1. Objectifs

Intentions :
«In order to capture the extent to which access to infertility treatment reached marginalized populations such as immigrants to Canada, the present report examines the overall socio-demographic characteristics of Canadian-born patients and those born outside Canada as well as in relation to the advent of public funding of IVF [in vitro fertilization].» (p. 1034)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’étude est basée sur la participation de 3573 personnes (1903 femmes) en couple hétérosexuel vivant au Québec.

Instruments :
Questionnaire

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«Patients born outside Canada comprised almost half of the patients surveyed in our study; given that immigrants make up 37.6% among adults aged 25–44 in the Montreal area, they appear to be over-represented in the fertility patient sample that we studied. The fact that immigrant patients sought fertility treatment in such large numbers may reflect the high value placed upon children in their countries of origin. [Immigrants] were less likely to seek treatment for secondary infertility compared to Canadian-born patients. This was particularly true of immigrants who had been resident in Canada for 5 years or less. As length of stay in Canada increases, immigrants appear to exhibit rates of secondary infertility and employment that resemble those of Canadian-born patients. This suggests that acculturation may be playing a role in access to fertility treatment among first-generation Canadians. It is also possible that among Canadian-born patients and more established immigrants, public funding permitted them to consider expanding their families, while for more recent and lower income immigrant patients, such coverage permitted them to seek treatment for the first time.» (p. 1038)