About 17.5% of the world’s adults – almost one in six – will experience infertility at some point in their lives, according to a 98-page report from the World Health Organization (WHO).

These figures are the first estimate by the Agency of the incidence of infertility in more than a decade.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, said the report highlights the seriousness of infertility as a public health problem and the urgent need to increase access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

“The report reveals an important truth: infertility makes no difference. The proportion of people “affected” shows the need to expand access to fertility treatment and ensure that this issue is no longer left out of research and health policy, so that safe, effective and cost-effective ways to achieve a child are available to those who seek them, said Tedros.

According to the WHO, there is not enough evidence to know if this phenomenon is more frequent or not.

Surprisingly, new WHO estimates based on more than 100 studies conducted from 1990 to 2021 show limited variation in the presence of this phenomenon from region to region.

Infertility is a serious health problem

Moreover, rates are comparable across high, middle, and low income countries, suggesting that infertility is a major health issue in every community, country, and region of the world.

The lifetime prevalence is 17.8% in high-income countries and 16.5% in low- and middle-income countries.

“For millions of people around the world, the path to fatherhood can be difficult, if not impossible. Globally, it is estimated that one in six people suffer from the inability to have a child at some point in their lives. It does not depend on where he lives and what resources he has,” Tedros added.

The report states that infertility is a condition of the male or female reproductive system, defined as the inability to conceive after 12 or more months of unprotected intercourse. This can cause severe stress and discomfort, stigmatization and financial hardship, as well as affect a person’s mental state.

“The causes of infertility are varied and often complex, and can affect both men and women. Indeed, a wide range of people in all regions may need fertility treatment. Access to sexual and reproductive health services is the main way for people to get the best chance of having as many children as they want. However, in most countries these services are not enough,” Tedros said.

High cost of diagnosis and treatment

The report states that despite the magnitude of the problem, solutions to prevent, diagnose and treat infertility, including assisted reproduction (known as in vitro or IVF), remain underfunded and out of reach for many due to high costs, social stigma and limited availability. .

In most countries, fertility treatment is largely privately funded, often resulting in huge financial outlays.

The report says that people in poorer countries spend more of their income on fertility treatments than people in richer countries.

The report added that high costs prevent people from accessing fertility treatments or can push them into poverty as a result of seeking such help.

While this new report provides compelling evidence for the high prevalence of infertility worldwide, it still highlights a continuing lack of data in many countries and some regions.

Source: AFP, APE-MPE.