Assisting couples and individuals – Fertility and infertility

It is the choice of each individual and couple, within their own sense of conscience, to determine if they intend pregnancy, and if so, the size of their family unit and the timing of when to have a child or children.
If fertility problems arise, interventions can be attempted from simple fertility awareness methods to more advanced methods associated with in vitro fertilization. These interventions are scientifically innovative; and, they have revolutionized concepts of generational identity, family, and human reproductive potential.

• What's new
• Global public health issue
• HRP partners in infertility

Definitions and terminology impact many of the key issues associated with subfertility and infertility. Consistency in use of definition and a standardized methodological diagnostic tool will be required in order to define the true global burden of disease – in men and women.

• Definitions and terminology of infertility
• Key issues

One in every four couples in developing countries had been found to be affected by infertility, when an evaluation of responses from women in Demographic and Health Surveys from 1990 was completed in collaboration with WHO in 2004. The burden remains high. A WHO study, published at the end of 2012, has shown that the overall burden of infertility in women from 190 countries has remained similar in estimated levels and trends from 1990 to 2010.

• Global prevalence of infertility, infecundity and childlessness

Generation of WHO evidence-based guidelines and recommendations are based upon systematic reviews of available clinical, epidemiological and operations research as well as systematic analysis of existing and recently developed evidence-based guidelines. Once evidence-based WHO guidelines and recommendations are established, clinical manuals can be developed which recommend best practice.

• Generating practice guidelines
• Challenges - Infertility in developing countries