The Ontario Liberals are planning to cover one cycle of IVF treatments for couples who are considered infertile. This would make Ontario the second province, after Quebec, to cover the expense of IVF. I personally think that IVF treatments should be free and I applaud the Ontario Liberals for their decision. But I do have some concerns with the proposed plan. Mainly, who counts as "infertile." Health minister Deb Matthews did not give any details on who counts as being "infertile," just that the plan will help about 4,000 people a year. I worry that fertility is a bit of a grey area. What if you're a woman who only has a 10 per cent chance of conceiving, does that make you infertile? In my mind you're not infertile, but you should still be covered because there is such a low chance of you conceiving. And will all infertile women be eligible for the treatment, regardless of their age? Women who are over 40 have a increased risk of miscarriage and other complications during pregnancy. The point of this law is to encourage safer IVF treatments. The government-covered IVF will only allow one embryo to be transferred, instead of two or three, so there is a lower risk of a couple having multiple babies. Multiples are are at a higher risk of complications like cerebral palsy. So I can't help but wonder if women over a certain age will be denied this treatment because they're at a higher risk of complications. I'm thrilled at the Ontario government's decision, but frankly, I think they've opened a can of worms. If you're going to cover IVF treatments, the coverage should be available to anyone who chooses to undergo the procedure. There are so many people who have no choice but to undergo IVF, and they shouldn't be denied assistance from the government to cover this enormous expense. What do you think?  Photo courtesy of Tatiana Vdb/FlickrCC