Roughly 17.5 percent of adults worldwide experience infertility issues, a new report from the World Health Organization has found.
Researchers found little variability of these results between different regions, and in fact, the prevalence of infertility was slightly lower in low- and middle-income countries, at 16.5 percent.
"The report reveals an important truth: infertility does not discriminate," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, director general of the WHO, said in an April 4 press statement.
As many must pay out of pocket for infertility treatment, the report sheds light on reproductive issues of access and inequity as well. Infertility is also an area of medical care that is underfunded by public systems, the WHO's release notes.
"Millions of people face catastrophic healthcare costs after seeking treatment for infertility, making this a major equity issue and all too often, a medical poverty trap for those affected," Pascale Allotey, PhD, director of sexual and reproductive health and research at the WHO, said in a statement.
A shortcoming of the research, the release notes, was a persistent lack of data on reproductive health and infertility from many countries.