94% of fertility patients never receive treatment

A review of global fertility care, completed for World Infertility Month (June), has revealed that 94% of the 90 million patients around the world with fertility problems never receive any kind of care for their condition.

Today, the ESHRE Patient Leader Forum (EPLF) is announcing a landmark initiative to address this issue and provide the first-ever international patient standards for the care and support of patients seeking fertility treatment.

Sandra Dill, Co-ordinator of the ESHRE PLF and champion of the cause for global patient care standards in infertility said: “This figure of 94% of couples not receiving treatment for their fertility problems is totally unacceptable and we are determined that the Patient Care Standards we have announced today will be a major step in improving the situation.”

An additional survey investigating why patients aren’t receiving the care they need, identified poor awareness of fertility care and too much conflicting information as major barriers that stop patients from seeking help. Just under half of couples questioned said fertility care is presented as confusing and uninviting and 53% said that after researching their options they either felt no better informed or actually more confused than before they started.

There is currently no agreed Patient Care Standard on basic issues concerning fertility care and no support structure to guide patients through the process - despite the fact that 81% of couples questioned in the survey agreed it would be a lifeline.

The EPLF initiative to produce the first ever global Standards for fertility care will provide a clear guide for patients around the world on precisely what to expect from a fertility clinic. Further, the Patient Care Standards will explain how patients can interpret information they are provided and how to fairly compare options and institutions.

Issues covered by the patient care standards will include:

• What are the treatment options available?
• How long should you stay on a treatment?
• How to interpret success rates

Sandra Dill explained the need for Patient Care Standards further: “Couples first investigating fertility treatment have limited knowledge of what is involved and what to look out for and they are quite naturally very confused and apprehensive. With no consistency of information or means of fairly comparing one institution to another - these people are left feeling vulnerable. The Patient Care Standards are a giant step forward in preventing that from happening and by default - raising the level of patient confidence in the standards of care offered in infertility, around the world.”

The Patient Care Standards will be drafted and agreed by an independent panel - the Global InFertility Taskforce (GIFT) - comprising leading fertility experts and leading patient advocates, both recruited by the EPLF. The process of defining content and writing the new standards will start immediately after the ESHRE conference.

Dr Evers, one of the key supporters of this new initiative and past chairman of ESHRE said: “This a challenging and very worthwhile project that is long overdue, and I am delighted to be involved in helping make it happen. For the most part, and in most countries, the care offered to infertile couples is of the highest level - but there can be tremendous disparity between the facilities, technology and clinical expertise offered by different practices and this is not always made obvious to couples seeking help.”

“A clearly defined benchmark of gold standard patient care in fertility treatment can only help ensure that patients are offered quality care wherever they seek treatment and make certain they recognise early on when they are not.”

The epidemiological research announced today includes WHO estimates of 90 million couples globally who are unable to conceive within 1 year of regular, unprotected intercourse. Only about 15% of that number will take the next step of coming forward to seek help and sadly, a further 58% of those who do seek treatment, fall-out of therapy before receiving any help. Adding up to a massive 94% of couples who remain untreated.

For further information: Jeremy Clark +44 (0)7834 308954 or [email protected]