A new World Health Organization report says one in six people worldwide experience infertility at some point in their lifetime, as the organization highlighted the need for affordable, quality fertility care. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |
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April 4 (UPI) -- A new report says one in six people worldwide experience infertility at some point in their lifetime, highlighting the need for affordable, quality fertility care and calling the ability to have a child an "essential human right."
The report, published by the World Health Organization on Monday, shows 17.5% of the global adult population has experienced infertility, with little variation between income and region. Lifetime infertility prevalence was 17.8% in high-income countries and 16.5% in low to middle-income countries, according to WHO, which analyzed 133 relevant studies between 1990 and 2021.
"The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate," said 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."
Infertility is defined as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse, according to the WHO, which said reproductive technology, such as vitro fertilization or IVF, remains underfunded.
In most countries, fertility treatments are paid out-of-pocket and can create financial hardship, affecting people's "mental and psychosocial well-being," the report said.
"Millions of people face catastrophic healthcare costs after seeking treatment for infertility, making this a major equity issue and all too often, a medical poverty trap for those affected," said Dr. Pascale Allotey, director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at the WHO.
"Better policies and public financing can significantly improve access to treatment and protect poorer households from falling into poverty as a result," Allotey said.
Others, suffering from infertility, find the cost of treatments prohibitive and choose not to pursue fertility options, which the WHO calls an "essential human right."
"Every human being has a right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health," the organization said.
"Individuals and couples have the right to decide the number, timing and spacing of their children. Infertility can negate the realization of these essential human rights."
