Generally, it is known millennials have been delaying parenthood when compared to previous generations
In the United States, figures from a 2017 report indicated an interesting trend: For the first time, the number of women having children in their 30s overtook the number of women having children in their 20s.
Age is such an important factor when it comes to conceiving a child, particularly for women
But the majority of young people may be underestimating its impact.
So what are the infertility facts for women and men experiencing infertility around the globe?
Unbelievably 1 in 6 couples across the globe experience fertility issues and around 48.5 million couples worldwide are having unprotected intercourse and suffering from infertility.
Yet unbelievably this statistic has not as yet broken the taboo of infertility and too many struggle in silence and without any knowledge of what may potentially be causing their issues.
Equally as incredible is that fertility education is not something that is shared in schools and universities
It is so important for young people to be more informed about the biological limits of fertility.
By understanding this, they can effectively balance their personal life goals, career goals, educational aspirations and go on to have families at the right time for them.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) have now classified infertility as a disease
Many clinical studies do not even begin to explore infertility until a couple attempt to get pregnant for at least one year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Demographic studies, such as Sharlip, indicate that 50% of infertility cases are due to a solely female factor
Male factor accounts for 20-30% of the problem, and the remaining 20-30% is due to a combination of both male and female factors.
We used the “Sharlip factor” as a basis for calculations because it was the most widely cited and reported statistic regarding male infertility.
Infertility rate data was taken from WHO (World Health Organisation)
In Sub-Saharan Africa, 14.2% of women reported infertility. From this, we assumed with couples infertility at 14.2%, then female factor infertility would be 7.1%. Since the other 50% is assumed to be a combination of male factor and combined factor infertility, we calculated 20-30% of 7.1% to arrive at solely male factor infertility and 40-55% of 7.1% to arrive at any situation when the male factor is involved in any way.
Male infertility is a global population health concern too
In the current study, we calculated rates of male infertility across the globe based on a review of the current literature (Figure 2). Since we do not know the actual rates of infertility, most of the numbers shown are based on self-report, thus cover a wide range. Overall, by examining the available literature and consolidating the information, our data indicates that global rates of male infertility range from 2.5% to 12%.
According to results, at least 30 million men worldwide are infertile
Reportedly with the highest rates in Africa and Eastern Europe.
The main message of these findings is that male infertility is a global health issue that has not been researched or studied to truly understand its magnitude and prevalence.
These are all shocking facts and it is so important that we must reduce barriers from stigmas associated with infertility due to religious and cultural beliefs too
Much work is needed to raise awareness about both female and male infertility and to education the young to help them make the right choices for their future.
With broad and accurate understanding increasing all the time, infertility can be treated by managing underlying conditions.
