A new national survey from Twig Fertility reveals the emotional, navigational, and systemic barriers Canadians face on their path to parenthood.
TORONTO, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Twig Fertility releases the findings of a comprehensive Canadian survey highlighting the emotional, navigational and systemic experiences of those on fertility journeys. The survey findings bring together data that has often existed in fragments, offering a clearer national picture of what Canadians on fertility journeys experience, from the moment concern first emerges to the emotional weight carried long after care begins.
Twig Fertility’s comprehensive Canadian survey highlights the emotional, navigational and systemic experiences that shape each personal fertility journey.
Infertility affects one in six Canadians, yet for the majority of those navigating a fertility journey, the path to care remains poorly marked, emotionally isolating, and far longer than it needs to be. As conversations about reproductive health become more visible in Canada, a critical gap persists: Canadians know they may need help, but too many don't know where to begin, and by the time they do, they wish they had started sooner.
"As fertility specialists, we see the profound emotional toll that comes with infertility in our clinics every single day. This data confirms the extent of that emotional weight - the anxiety, the grief, and the feelings of not knowing where to turn," says Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman, Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder, Twig Fertility. "This data highlights the need to meet people earlier in their fertility journeys and help them access care in a timely way. Twig’s approach to transparent, compassionate care is designed to address their family-building goals proactively in addition to supporting them when challenges arise."
Delayed Fertility Care Leaves Most Canadians With Lasting Regret
The data reveals a pervasive and widespread sense of regret around timing. Sixty seven per cent of Canadians on a fertility journey wish they had sought help or information sooner, including 29% who say they wish they had acted significantly sooner. The majority waited: 70% of respondents waited four or more months before taking any action on their fertility concerns, and one in eight waited more than two years.
Notably, this regret cuts across generations: 68.5% of Canadians aged 25–29 wish they had sought fertility help sooner, a figure similar to older cohorts (72.6%), further reflecting broader data showing that younger Canadians are increasingly thinking about family planning, even if they don't yet know how to act on it.
For many, the delay isn't a lack of concern. It's a lack of direction.
What Canadians Don’t Know About Fertility is Costing Them Time
The navigational burden is equally significant. One in three Canadians cited "not knowing where to start" as their single biggest barrier, the top-ranked difficulty by a wide margin. Three in five Canadians entered fertility care without a solid understanding of their treatment options.
The barriers that followed were equally telling: 32.5% said they weren't sure their concerns were serious enough to act on, and 25.2% said they were worried about what they might find out.
"This data reflects what we often see in the clinic. Patients waited months, sometimes years, because they didn't know where to turn,” Dr. Alice Buwembo, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Specialist and Medical Director, Twig Vancouver, says. “So many patients still feel like their concerns aren’t serious enough, and it’s costing people time they can't get back. In reality, no concern about fertility is too small. We’re working from a compassionate, patient-first approach to reduce that uncertainty at Twig and to be the resource that meets people where they are on their fertility journey."
Together, these findings point to a population that wants to engage with their reproductive health but lacks access to resources that are both medically credible and emotionally accessible.
Twig’s medical teams have long been privy to these anecdotal stories, with patients expressing not knowing where to begin or feeling their concerns weren’t serious enough.
Suffering in Silence: The Unspoken Emotional Cost of Fertility Delays
Beyond timing and navigation, the data underscores the profound emotional burden of the fertility journey. Eighty per cent of Canadians on a fertility journey experienced at least one negative emotion, including anxiety, overwhelm, grief, or shame. Yet for most, these feelings were carried privately. Sixty eight per cent of Canadians kept their fertility journey private from at least one person in their life, most often their wider social circle, parents, or colleagues.
Among those who stayed silent, 31.9% didn't want unsolicited advice or opinions, 27.8% felt the topic was too personal to share, and 21.9% worried about being judged.
The result is a largely invisible struggle: widespread, deeply felt, and rarely spoken about openly.
"We started Twig because we lived this patient experience: the uncertainty, the lack of control, the isolation of feeling alone in something so many people go through," says Tanner Kohara, Co-Founder and President, Twig Fertility. "These numbers are striking, but they're not surprising to us. This survey confirms what we've long believed: people deserve better support, clearer guidance, and the freedom to talk about fertility without shame."
Twig’s co-founders (pictured left to right) Tanner Kohara, Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman, and Zach Shapiro, built Twig on the foundations that Canadian fertility care could be better.
Twig Fertility released this data as part of its ongoing commitment to increasing access, awareness, and education around reproductive health in Canada. Twig supports every path to parenthood, from family building and IVF to fertility preservation and reproductive health, across clinics in Toronto and Vancouver, with transparent pricing, no referral required, and no waitlist for funded IVF in Ontario. The full survey findings are available at twigfertility.com.
About the Study
The findings are based on a national online survey of 320 qualified Canadians (ages 25–50) who have taken at least one step related to fertility care, from conversations with a doctor to IVF. Fielded via CINT in April 2026, the survey explored barriers to action, disclosure behaviour, emotional experiences, and the experience of navigating the care system. The survey's topline findings carry a margin of error of approximately ±5.4 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Subgroup findings, including age-based comparisons (n=50–73 per group), carry a wider margin of error of approximately ±11–13 percentage points and should be interpreted directionally. Full findings available here.
About Twig Fertility
Twig Fertility is a modern fertility and reproductive health company, offering fertility treatment, fertility preservation, comprehensive reproductive genetic counselling and testing, and wellness services. With three clinics and over 130 team members across all locations, Twig combines hospitality, technology, and medical expertise to deliver an innovative, elevated fertility care experience for its patients. Visit twigfertility.com to learn more.
Media Contact
Chloe Villeneuve
Senior Account Manager
chloe@cleosocial.com
Photos accompanying this announcement are available at
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