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Background
Keywords
Findings
Authors
What is already known on this subject?
What does this study add?

Background

The demand for therapies to assist conception is growing in a number of countries including Canada. This study provides estimates of the number and characteristics of couples who sought medical help for conception and identifies the interventions and/or techniques they used.

Data and Methods

The data are from the Infertility Component of the 2009/2010 Canadian Community Health Survey. The analysis examines couples in which the woman was aged 18 to 44, resulting in 3,656 respondents. Percentages, means and confidence intervals were calculated. Two logistic regression models were run to estimate associations between socio-demographic characteristics and seeking medical help to conceive.

Results

About three in four couples reported having tried to become pregnant. Of these, 15% had sought medical help for conception. Among those who had sought help for conception, 68% reported tracking the menstrual cycle and ovulation; 42% reported using fertility-enhancing drugs; 19% reported using assisted reproductive techniques; and 29% reported "other" medical treatment.

Interpretation

Given the trend toward delayed childbearing, the demand for medical help to conceive may be greater in the future.

Keywords

Assisted reproductive techniques, fertility, infertility, pregnancy

Findings

Since 1990, the percentage of married or cohabitating women in Canada who report that they intend to have a child has hovered around 92%. Recent studies, however, have found that 4% to 17% of couples in industrialized countries experience an involuntary absence of conception lasting at least 12 months. In Canada, the prevalence of past-12-month infertility rose from 5% in 1984 to a range of 12% to 16% in 2009/2010. [Full Text]

Authors

Tracey Bushnik (613-951-2301; tracey.bushnik@statcan.gc.ca) is with the Health Analysis Division at Statistics Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6. Jocelynn Cook is with the University of Ottawa.  Edward Hughes is with Mc Master University. Suzanne Tough is with the University of Calgary.

What is already known on this subject?

  • Demand for medical therapies to help conception is growing in a number of countries, including Canada.
  • Data about the use of methods to improve the chance of conception, such as assistive reproductive techniques (ART) and fertility-enhancing drugs, are limited.
  • In Canada, an increasing number of couples are delaying childbirth.

What does this study add?

  • The 2009/2010 Canadian Community Health Survey is the first national population-based survey to ask about ART use.
  • In 2009/2010, slightly more than three in four couples with a female partner aged 18 to 44 reported having tried to become pregnant at some point during their relationship; of these, 15%  reported seeking medical help for conception.
  • Most (61%) couples who sought medical help reported using only one method.
  • Those who reported using ART or fertility-enhancing drugs were more likely to report at least one additional method than were those who reported "other" medical treatment or tracking ovulation.