Canadian couples who are having trouble conceiving are sharing their stories online in the hopes of winning $5,000 toward the cost of in vitro fertilization.

However, some couples say they have received negative comments from people who say the Sprouting Hope contest is inappropriate.

“They’re a little hurtful, to be honest,” says participant Tiffany Clarke. “They’re questioning our moral and our religious beliefs.”

Clarke and her husband don’t have any children and she admits it has been difficult to watch her friends and family welcome new babies.

“You’re really happy for the person, but at the same time, your heart’s breaking,” she says. “[The contest] was really the last choice for us.”

So far, 15 couples are vying for the $5,000 prize, many of whom are Maritimers. The couples have uploaded videos sharing their story online. The couple whose video receives the most votes wins the prize.

This isn’t the first time there has been a contest to win in vitro fertilization treatment; a radio station in Ottawa hosted a ‘Win a Baby’ contest four years ago. Couples were competing to win $35,000 but the contest proved to be so controversial that all five contestants received $35,000 each.

“It’s certainly not something that I would be promoting in terms of what is the stated goal,” says bioethics professor Francoise Baylis. “If the stated goal is raising awareness about infertility, I think there are many other ways of doing that.”

But the owner of Canadian Fertility Consulting, the company hosting the contest, says she welcomes the outrage.

“I’m hoping that Canadians get so incensed that they contact their local politicians,” says Leia Swanberg, who wants to see the government fund IVF.

Quebec is the only province that provides funding so, for now, some Maritime couples struggling to conceive are trying their luck with the Sprouting Hope contest.

Emily Robertson-Irwin is among them. She says she learned as a child that a medical condition would prevent her from having children of her own without any help.

Her 16-month-old son Braxton was born after three cycles of in vitro fertilization, at a cost of $30,000.

“We have spent our entire life savings on top of a loan,” she says.

Now, she and her husband would like to try for a brother or sister for Braxton.

“The day he was born was just absolutely amazing. Holding him for the first time was just amazing.”

The winner will be announced on May 18, as Infertility Awareness Week gets underway.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kayla Hounsell