WHO Issues First Global Guideline on Infertility:
WHO has released its first-ever global guideline on infertility, calling for safer, fairer and affordable fertility care worldwide.
- It aims to help countries integrate infertility prevention, diagnosis and treatment into public health systems as infertility affects 1 in 6 people globally.
- WHO’s first global framework to standardise prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infertility.
- Seeks to make fertility care accessible, equitable and evidence-based, especially in countries where treatment is unaffordable and fragmented.
- Key Features of the Guideline:
- 40 recommendations covering prevention, early diagnosis, counselling and advanced treatment options.
- Focus on cost-effective infertility care integrated into national health strategies and UHC frameworks.
- Encourages fertility awareness in schools, primary health centres and reproductive health facilities.
- Addresses risk factors such as untreated STIs, tobacco use, poor lifestyle habits.
- Recommends lifestyle interventions—healthy diet, exercise, tobacco cessation—for individuals trying to conceive.
- Provides clinical pathways for diagnosing infertility in both men and women using evidence-based protocols.
- Strong emphasis on psychosocial support, recognising the emotional stress, stigma and mental health burdens linked to infertility.
- Urges countries to adopt a rights-based, gender-equal reproductive health framework.
