World Fertility Day shines light on barriers to parenthood
By David Yin, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
For many Canadians, starting a family is more challenging than ever. With fertility rates at such lows and access to care uneven across the country, World Fertility Day on Nov. 2 is a reminder of both the obstacles and the solutions that exist for those pursuing parenthood.
After generally declining for 15 years, Canada’s total fertility rate hit a record low in 2023 of 1.26 children per woman.
Total fertility rate is the average number of children women are having in a country or region, and it shows whether the population will grow, shrink, or stay the same.
Other countries with a total fertility rate below 1.3 include South Korea, Spain, Italy, and Japan.
According to a 2025 report by the United Nations Population Fund, almost one in five adults believed that they cannot have the number of children they want. In addition, almost one in four adults felt unable to have a child at their preferred time.
The report discussed potential obstacles to having a desired number of children in an ideal time. Almost two in five adults said that financial issues would affect their ability to achieve their family goals, and nearly one in four adults said that their fears of future crises would.
According to the report, providing greater access to reproductive care can help adults plan their ideal families.
“Yet, too often, reproductive and maternal health services are simply unavailable,” the report said.
Markham Fertility Centre is increasing reproductive healthcare accessibility for people throughout Ontario.
The centre announced a partnership with NEO Women’s Health Network on July 22 to serve patients in Sudbury and the rest of Northeastern Ontario.
It also partnered with DREAM Fertility in Whitby and Horizon Fertility in Orilla, while also creating a satellite centre in Innisfil.
Dr. Meivys Garcia from Markham Fertility Centre said that there is a lack of reproductive healthcare services available outside the GTA. For many patients in Northern Ontario, Markham Fertility Centre is the closest to where they live.
“I had a lot of patients in that area that were travelling for five to six hours for cycle monitoring,” she said.
The Ontario government offers a fertility funding program that covers residents for in-vitro fertilization, artificial insemination, intra-uterine insemination, and egg or sperm freezing.
However, Dr. Garcia said that Ontario could do more.
“A lot of our sexual health education is related to preventing unwanted pregnancies, which is important to do,” she said. “But there isn’t a lot of education into what is required once you want to have a pregnancy.”
Dr. Garcia noted that treatment options vary by age and circumstance. Women up to the age of 43 may try timed intercourse, intrauterine insemination, or in-vitro fertilization. Younger women who wish to delay parenthood can consider egg freezing, while older women may turn to donor eggs. Men with low sperm counts can try an intracytoplasmic sperm injection – in which a sperm cell is directly inserted into an egg cell – along with maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.
Patients are advised to consult a healthcare professional before pursuing any medical procedure.
“It is not a lifestyle choice,” Dr. Garcia said about infertility. “It is a disease, like heart disease, lung disease, or anything else.”
To learn more about World Fertility Day, head to https://www.worldfertilityday.com/.
Photo: After generally declining for 15 years, Canada’s total fertility rate hit a record low in 2023 of 1.26 children per woman.