GENEVA

Infertility affects one in six people of reproductive age worldwide, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday, as it released a new global guideline that outlines recommendations for improving access to prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The WHO said access to fertility care remains "severely limited" despite the scale of the issue. In many countries, tests and treatments are paid largely out of pocket, leaving people with high financial burdens.

In some settings, a single round of in vitro fertilization (IVF) can cost "double the average annual household income."

“Infertility is one of the most overlooked public health challenges of our time and a major equity issue globally," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. "Millions face this journey alone — priced out of care, pushed toward cheaper but unproven treatments, or forced to choose between their hopes of having children and their financial security."

The guideline, WHO’s first on infertility, contains 40 recommendations covering clinical pathways for diagnosing common causes of infertility and guidance on how treatment may progress from counselling and timing advice to procedures such as intrauterine insemination or IVF.

The health agency said infertility can cause significant stigma, distress and financial hardship. It called for more investment in prevention, including information on fertility, age-related factors and untreated sexually transmitted infections.

Lifestyle measures such as healthy diet, physical activity and stopping tobacco use are recommended for people planning or attempting pregnancy.

The guideline also highlighted the need for psychosocial support.

"The prevention and treatment of infertility must be grounded in gender equality and reproductive rights," said Pascale Allotey, the director of WHO's department of sexual, reproductive, maternal, child and adolescent health and ageing.