Getting our little boys to Toronto
Now that we have our semen deposited and they are sitting frozen at Monash IVF, we had to choose which shipping company will be good enough for our little boys to rely on to get to the other side of the world. We researched and also asked CReATe Fertility Centre which companies they recommend. We got to speak with two companies and we got quotes and info from them.
IVF Couriers
Website: www.ivfcouriers.com
Contact person: Pam Matthews, Senior Embryologist & Consultant – Australasia
Pamplet download here.
Some info from them:
We are specialists in the cryogenic transfer of all types of reproductive cells across the globe and, ever since our first assignment over 6 years ago, we have a 100% record of safe and successful deliveries to the destination laboratories. This is due to meticulous planning, stringent operating procedures, the best quality latest generation equipment, effective and well-coordinated communication, and a highly trained hand-picked team of medical couriers.
The price we can offer for our all-inclusive door-to-door hand carry service between both laboratories will depend on the quantity of cells to be transported, origin and destination cities, routing, actual date of transfer, and how far in advance we can book the air tickets. For a dedicated hand carry cryogenic transfer of sperm from Melbourne to Toronto, our all-inclusive price door-to-door between laboratories will be approximately in the range of USD 3800 to 4100. However, if you are a little flexible on the delivery date and we have the opportunity to combine or sequence your consignment with another one, we can offer you a much more economic price about 25 to 30% less.
MEDAIR
Website: www.medair.ca
Contact person: Phil Davies
Pamplet download here.
CryoShipper info download here.
Some info from them:
- We provide a fully charged dry shipper (cryogenic) and send this to the fertility clinic where the samples are stored.
- We would then collect the samples in the dry shipper and send to the receiving clinic.
- We use direct flights wherever possible, not consolidating with other shipments.
- The shipment is then physically inspected during the transportation security screening process rather than x-rayed.
- Each shipment is individually monitored and handled at all times.
- Medair takes care of the complete door to door service, including documentation & customs clearance.
- We normally require approx 2 weeks advance notice of a proposed shipment, to prepare a dry shipper and obtain all the necessary paperwork. (This is subject to the co-operation received from the clinics in obtaining pertinent documentation).
- Transit time is normally 48hrs, door to door, once the dry shipper is filled and prepared for export.
Estimate of charges:
$1,950USD
Temperature data-recorder if requested: $250.00USD
Our charges include:
– Rental and shipping of the dry shipper to the pick-up site
– Shipping of the samples door to door
– Shipping the empty dry shipper back to our nearest office after completion
CReATe Fertility Centre recommended MEDAIR as they have dealt with MEDAIR for a while now. I found IVF Couriers online. MEDAIR is cheaper than IVF Couriers but IVF Couriers uses a dedicated person from beginning to end. There are no third parties handling the shipment with IVF Couriers. So which one did we choose? We decided to go with MEDAIR as they have not failed to deliver for other customers before. We thought long and hard if the temperature data-recorder is required and decided not to go with that option. That is only for when things go wrong, the records will be able to show at which stage of the transport it went wrong.
So we paid our US$1,950 and off our boys went from Monah IVF in Melbourne to CReATe Fertility Centre in Toronto! Happy flying, kids!
