Minds on.

Children: Yes or No?

This is the discussion icon. Fertility Coin

Flip the fertility coin below.

If you're working on a tablet, click here to open the following interactive in its own window instead of using the embedded version below.

Consider your thoughts on the fertility coin toss results. Respond to the following questions.

  • Do you want to have children?
  • Was your coin toss result consistent with your wishes?
  • While the coin toss is a fictitious activity, how might you feel if it was real?
  • What emotions might someone experience if their fertility reality was different than their wishes? That is, how might it feel if you do not want children and then find out you are having a child? Or, how might it feel to want children and then find out it is not possible for you?
Action.

Reproduction

As we have discussed throughout this course, one of the functions of families is reproduction. When an individual or couple decide that they are ready to have children, they often consider a number of factors to determine their readiness.

This is the Think About It icon. Think About It...

What factors do you think would influence an individual’s or couple’s decision to have children?

Factors that Influence Reproduction

There are many factors that individuals and couples consider when deciding to have children. There are also social trends that influence Canadian’s choices regarding the decision to have children.

Take a look at the articles below to explore, in greater depth, the factors that influence reproduction in Canada.

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Safe Space

The articles you are about to read contain information that may be sensitive to some students. Topics such as birth control and abortion will be discussed.

Choose and read three of the articles below. If you want to view any links in these pdfs, right click and select "Open Link in New Tab" to avoid leaving this page.

This is the discussion icon. Trends in Reproduction

After reading three of the articles above, which two trends do you think have the most significant impact on the decision to have children? Explain your thoughts using data from the readings as support.

This is an image of a house with a heart above the chimney.

Safe Space

The information that may arise in discussions may evoke strong emotions in some students. Review our guidelines for a safe and respectful classroom environment.

Demographic Data: Fertility in Canada

Having choices is liberating for Canadians. Naturally, more choices reflect greater changes in Canadian demographics. When discussing reproduction, the terms often used in demographic data are: fertility, and infertility.

Take a look at the following resources to determine the patterns and trends in demographic data related to Canadian fertility. If you want to view any links in these pdfs, right click and select "Open Link in New Tab" to avoid leaving this page.

the ability to produce offspring.

not capable of producing offspring.

This is the dropbox icon. Demographic Trends and Fertility

Using the information in the articles and video above, complete the following:

  • Identify 5 demographic trends in the data, and specify the source of the data using APA style formatting.
  • Speculate on the significance or implication of these trends for Canadian families.

Infertility

Given recent social trends, such as increased education levels, delayed marriage, and delayed childbearing, individuals and couples are often shocked to learn that they cannot have children or that having children is not as easy as they had might have thought.

One in every four couples in developing countries had been found to be affected by infertility.

Families that are faced with infertility have a number of options.

This is an image of a house with a heart above the chimney.

Safe Space

For the remainder of this activity, you are going to focus on assisted reproductive technologies and fertility treatments. This in no way implies that it is a better or more desirable option for building a family.

Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART)

According to the World Health Organization clinical definition, "Infertility is the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve pregnancy in one year". Couples that wish to have children may still achieve a pregnancy with assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The treatment suggested would depend on the particular medical issue that the partners face. Within each of the technologies shown, couples have the option of having donors (for sperm or egg) or surrogates for sustaining a pregnancy, meaning that a woman will act as the birth mother for a family.

Below is a list of common assisted reproductive technologies summarized in a chart for you. This is not an exhaustive list. There are new technologies frequently being introduced.

means taking the place of.

ART Description
In vitro Fertilization (IVF)

  • Is assisted reproduction in which fertilization takes place in vitro or “in glass”

  • The man’s sperm and woman’s egg are combined in a Petri dish, and the resulting embryo is transferred into a woman’s uterus

  • The embryo must still implant in the lining of a woman’s uterus for successful reproduction to occur
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)

  • A sperm is injected directly into the egg

  • This bypasses fertilization barriers that sometimes happens when a sperm does not fertilize an egg

  • The egg containing the sperm is placed in the woman’s uterus with IVF
Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer (GIFT)

  • Similar to IVF except that the sperm and eggs are mixed and injected into one or both fallopian tubes

  • After the gametes (reproductive cells) have been transferred, fertilization can take place in the fallopian tube as it does in natural, unassisted reproduction

  • Once fertilized, the embryo travels to the uterus naturally
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)

  • A woman is given fertility drugs to cause her to produce more than one egg per cycle

  • The man donates a sperm sample, and the healthiest, strongest sperm are removed from the seminal fluid and injected directly into the uterus

  • During ovulation the woman is inseminated with the man’s best sperm

  • The sperm have a greater chance of reaching the egg since they do not have to travel up the vagina

Source: Harding, M. (2017, August 04). "Infertility: A summary of treatments".

One major concern with assisted reproductive technologies, health issues not withstanding, is the financial cost. Assisted reproductive technologies are incredibly expensive. Up until 2015, there was no government funding for reproductive technologies. This meant that having a family, with the potential for a genetic link, was not possible for many Canadians. Since that time, the Ontario Fertility Program has been introduced as a way to support Ontarians as they attempt to build a family.

This is the dropbox icon. The Ontario Fertility Program

Using search engines and databases, research the Ontario Fertility Program.

  1. Describe the program features.
  2. Describe who is eligible.
  3. Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of this program for Ontario families. In your response, consider:
    • What is working and what is not?
    • Is the funding appropriate?
    • What procedures are covered?
    • Are there issues with implementation?
    • Are eligibility requirements appropriate?
    • Is the program equitable (or are some excluded)?
    • What are the limitations of the program?

This is the enrichment icon. The Cost of ART in Canada

  • Using search engines and databases, research the cost of assisted reproductive technologies in Ontario and across Canada.
  • What options are available for families willing to pay for ART that are not available through the Ontario Fertility Program?
  • What are the implications of these fees?  Do the prices exclude some families? Is the cost a financial burden for some families?
  • What role does location or geography play in the cost of of ART?

Resource

“Paying to treat infertility: Coverage varies widely across Canada”, Global News

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