Ilsan Baek Hospital Professor Han Jeong-yeol's Team
38% Infertility Rate in Over 40s
"Psychological and Physical Treatment Support Needed"
One in five women preparing for pregnancy has experienced 'infertility.' It is analyzed that psychological factors are complexly involved along with the increase in pregnancy and childbirth age. In the situation where the low birth rate problem is intensifying, there is also a demand for policies to reduce the burden of infertility treatment.
Professor Han Jeong-yeol's team from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Inje University Ilsan Paik Hospital announced on the 10th that, as a result of analyzing 2,274 women aged 20 to 45 who participated in the Seoul City pregnancy preparation support project, 19.5% (443 people) were found to have experienced infertility.
Among them, 320 (72.2%) had primary infertility, and 123 (27.8%) had secondary infertility. Primary infertility means never having become pregnant despite normal sexual activity. Secondary infertility refers to cases where there has been at least one pregnancy, including induced abortion or miscarriage, but infertility subsequently occurred.
The most dangerous cause of infertility was found to be the experience of 'induced abortion.' Age and body mass index (BMI) were also cited as causes of infertility. Women who had experienced induced abortion had a 4.1 times higher risk of infertility than those who had not. Additionally, overweight women with a BMI of 23 kg/m² or higher had a 1.56 times higher risk of infertility than women with a BMI of 23 kg/m² or lower, and women aged 35 or older had a 1.08 times higher risk of infertility.
When analyzed by dividing into infertility and non-infertility groups, the rate of induced abortion was 7.7% in the infertility group, which was 5.9 percentage points higher than the non-infertility group (1.8%). Miscarriage was also 3.1 percentage points higher in the infertility group (7.4%) than in the non-infertility group (4.3%).
The average age of the infertility group was 33.2 years, 1.3 years older than the non-infertility group (31.9 years). The infertility rate increased with age. Specifically, the infertility rates were 14.2% under 30 years old, 17.4% for ages 30-34, 28.8% for ages 35-39, and 37.9% for 40 years and older. The body mass index was also higher in the infertility group at 21.5 kg/m² compared to 20.9 kg/m² in the non-infertility group.
Professor Han Jeong-yeol of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Ilsan Paik Hospital is performing an ultrasound examination on a pregnant woman. [Photo by Ilsan Paik Hospital]
Professor Han Jeong-yeol explained, "The increased risk of infertility in women with a history of miscarriage may be due to physical factors such as damage to the endometrium caused by miscarriage, thinning of the endometrium, pelvic inflammatory disease, infection, uterine adhesions, as well as psychological factors that together increase the risk of infertility."
He continued, "Age and overweight are also important causes of infertility," adding, "As age increases, the number of oocytes, which are the source of eggs, decreases, and the quality of eggs declines, leading to higher miscarriage rates and chromosomal abnormalities. Overweight can cause hormonal imbalances that negatively affect ovulation and oocytes."
According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the global prevalence of infertility is about 15%. The number of infertile women in South Korea increased by 11.4%, from 146,235 in 2017 to 162,938 in 2021. The problem lies in the low rate of infertility treatment. South Korea's infertility treatment rate is only 20%.
Professor Han emphasized, "Infertility should be recognized not only as a health issue affecting individuals but also as a social issue affecting families, society, and population," and stressed the need for various policies to provide psychological support and reduce the financial burden of infertility treatment.
This research result was recently published in the SCI-level international journal 'CEOG (Clinical and Experimental Obstetrics and Gynecology),' issued in Canada.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
