“A bend in the road is not the end of the road, unless you do not make the turn.”

Welcome

Welcome to Informed Fertility – a counselling practice specifically designed to support individuals, couples and groups in their family building goals. Dara (the Founder of Informed Fertility and Lead Practitioner) and Blair (a full-time Practitioner) are committed to supporting people experiencing primary or secondary infertility, as well as those seeking assisted fertility options for reasons other than infertility (i.e. sexual orientation/gender identity, relationship status, or underlying medical conditions unrelated to reproduction).

We believe strongly that having a child is a basic right of choice and work thoughtfully and purposefully within an inclusive and anti-discriminatory framework. Whether you are trying to conceive at home or through a fertility clinic, are struggling after trying on your own, or knowing you need help from the start, we are here to support you.

We offer support to anyone who comes to us in their journey to become a parent or to expand their family, those who are looking for support after completing their family, and those whose dream it is to help someone else have a baby. We are available to support friends and family wishing to better understand and comfort loved ones, or to support you through a new phase of life once your family is complete. And for those who have decided to move on from treatments into a new and unexpected pathway, we are here for you as well.

In all these cases, we are here to answer your questions, help you navigate complex emotions and decisions, assuage your concerns, and help you step into the life that’s waiting for you.

Informed Fertility is based in Toronto, Ontario, and has capacity to support clients residing in Ontario, Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as people from around the world coming to Toronto for treatment. We work closely with well-respected clinics, fertility specialists, reproductive lawyers, supporting agencies and community organizations, as well as other professionals, in assisting our clients navigate the complexities of the assisted fertility journey.

Our Professional Team

Dara Roth Edney

(she/her)

Dara Roth Edney (MSW, RSW) is a Reproductive Counsellor, psychotherapist and founder of Informed Fertility. She practices full-time in the field of fertility, assisting people as they go through some of the hardest times of their lives, and supporting those who require outside intervention in what for others, is a private and intimate experience.

Dara has been practicing social work since 2000, and her focus includes reproductive counselling and mental health support, as well as research in these areas. She is committed to providing services that are inclusive, empathetic, personalized and helpful, informed by her educational background and years of clinical and research experience, and inspired by her own long journey with infertility, IVF and ultimately, surrogacy.

Learn MoreBook With Dara

Blair Wexler-Singer

(she/her)

Blair Wexler-Singer (MSW, RSW) is a social worker and psychotherapist registered in the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, practicing in the field of reproductive counselling. She has a certificate in Perinatal Grief and Loss, and has extensive familiarity working with people who have endured trauma, grief and loss, addiction, mental illness and attachment challenges. With over 15 years’ experience in family and child services, Blair is highly skilled at developing and implementing psycho-educational training workshops and is well versed in conducting mandatory assessments for prospective foster, kinship, and adopting families. She was most recently the Foster Care Coordinator at Jewish Family & Child Service (JF&CS), where she provided mentorship and family support to both foster and adopt families.
Learn MoreBook With Blair

Our Administrative
SUPPORT

Amanda and Hannah are the amazing women behind the computers and phones at Informed Fertility, managing all the administrative (and animal wrangling!) duties of our group counselling practice. While Amanda is the main point of client contact, Hannah is always working in the background, so you may hear from her occasionally as well.
LEARN MORE

General Counselling Support

Emotional and informational/educational support for Intended Parents, Donors and Surrogates
Read More

Implications Counselling & Reports

Required counselling and reports for Intended Parents in advance of treatment
Read More

Pregnancy, Parenting or Moving on

Emotional support for new life stages, after experiencing infertility or loss
Read More

Donor and Surrogate Assessments

Required assessments and reports for donors and surrogates in advance of cycles
Read More

Support for Family, Friends & Donor Conceived Adults

Emotional and practical support for loved ones and donor conceived adults
Read More

Group Counselling and Mediation

Counselling support, group facilitation and mediation for parties of 2+
Read More

BOOK NOW

Dara Talks to Patients Videos and Podcasts

Peer Support

You are not alone

Experiencing infertility or reproductive loss, or accessing assisted fertility options as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, or as a single person can be an emotional and overwhelming experience. While this can often feel isolating and leave you with many questions, you are not alone. Various support groups facilitated by professionals as well as by peers, are available, for free or a small fee.
LEARN MORE

USEFUL LINKS AND RESOURCES

Helpful websites and books

Experiencing infertility or reproductive loss, accessing assisted fertility options as part of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, or as a single person can be an emotional and overwhelming experience, leading to many questions. It is important to depend on accurate information from reliable sources when searching for answers, and to have a good starting place when looking for books for yourself or your young children..
LEARN MORE

Memberships and Associations

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND OUR PROMISE

One of the ways we manage stress in our lives is by spending time outside in nature, around trees and water, feeling the sun above us, wind around us, and a sense of being connected to the earth below our feet. We are privileged to live in Toronto with easy access to beautiful local ravines, forested trails, countless rivers and of course, Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes. In contemplating how rejuvenating time in nature is to our mental and physical health, it is important to us that we acknowledge the history of this land, the impact of settlers, in particular, our profession as social workers, and our own responsibility moving forward.

Toronto is the traditional territory of many Indigenous nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit. Read more…