Study: Number of women with infertility diagnoses worldwide nearly doubled since 1990

In this group, diagnoses of infertility rose significantly worldwide between 1990 and 2023—from around 27 million to nearly 54 million. By 2036, the figure could reach around 80 million, as a predominantly Chinese research team calculated in the journal "The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women's Health."

The researchers see one cause in the fact that many women only want to have children at a significantly older age than in the past—and then, due to age-related infertility, a pregnancy does not occur. Worldwide, about eight to twelve percent of couples experience fertility problems, according to the study.

Above all, wealthier countries are affected, where women on average have children later. Éva Beaujouan of the University of Vienna explained that people are having children at an older age due to longer periods of study, economic uncertainty, and youth unemployment.

Assessment from Austria

How precise the figures presented actually are is difficult to assess because the methodology and in particular the extrapolation are not described sufficiently, said the professor of demography, who was not involved in the study herself. She has doubts about, among other things, the data from Austria, which appear far too high.

Factors such as higher life expectancy and changes in values and attitudes also have an influence, Beaujouan continued. She also emphasized the political dimension of the problem: a state must invest sufficiently in reliable childcare and supportive infrastructure "sodass jede Person, die Kinder haben möchte, dies in dem von ihr gewünschten Alter tun kann".

Biological Causes and Social Egg Freezing

Beda Hartmann from the Sigmund Freud Private University Vienna explained the biological background. From the age of 35, the egg cell reserve and the quality of egg cells decrease significantly, the expert said. In the course of this, the probability of pregnancy declines.

Hartmann added that the success of a pregnancy depends significantly on the age of the egg cell. "Der Erfolg einer Schwangerschaft ist maßgeblich abhängig vom Alter der Eizelle", she said verbatim. She therefore advises addressing one's own fertility early on.

Against this backdrop, Hartmann expects increasing demand for so-called social egg freezing in the coming years. This refers to the precautionary freezing of unfertilized egg cells for a pregnancy at a later date. The recommendation is to freeze the egg cells as early as age 25.

However, social egg freezing is associated with high costs, health risks, and a limited probability of success. Experts emphasize that the method offers no guarantee of a later pregnancy and is also not accessible or affordable in all countries.

Political Demands and Methodological Criticism

The study's authors see the results as a warning signal. They call for better education about fertility, easier access to reproductive medical care, and family policy measures that make it easier to have children at a younger age.

From the research perspective, these include affordable childcare, financial security for young families, and a working world that does not penalize parenthood. Beaujouan also referred to these structural causes and to the influence of changed life plans.

According to Beaujouan, the study itself contains methodological weaknesses that make a serious assessment of the exact figures difficult. At the same time, in the view of several experts, it provides a previously unique overall picture of global development since 1990.

The Science Media Center, which had obtained the assessments from Beaujouan and Hartmann, pointed out that the results need further research in several respects. These include more precise data on the prevalence of fertility disorders and on the effectiveness of political countermeasures.

Overall, the study paints a picture of a global societal challenge: more and more women can only have children at an age when biological fertility is already declining. Without reliable childcare and better general conditions, the trend threatens to worsen further by 2036.

The original release was distributed via the dpa news channel. This is a message directly from the dpa news channel. A response from the universities involved or from the political side was not initially available.