Canadians rely on programs through their workplaces to help ease the financial burden of fertility challenges, according to Michelle Chidley, co-founder and chair at Fertility Alberta Advocacy and Outreach Association and principal at Aisling Communications Inc.
In a session supported by EMD Serono Inc. during Benefits Canada’s 2025 Vancouver Benefits Summit, she said a sixth of all people of reproductive age — regardless of geography or socioeconomics — will face challenges to conceive and nearly two million people are affected by infertility in Canada.
Read: PwC Canada supporting employees with enhanced fertility, surrogacy benefits
Medically diagnosed infertility affects males and females equally, noted Chidley, although females usually carry most of the fertility care burden. Indeed, as women age, their ability to conceive declines and miscarriage rates increase. The average age of first-time mothers in Canada has been increasing steadily for the past five decades, she said, with in vitro fertilization pregnancies and births increasing by 20 per cent since 2013.
Beyond infertility, individuals can require fertility care for reasons such as single parenthood by choice, LGBTQ2S+ family building, genetic disorders and testing, as well as fertility preservation.
Canada has a patchwork of provincial and territorial programs that provide some financial support, noted Chidley, but no jurisdiction provides enough support to cover all of the costs. “It’s encouraging that we’re seeing progress in the amount of companies offering fertility benefits and that those benefits are becoming more flexible and robust.”
Adding fertility benefits can positively impact a company’s attraction and retention, she added. According to a 2023 survey by Carrot Fertility, 42 per cent of employees said a lack of fertility benefits is a deal breaker when accepting a new job and 88 per cent would change jobs to work for a company with fertility benefits.
Read: 42% of global employees say lack of employer-provided fertility benefits is a ‘deal breaker:’ survey
Pregnancy and childbirth are celebrated and highly visible, said Chidley, yet fertility challenges are often invisible and silent. Employees face mental-health stressors due to these challenges, including feeling unable to confide in employers due to the fear of job loss, being overlooked for promotions and missing work for appointments.
Fertility benefits don’t increase costs for employers, she said, though one of the biggest perceived barriers is that IVF coverage will lead to high-cost claims. She shared data from Mercer that showed 97 per cent of employers reported fertility benefits haven’t resulted in a significant increase in plan costs.
However, plan design is key, said Chidley, highlighting guidelines such as drug and treatment coverage, considering lifetime maximums instead of annual, limiting the dollar benefit and the number of IVF cycles, considering age caps over 45 years old and implementing a minimum one-year tenure with an employer before fertility benefits apply.
Read more coverage of the 2025 Vancouver Benefits Summit.