The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a new report on Monday that large numbers of people are affected by infertility in their lifetime.

The report said that around 17.5 per cent of the adult population, roughly one in six worldwide, experience infertility, showing the urgent need to increase access to affordable, high-quality fertility care for those in need.

“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,” said the WHO report. “Lifetime prevalence was 17.8 per cent in high-income countries and 16.5 per cent in low- and middle-income countries.”

WHO director-general Tedros Ghebreyesus said the report revealed an important truth: infertility does not discriminate.

“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,” Mr Ghebreyesus explained.

According to him, 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.

He said it could cause significant distress, stigma and financial hardship, affecting mental and psychosocial well-being. 

The WHO boss added that despite the issue’s magnitude, solutions for preventing, diagnosing, and treating infertility, including assisted reproductive technology such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), remained underfunded and inaccessible to many due to high costs, social stigma and limited availability.

Mr Ghebreyesus mentioned that, in most countries, fertility treatments are largely funded out of pocket, often resulting in devastating financial costs.

He said people in the poorest countries spend more of their income on fertility care than those in wealthier countries, noting that high costs frequently prevent people from accessing infertility treatments or can catapult them into poverty due to seeking care.

Pascale Allotey, the director of WHO’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, said millions of people face catastrophic healthcare costs after seeking infertility treatment, making this a major equity issue and, all too often, a medical poverty trap for those affected.

Ms Allotey stressed that better policies and public financing could significantly improve access to treatment and protect poorer households from falling into poverty.

According to her, while the new report shows convincing evidence of the high global prevalence of infertility, it highlights a persistent lack of data in many countries and some regions.

She stated that the report called for greater availability of national data on infertility disaggregated by age and cause to help with quantifying infertility and knowing who needed fertility care and how risks can be reduced. 

(NAN)