The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first-ever global guideline for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility, aimed at making fertility care safer, fairer, and more accessible globally.
1. Key Findings & Recommendations?
- Global Burden: The WHO estimates that 1 in 6 people worldwide experience infertility during their lifetime.
- Financial Barrier: In many low-to-middle-income countries, fertility care is funded “out-of-pocket”, leading to catastrophic financial expenditure. A single IVF cycle can cost double an average family’s annual income.
- The 40 Recommendations:
- Prevention: Focus on mitigating risk factors such as untreated Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), tobacco use, and poor diet.
- Diagnosis: Promotes early information dissemination in schools and primary healthcare centers to aid reproductive planning.
- Treatment Strategy: Suggests a “step-wise” approach—starting from simpler management strategies (lifestyle changes) to complex procedures like Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF).
- Psychosocial Support: mandates ongoing counseling to address the emotional toll (depression/anxiety) of infertility.
2. Infertility Framework in India
- Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act, 2021:
- Regulation: Regulates ART clinics and banks to prevent misuse and ensure safe ethical practices.
- National Registry: Establishes a National Registry of Banks and Clinics of India to maintain a central database.
- Rights of the Child: A child born via ART is deemed the biological child of the commissioning couple and is entitled to all rights of a natural child.
- Exclusions: The Act currently excludes single men and LGBTQ+ couples from accessing ART services.
- Surrogacy (Regulation) Act, 2021:
- Ban on Commercial Surrogacy: Strictly prohibits commercial surrogacy (trading human embryos/gametes).
- Permitted Model: Allows only Altruistic Surrogacy (no monetary compensation to the surrogate mother other than medical expenses/insurance).
- Eligibility:
- Intending Couple: Must be Indian, married for at least 5 years, and medically certified as infertile.
- Surrogate Mother: Must be a close relative, married, having at least one child of her own, and aged 25-35 years.
