask, we didn’t receive information. We also had to ask for a print off of notes, in which I was referred to as “partner” and not by my name. I was sitting in the room when the doctor wrote this - the least they can do is use our names. I felt like they are taking advantage of people’s desire to build their families by making us feel rushed and immediately invoiced to pay fees before even deciding on our family building process. Then came the ongoing invoicing - the final straw for us. My wife and I separately received at least 8 invoices for embryo storage fees. We had not even begun our IVF process, let alone had embryos to store. Over and over, we were both sent separate invoices for the same thing (again, we are a couple seeking ONE pregnancy) with no information as to why. It takes several days to get a response from their billing department. Finally, someone emailed and said to ignore them as we won’t have to pay until we begin the process. Why send them in the first place, why was that not communicated to us prior to sending endless invoices and overdue notices? Even after directly telling Anova that we no longer wish to be patients - my wife received another invoice stating that we would be SENT TO COLLECTIONS. I want to note that the admin staff was helpful in trying to resolve this mistake. We have opted out of a funded IVF cycle with Anova. Thankfully, we have found another clinic that is like night and day in comparison. We would rather pay out of pocket for IVF at a better clinic than be patients at Anova Fertility. We spent the last several months just feeling like a drop in their bucket of money. Anova, I urge you to improve your processes - listen to and care about your patients, treat them as more than invoices, or you may continue to lose them.

Loved my experience with Anova. The staff were all great, positive & friendly. Made the journey hopeful. Cayla especially was an amazing. Always a positive interaction and energy with her, which contributed so much to the frequent appointments. Extremely grateful to have conceived our child with Anova, after 3 years of infertility. Highly recommend choosing Anova for your fertility journey.