On April 3rd 2023, the World Health Organization [WHO] released a report on global infertility rates. It is the first global study in the last 10 years [as of 2023] on the prevalence of infertility issues.
“The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO
WHO's Infertility Definition
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. Infertility can cause significant distress, stigma and financial hardship, affecting people’s mental and psychosocial wellbeing.
Study Information
- Meta analysis of published studies on infertility using data from 1990 to 2021.
- 12,241 relevant studies identified.
- 133 studies selected for inclusion in the study.
- 91 data points across the 133 studies used.
Study Conclusions
- Infertility does not discriminate.
- Income differences are not a significant predictor of infertility issues.
- Countries/regions. There is variability in regional rates, however data gaps and overlapped confidence intervals imply that observed differences may not be significant.
- More data and studies are required.
- Data are missing from some regions making comparisons difficult.
- Insufficient evidence to know if the rate of change of infertility is increasing or decreasing.
Conclusion
Infertility is a global issue. Global efforts are needed to standardize infertility data collection methods so that policy decisions can be made using data driven metrics.
Infertility issues have a large societal impact and efforts should be made to include infertility support into the larger health care systems and policies.
Infertility issues should not be a taboo subject. Infertility should be discussed just like all other health issues.
Everyone should have equal access to fertility treatments, and it should not be a financial burden to do so.
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