The WHO has just published a report showing its “high prevalence” and calling for preventive solutions.
Este estudio (el mayor hecho nunca sobre la infertilidad) revela un dato abrumador: una de cada seis personas en el mundoestá afectada por la incapacidad de tener un hijo en algún momento de su vida. El informe, publicado recientemente por la Organización Mundial de la Salud, advierte de que esto sucede “en todos los países y condiciones sociales. La infertilidad no discrimina.”
We are therefore faced with “a major health problem” that affects approximately 18% of the population in developed countries and 16.5% in poor or developing countries. In total, some 48 million couples and 186 million peoplehave to deal with this problem worldwide.
The WHO defines infertility as “the inability to become pregnant after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse.” This situation can cause great distress, stigmatization and economic hardship.
The report analyses studies conducted between 1990 and 2021, although it does not examine medical, environmental or other causes, or their evolution over time.
One of the causes that experts from various fields around the world attribute to this problem is the delay in the age of motherhood, highlighting the need for preventive actions, such as fertility preservation. The organization also calls on countries to develop solutions for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including assisted reproduction technologies.