The WHO reports that one in six people in the world is infertile, underscoring the urgent need to expand access to affordable and quality treatments.
In a new report, Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus noted that one in six people in the world is unable to have a child at some point in their lives, regardless of their region or the resources available to them.
The WHO said the situation was a "major health problem" affecting 17.8 percent of adults in rich countries and 16.5 percent of people in low- and middle-income countries.
"The report, the first of its kind to be released in 10 years, revealed an important reality: infertility does not discriminate between humans," Ghebreyesus said.
The report did not indicate the underlying medical or environmental causes of infertility, or how the health problem evolved over time, but provided an initial idea of its prevalence by analyzing the total number of studies that examined it between 1990 and 2021.
He showed that "infertility affects a large part of the world's population" because this health problem affects 17.5% of adults worldwide.
Infertility affects millions
Ghebreyesus stressed that "infertility affects millions of people" yet "it has not been addressed by adequate studies, while the necessary treatments are underfunded and are not available to many due to their high costs and the social stigma associated with the problem."
"The large proportion of people affected by infertility demonstrates the need to expand access to fertility care, and to ensure that this issue is not marginalized in health research and policy, so that effective and affordable treatments are available to those who want to get rid of this problem."
Disease of the reproductive system
According to the WHO, infertility is a disease of the male or female reproductive system, defined by the inability to reach the outcome of pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular intercourse without the use of contraception. Infertility can cause psychological stress, ostracism and financial crises for those affected.
Presenting the report to reporters, WHO Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health Pascal Alloti said that "pregnancy is usually accompanied by great social pressure," adding that "in some countries having children is still a necessary process linked to society's perception of femininity and marriage. Failure to bear children is often a social stigma."
"People facing the problem of infertility often suffer from anxiety and depression," she said, noting that there is an "increased risk of domestic violence associated with infertility."
WHO called on countries to develop infertility prevention and diagnosis, and treatments that include reproductive techniques such as IVF.