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Seeking medical help to conceive

Publication: Health Reports 2012:23(4) www.statcan.gc.ca/healthreports

Authors: Tracey Bushnik, Jocelynn Cook, Edward Hughes and Suzanne Tough

Data: Infertility component of the 2009/2010 Canadian Community Health Survey

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 ide ntifies the interventions and/or techniques they used.

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.

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.

Full article

For more information about this article, please contact Tracey Bushnik (1-613-951-2301; tracey.bushnik@statcan.gc.ca), Health Analysis Division, Statistics Canada.