The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday called on countries to strengthen access to affordable and science-based care to people facing infertility.
The WHO defines infertility as the failure to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse.
Estimated to affect 1 in 6 people of reproductive age at some point in their lives, infertility can cause significant distress, stigma, and financial hardship, affecting people’s mental and psychosocial well-being.
In its first-ever global guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility, the global health body urged for safer, fairer, and more affordable fertility care. The guideline includes 40 recommendations that seek to strengthen the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility.
It promotes cost-effective options at every stage, while advocating for the integration of fertility care into national health strategies, services, and financing. While demand for infertility services is rising worldwide, access to care remains severely limited. In many countries, tests and treatments for infertility are largely funded out-of-pocket often resulting in catastrophic financial expenditures.
In some settings, even a single round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) can cost double the average annual household income. The guideline offers guidance on steps for the effective clinical management of infertility, stresses the need to tackle leading risk factors for infertility, including untreated sexually transmitted infections and tobacco use.
WHO urged countries to adapt the recommendations to their local contexts and to monitor progress. (IANS)
