Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2012 Mar;27(3):738-46.
doi: 10.1093/humrep/der465. Epub 2012 Jan 17.

Estimating the prevalence of infertility in Canada

Tracey Bushnik  1 , Jocelynn L Cook, A Albert Yuzpe, Suzanne Tough, John Collins
Affiliations

Estimating the prevalence of infertility in Canada

Tracey Bushnik et al. Hum Reprod. 2012 Mar.

Erratum in

  • Hum Reprod. 2013 Apr;28(4):1151

Abstract

Background: Over the past 10 years, there has been a significant increase in the use of assisted reproductive technologies in Canada, however, little is known about the overall prevalence of infertility in the population. The purpose of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of current infertility in Canada according to three definitions of the risk of conception.

Methods: Data from the infertility component of the 2009-2010 Canadian Community Health Survey were analyzed for married and common-law couples with a female partner aged 18-44. The three definitions of the risk of conception were derived sequentially starting with birth control use in the previous 12 months, adding reported sexual intercourse in the previous 12 months, then pregnancy intent. Prevalence and odds ratios of current infertility were estimated by selected characteristics.

Results: Estimates of the prevalence of current infertility ranged from 11.5% (95% CI 10.2, 12.9) to 15.7% (95% CI 14.2, 17.4). Each estimate represented an increase in current infertility prevalence in Canada when compared with previous national estimates. Couples with lower parity (0 or 1 child) had significantly higher odds of experiencing current infertility when the female partner was aged 35-44 years versus 18-34 years. Lower odds of experiencing current infertility were observed for multiparous couples regardless of age group of the female partner, when compared with nulliparous couples.

Conclusions: The present study suggests that the prevalence of current infertility has increased since the last time it was measured in Canada, and is associated with the age of the female partner and parity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of current infertility by age group of female partner, according to three definitions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of current infertility by parity and age group of female partner, according to three definitions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Abdi H. The Bonferonni and Šidák Corrections for Multiple Comparisons. In: Salkind N, editor. Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 2007.
    1. Allen VM, Wilson RD, Cheung A. Pregnancy outcomes after assisted reproductive technology. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2006;173:220–233. - PubMed
    1. Anderson K, Nisenblat V, Norman R. Lifestyle factors in people seeking infertility treatment - A review. Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2010;50:8–20. - PubMed
    1. Balakrishnan TR, Fernando R. The Prevalence of Infertility in Canada: Research Studies of the Royal Commission on New Reproductive Technologies. Ottawa: Minister of Supply and Services Canada; 1993. Infertility among Canadians: an analysis of data from the Canadian Fertility Survey (1984) and General Social Survey (1990) pp. 107–162.
    1. Bhattacharya S, Porter M, Amalraj E, Templeton A, Hamilton M, Lee A, Kurinczuk J. The epidemiology of infertility in the North East of Scotland. Hum Reprod. 2009;24:3096–3107. - PubMed

Publication types