Source: TH
Context:
- WHO has released its first-ever global guideline on infertility.
- Objective: Ensure safer, fairer, and affordable fertility care worldwide.
- Relevance: Infertility affects 1 in 6 people globally, yet care remains expensive, inequitable, and fragmented in many countries.
About the Guideline
- Purpose: Standardize the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of infertility.
- Scope: Integrates infertility care into public health systems and aligns with Universal Health Coverage (UHC) frameworks.
- Focus: Evidence-based, cost-effective, accessible, and equitable fertility care.
Key Features
- Comprehensive Recommendations:
- 40 recommendations covering:
- Prevention
- Early diagnosis
- Counselling
- Advanced treatment options
- 40 recommendations covering:
- Integration into Health Systems:
- Encourages countries to include infertility services in national health strategies.
- Promotes cost-effective care that reduces financial barriers.
- Fertility Awareness:
- Programs in schools, primary health centres, and reproductive health facilities.
- Risk Factor Management:
- Addresses untreated STIs, tobacco use, and poor lifestyle habits.
- Recommends healthy diet, regular exercise, and tobacco cessation for individuals trying to conceive.
- Clinical Guidance:
- Evidence-based diagnostic pathways for infertility in men and women.
- Psychosocial Support:
- Recognizes emotional stress, stigma, and mental health challenges associated with infertility.
- Rights-Based Approach:
- Promotes gender equality and reproductive rights in infertility care.
