A new report published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that roughly one in six persons worldwide experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need. According to the report large numbers of people are affected by infertility in their lifetime, about 17.5% of the adult population. The new estimates show limited variation in the prevalence of infertility between regions. The rates are comparable for high-middle and low-income countries, indicating that this is a major health challenge globally. Lifetime prevalence was 17.8% in high-income countries and 16.5% in low-and middle-income countries. “The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO.
“The sheer proportion of people affected shows the need to widen access to fertility care and ensure this issue is no longer sidelined in health research and policy so that safe, effective, and affordable ways to attain parenthood are available for those who seek it.”
“For millions around the world, the path to parenthood can be difficult to access, if not impossible,” Tedros added.
“Globally, an estimated one out of every six people are affected by the inability to have a child at some point in their life. This is regardless of where they live and what resources they have.”
“The causes of infertility are varied and often complex, and it is something that both men and women experience,” said Tedros. “Indeed, a wide variety of people, in all regions, may require fertility care.
“Access to sexual and reproductive health services is the primary way for people to have the best chance of having the number of children they desire. However, in most countries, these services are inadequate.”
Infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
In the male reproductive system, infertility is most commonly caused by problems in the ejection of semen (1), absence or low levels of sperm, or abnormal shape (morphology) and movement (motility) of the sperm.
In the female reproductive system, infertility may be caused by a range of abnormalities of the ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, and endocrine system, among others.
Infertility can be primary or secondary. Primary infertility is when a pregnancy has never been achieved by a person, and secondary infertility is when at least one prior pregnancy has been achieved.
Fertility care encompasses the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility. Equal and equitable access to fertility care remains a challenge in most countries; particularly in low and middle-income countries. Fertility care is rarely prioritized in national universal health coverage benefit packages.
