Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register (CARTR Plus)
Overview
Partnering with the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, BORN helps fertility clinics in Canada collect, store, and use fertility information through the Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register (CARTR Plus).
Information collected includes in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments, pregnancy outcomes, birth results, and trends in fertility care.
Why This Matters
This fertility data is an invaluable resource for answering questions about:
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The impact and success of fertility treatments (e.g. What are the chances of delivering a child when undertaking a single egg retrieval procedure?)
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The health of children born as a result of assisted reproductive technologies (e.g. Does in vitro fertilization increase the risk of preterm birth?)
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Multiple pregnancy rates (e.g. Does promoting single-embryo transfers help reduce the multiple pregnancy rate?)
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Recent trends (e.g. Are more patients taking part in fertility preservation for non-medical reasons?)
For more detailed information about data collected through CARTR Plus, see the CARTR Plus Annual Reports.
BORN's Role
BORN Ontario serves as the central database for the CARTR Plus program.
BORN Ontario operates as a prescribed registry under Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPPA):
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Authorized to collect personal health information without consent
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Maintains strict privacy protocols and security safeguards
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Ensures secure handling of sensitive fertility treatment and birth outcome data
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Undergoes regular privacy impact assessments and compliance reviews
Data privacy and security are central to what BORN does.
For Ontario fertility clinics, CARTR Plus allows linkage to the BORN Information System for pregnancy and birth outcome data for their patients.
Impact and Benefits
For Patients
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Enhanced safety and reduced risks
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CARTR Plus tracks and reports on multiple pregnancy rates among IVF conceptions, helping reduce these rates - a key priority for Canadian reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists.
For Providers
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Fertility clinics have near real-time access to their data through the BORN Information System.
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They can also generate a variety of demographic, clinical and annual summary reports with both clinic-level data and national comparators.
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As CARTR Plus documents trends in fertility treatment practice as well as outcomes, clinics can use this data to guide quality improvement and practice change.
For Healthcare
- CARTR Plus data informs public funding models and supports evidence-based policy decisions, strengthening the overall Canadian healthcare system.
Feature Story
Emanuelle (Manny) Plourde and Brett Lawson got married in June 2009 and hoped to start a family right away. After a year of trying to get pregnant with no success, they decided to consult a fertility specialist. The next five years were a blur of appointments, tests, injections, and procedures.
Publications
Lanes, A., Fell, D., Teitelbaum, M., Sprague, A., Johnson, M., Wang, H., Elliott, M., Guo, Y., Meng, L., Yuzpe, A., Bissonnette, F., Leveille, M., & Walker, M. (2020). CARTR Plus: The creation of an ART registry in Canada. Human Reproduction Open, 2020(3), hoaa022. https://doi.org/10.1093/hropen/hoaa022
Mahutte, N., Hartman, M., Meng, L., Lanes, A., Luo, Z.-C., & Liu, K. E. (2022). Optimal endometrial thickness in fresh and frozen-thaw in vitro fertilization cycles: An analysis of live birth rates from 96,000 autologous embryo transfers. Fertility and Sterility, 117(4), 792–800. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fertnstert.2021.12.025
Bacal, V., Fell, D. B., Shapiro, H., Lanes, A., Sprague, A. E., Johnson, M., Walker, M., & Gaudet, L. M. (2020). The Canadian Assisted Reproductive Technologies Register (CARTR) Plus database: A validation study. Human Reproduction Open, 2020(2), hoaa005. https://doi.org/10.1093/hropen/hoaa005
Dayan, N., Fell, D. B., Guo, Y., Wang, H., Velez, M. P., Spitzer, K., & Laskin, C. A. (2018). Severe maternal morbidity in women with high BMI in IVF and unassisted singleton pregnancies. Human Reproduction (Oxford, England), 33(8), 1548–1556. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dey224
Cantor, A., Meng, L., Lanes, A., & Greenblatt, E. M. (2023). The effect of the Ontario Fertility Program on IVF utilization and outcomes in women of advanced reproductive age. Reproductive BioMedicine Online, 46(2), 410–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rbmo.2022.05.014
Data in Action
Did You Know...
Ontario saw a dramatic drop in multiple pregnancy rates from 18.8% in 2013 to just 3.8% in 2021—a direct result of promoting single embryo transfers for safer, healthier outcomes.
Stay Informed
Reach out to the BORN Fertility Clinical Content Specialist
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