Not just high costs

The path to a desired child: what infertile people struggle with

According to the WHO, one in six people worldwide is infertile. Fertility treatments are usually expensive and emotionally stressful (symbolic image).

(Bild: stock.adobe.com)

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people in the world is infertile. Although infertility is a recognized disease, this diagnosis does not exist in Austria. Those affected who wish to have a child face numerous hurdles.

For example, the costs of treatment are only partially covered and the In Vitro Fertilization Fund requires corresponding medical conditions and diagnoses, as can be seen from the second Fertility Atlas, which compares the situation within Europe. It is backed by the organization Fertility Europe and the parliamentary network European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF).

Additional costs for examinations
According to the report, around 1100 euros per IVF treatment have to be paid by the patients themselves, despite funding, in addition to further expenses for medication and examinations. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is fertilization that is carried out in a test tube. Eggs are retrieved from the woman, which are then fertilized with the partner's sperm. 

From left: Anita Fincham (Fertility Europe), Vladislav Velizanin (EPF), Christina Fadler ("Die Fruchtbar - Verein Kinderwunsch Österreich & Fertility Europe) Petra Bayr (SPÖ Member of Parliament, EPF) and Leonidas Galeridis (EPF) at the press conference on Wednesday

(Bild: Himmelhoch)

The fund supports four attempts per couple and intended pregnancy. This requires a corresponding diagnosis, such as sterility in the man or endometriosis in the woman, as well as an age limit of 40 years for the woman. Same-sex female couples have access to the treatment, same-sex male couples and single women do not.

Certain treatments prohibited
The costs for other treatments such as insemination, i.e. sperm transfer, must be borne entirely by those affected. This involves transferring sperm into the female genital tract. Surrogacy and embryo donation - where the genetic information comes from another woman and another man - are prohibited in Austria. Egg freezing is only permitted for certain medical reasons.

Infertility is not covered by the Austrian public health system. Affected couples are left financially and emotionally alone with the diagnosis - apart from the support provided by the IVF fund.

Christina Fadler, Wiener Verein „Die Fruchtbar“

Independent information is hard to find, criticizes Christina Fadler, chairwoman of the association "Die Fruchtbar" and herself affected. "For the Austrian public healthcare system, infertility does not exist. Apart from support from the IVF fund, affected couples are left alone financially and emotionally with the diagnosis (...)." In the self-help group, kindergarten teachers could no longer work due to the emotional strain.

What does infertility mean?

The WHO speaks of infertility if no pregnancy occurs for at least a year, even with regular, unprotected sex at optimal times.

Psychotherapy and counseling for those affected
In order to improve the situation for the unintentionally childless, the association is calling for infertility to be recognized as a medical condition, free or low-cost psychotherapy, an independent counselling centre for endometriosis (abdominal disease) and the desire to have children, as well as a standardized register and statistics on fertility treatments.

"We call on policy makers to recognize the universal right to have children, provide public funding and reduce the stigma of infertility (...)", says Leonidas Galeridis from the EPF. Access to fertility treatments must be equal and safe.

The Fertility Atlas provides an overview of the situation in European countries. Criteria include the legal basis, financial support for those affected and access for same-sex couples. According to the study, Austria is in the middle of the field - behind countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France, but ahead of countries such as Italy, Slovakia and Albania.