The World Health Organisation has published its very first global directives to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of infertility, which affects millions around the globe, reports News24.
“One in six people worldwide experience infertility during their lifetime,” said Pascale Allotey, the agency’s Head of Sexual and Reproductive Health.
“The condition affects individuals and couples across all regions and income levels, and yet access to safe and affordable care remains highly inequitable.”
Allotey said the issue of infertility had been neglected “for far too long”, and that the new guideline would provide a “unified, evidence-based foundation” to ensure care is safe, effective and accessible for all.
Infertility affects both the male and female reproductive systems, and is defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual relations.
The guide outlines 40 recommendations and calls for the integration of fertility care into national health funding, services, and strategies.
It also seeks to establish steps for effective clinical management, encompassing both diagnosis and treatment.
For example, it calls for male diagnoses, which are often under-investigated, suggesting a range of approaches, starting with advice before moving to active treatment.
It also advises increased investment in prevention.
Health professionals need to address the main risk factors for infertility, which include untreated sexually transmitted infections and smoking, and it recommends other lifestyle interventions – like healthy diet and physical activity – for individuals and couples planning or attempting pregnancy.
The guideline outlines clinical pathways to diagnose common biological causes of male and female infertility, and offers guidance on how to progressively advance treatment options, from simpler management strategies – where clinicians first provide advice on fertile periods and fertility promotion without active treatment – to more complex treatment courses such as intrauterine insemination or IVF.
Noting the emotional toll of infertility, which can trigger depression, anxiety and feelings of social isolation, the guideline emphasises the need to ensure ongoing access to psychosocial support for those affected.
WHO encourages countries to adapt the recommendations to their local contexts and to monitor progress. Successful implementation will require collaboration across Ministries of Health, health professional societies, civil society, and patient groups, it cautions.
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