Medically assisted reproduction in developed countries: Overview and societal challenges
Jasmin Passet-Wittig, Martin Bujard
Abstract
Medically assisted reproduction (MAR) potentially offers a solution for people who face medical or social barriers to meeting their fertility goals - challenging the conventional understanding of what constitutes a family. MAR treatments include hormonal treatment, insemination, and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The demand for MAR keeps increasing, and the technology and societal impact of these procedures are developing dynamically. We provide a comprehensive overview of MAR in developed countries, focussing on its implications for individuals and societies. MAR is regulated differently across countries in terms of allowed methods and reimbursement schemes. Consequently, access to treatments is unequal. Fertility postponement and the increasing use of MAR reinforce each other, which could result in a MAR-fertility paradox in the future: the advantages associated with MAR-induced births could be offset by foregone births due to unrealistic expectations about the success rates of these techniques for women who increasingly postpone childbearing to older ages.