Unlocking Access: Implementing Innovative Policies to Remove Barriers to Fertility Treatment [Promoted content]

Today, more women are empowered to make decisions about their education, careers and social lives, bringing widespread benefits to individuals and society. Though socio-economic inequalities and traditional burdens remain, as opportunities expand for women, in almost all countries, they are waiting longer to have children. In particular, the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 found that women in high income countries are having fewer children than previous generations.

Noha Salem is the Global Women’s Health Policy Lead at Organon and Anita Fincham is the Advocacy Manager at Fertility Europe.

Declining birth rates are also being compounded by the growing number of people affected by infertility, with one in six people experiencing infertility in their lifetime, according to estimates in a 2023 World Health Organization report. We must address this by increasing awareness of infertility and expanding treatment options for those who wish to be parents.

Addressing Fertility Challenges

Everyone should be able to try for the family they wish for, yet many people are unable to access the fertility services they need. To better understand the barriers, Organon commissioned a white paper, Policy Solutions to Improve Access to Fertility Treatment and Optimise Patient Care, featuring the perspectives of leading fertility experts.

It’s time for policymakers to support people who are willing to have children to help close the fertility gap and address demographic decline. This White Paper offers a comprehensive range of ideas and solutions to tackle this issue.

– Anita Fincham, Fertility Europe

According to these experts, one of the key barriers to fertility treatment is the understanding of infertility. Infertility should be recognized as a medical condition that requires specialized care like any other, supporting health and reimbursement policies around infertility can be inconsistent from country to country. In some cases, this means patients and aspiring parents bear the financial burden of infertility alone; for example, medically assisted reproduction (MAR) is largely underfunded and not reimbursed by public healthcare systems. This makes treatment inaccessible to many people who cannot afford it or do not have publicly-funded MAR centres available to them.

For those who wish to be parents and are able to access fertility treatments, almost 20% discontinue treatment due to psychological reasons, emphasizing the strong need for emotional support. Thus the experts involved in the white paper recommend public health policies that expand the availability of and improve access to psychosocial support, such as counselling sessions both before and during fertility treatment as well as the funding of digital tools and resources for patients and aspiring parents, to help them through the ups and downs of infertility and treatments.

Widespread public information campaigns can also help improve public awareness of infertility, fertility preservation and the availability of treatment options. More availability of credible and trustworthy information on approved treatment approaches can help patients and aspiring parents have better informed conversations with fertility specialists on their options.

Supporting Everyone’s Family Planning Goals

Across the world, many countries are seeing shifts in family planning needs. While some women are proactively choosing to have fewer children, others are having fewer children than planned due to socioeconomic challenges. We must address this fertility gap and advocate for holistic policies that support aspiring parents to overcome the financial,
medical and emotional hurdles to expanding their family.

Addressing the issues arising from infertility requires working together – across academic and clinical communities, policymakers, patient advocacy groups and industry – to identify innovative policies that support reproductive choice. Together, we can remove the barriers to accessing fertility treatment and help those who wish to be parents to realize their family planning dreams.

This article is sponsored by Organon. We envision a better and healthier every day for every woman. With nearly a century of experience in fertility research and development, our products have supported aspiring parents in reaching their family planning dreams as needs have evolved globally. Together, we are creating a brighter future for her.