Researchers found little difference between high, middle, and low-income countries
in the report published Tuesday. Treatment must be funded privately in most nations, leaving many people struggling with mental health issues or financial hardship, according to the WHO.
The health agency defines infertility as the inability to achieve a pregnancy after at least 12 months of regular unprotected sex. The researchers couldn’t identify the key drivers of the problem, which can stem from men or women’s reproductive systems, because of a lack of clinical data. Infertility “can have wide-reaching, negative impacts on the lives of the people affected,” Pascale Allotey, the WHO’s director of sexual and reproductive health and research, said at a press conference.