Infertility as a Global Public Health Issue: WHO’s New Guidelines Explained

Описание: In this episode of The KevinMD Podcast, Dr. Kevin Pho welcomes back fertility specialist Dr. Yemi (Oluyemisi) Famuyiwa to discuss a major milestone in reproductive health: the World Health Organization’s first-ever global infertility guidelines.

Infertility affects 1 in 6 people worldwide, yet access to care remains deeply unequal. In her latest KevinMD article, Dr. Famuyiwa breaks down how the WHO is reframing infertility as a public health issue—not just a private struggle—and what this means for patients, clinicians, and policymakers around the world.

In this conversation, we cover:

Why the WHO created its first global infertility guideline
How infertility care can be approached in low-resource vs. high-resource settings
Practical, step-by-step diagnostic and treatment algorithms
Why IVF remains a crucial part of fertility care (even with prevention efforts)
The dangers of unsafe “desperation medicine” when evidence-based care isn’t accessible
What primary care physicians and OB-GYNs can do before referring patients
Policy implications for governments, health systems, and patient advocacy
The role of lifestyle, tobacco use, and prevention in fertility outcomes

Dr. Famuyiwa also shares real-world clinical insights, highlights gaps in current research, and explains why these guidelines are meant to be a living document—one that will continue to evolve as science, access, and awareness improve.

📖 Read the KevinMD article: Infertility as a Public Health Issue: WHO’s New Global Guideline
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