Quebec-funded fertility treatment could face new hurdles

Quebec couples will be asked to spend a few years trying in the bedroom before heading through the doors of a fertility clinic under new legislation.

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To comply with the Quebec government's proposedBill 20, couples who want to have a child and fear they may be infertile must first try sex without contraception for a fixed period of up to three years before qualifying for provincially-funded IVF treatment.

After that, they will be allowed to knock on the door of a fertility clinic to obtain in vitro fertilization.

According to information obtained by The Canadian Press, the province'sHealth Minister Gatan Barrette will require couples to try for a period of between one and three years under the legislation, depending on the age of the woman involved.

Younger women will be asked to try for longer before undergoing treatment.

The government will have to rely on the good faith of patients, since it will be impossible to verify whether coupleshave tried for the prescribed time before seeking treatment.