About 1 in 6 people worldwide face infertility some time in their life. This is according to a new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO). It shows the urgent need for increased access to affordable fertility care.

The new estimates show little difference in the generality of fertility between regions. This means the rates are comparable for low-,middle- and high-incomes regions. The WHO says this indicates a ‘major health challenge globally‘. The report shows that lifetime prevalence was 17.8% in high-income countries. It is 16.5% in middle- and low-income countries.

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Infertility is, according to the WHO, the ‘failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse’. They also define it as a ‘disease’ of the female and male reproductive system.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General at WHO, says this report shows that ‘infertility does not discriminate’:

The sheer proportion of people affected show 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

Seeking (costly) fertility treatments

The WHO notes that infertility can cause people great distress, financial difficulty and affect their psycho-social well-being.

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The WHO reveals that fertility treatments across the globe are largely funded out of pocket – which can result in devastating financial costs. This means people in the poorest countries often spend a great portion of their income on fertility care, compared to those in richer countries.

The often costly financial factor often stops people from getting these treatments or pushes them into further financial distress.

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Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO says better ‘policies and public financing’ can improve access to treatment, and prevent more people from ‘falling into poverty as a result’:

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

The report was based on studies focused on the global and regional prevalence of infertility. It dates from 1990 to 2021.