Manulife data shows employers face rising fertility use while most plans stop at medication
Most Canadians who use fertility treatment still pay most of the bill themselves, even though claims for fertility drugs under workplace plans are climbing.
Manulife Canada data shows claims for fertility medications rose by 21 percent over the past five years, pointing to higher use of fertility care across the country.
At the same time, coverage through Manulife Group Benefits plans remains concentrated on drugs: 56 percent of employers include fertility medication, but fewer than 1 percent cover fertility clinic treatments.
One in vitro fertilization cycle in Canada can cost about $10,000–20,000, and because patients often need more than one attempt, many families pay large out-of-pocket costs.
Jennifer Foubert, head of product at Manulife Group Benefits, said infertility affects “one in six Canadian families” and that the experience is often “marked by fear, anxiety, and financial strain.”
She said fertility coverage can “relieve some of the pressure” and “fundamentally change how people experience this chapter of their lives,” including the everyday decisions around treatment.
Statistics Canada reports that Canadians are having children later and at lower rates than in previous decades.
The average age of mothers at first birth reached 31.8 years in 2024, up from 26.7 years in 1976, which raises the likelihood of age-related fertility issues.
Canada’s total fertility rate dropped to 1.26 births per woman in 2023, below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Within Manulife Group Benefits claims over the past five years, use of fertility drugs among women aged 25–34 increased by 13.5 percent, while use among women aged 35–44 rose by 24 percent.
Manulife says this points to a gap between what many families face and what typical workplace plans currently fund.
Canada has no national framework for IVF and other fertility services, and provincial and territorial coverage varies.
In that environment, decisions about whether and how to include fertility benefits fall largely to individual plan sponsors.
For employers that opt in to fertility coverage within Manulife Group Benefits plans, the company recommends at least $15,000 per lifetime per family, with some employers choosing up to $50,000 per lifetime per family.
Ashesh Desai, head of Group Benefits at Manulife Canada, said “group benefits plans have a unique opportunity to better reflect families today.”
With more Canadians relying on fertility care, he said workplaces influence how employees experience this “defining chapter” of their lives.
He added that when coverage reflects that reality, fertility care becomes part of “a broader life journey,” supporting people beyond work and “in moments that stay with them for years to come.”
