Infertility among reproductive-aged adults rose sharply worldwide between 1990 and 2021, according to a recent study.
“The findings underscore the importance of tailored interventions aimed at addressing infertility issues in this population, contributing to the achievement of the sustainable development goals established by the World Health Organization,” said Guoqiang Zeng, MD, First Hospital of Jilin University and colleagues.
Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2021, the investigators reported about a 75% increase in male infertility cases, totaling 55,000,818, and about 84% increase in female cases, totaling 110,089,459. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) showed parallel growth, reaching 317,614 for men and 601,134 for women.
The age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) in 2021 was 1,354.76 per 100,000 for men and 2,764.62 per 100,000 for women, reflecting increases of 17% and 22%, respectively, since 1990. Estimated annual percentage changes indicated steady growth in both prevalence and DALY rates: 0.50 and 0.51 for men, and 0.70 and 0.71 for women. The greatest burden was observed in the 35 to 39-year subgroup.
Regionally, South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia carried the largest burden, with East Asia recording the highest ASPR among women at 4,102.68 per 100,000. Nationally, China and India each reported over 29 million female infertility cases in 2021, while Cameroon reported the highest male ASPR at 3,280.58 per 100,000.
The investigators acknowledged that their estimates were constrained by the quality of the GBD Study 2021 database, which relies on national and regional reports rather than country-specific studies, increasing the risk of misdiagnosis, underdiagnosis, and incomplete reporting in low-income regions. Although GBD modeling standardizes data, it cannot fully correct for these gaps, and the dataset lacks detail on infertility risk factors, morbidity burden, and specific causes, limiting interpretation of the observed trends.
Disclosure information can be found in the study.
Source: Frontiers in Endocrinology
