On the morning of March 24, the 28th session of the Standing Committee of the 13th People's Congress of the Autonomous Region voted to pass the newly revised Regulations on Population and Family Planning of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (hereinafter referred to as the Regulations). The regulations stipulate that a couple can have three children, and at the same time add parental leave, prenatal examination and paternity leave, extend maternity leave, and encourage the establishment of an inclusive childcare service system.
The policy "red envelope" has been issued, and many families are planning to prepare for pregnancy and babybirth. But pregnancy and childbirth is not a trivial matter, many times it is not possible to conceive, and many families may encounter infertility problems.
What counts as infertility?
What should I do if I have a problem?
The reporter went to the public tertiary reproductive specialty hospital in the district
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Reproductive Hospital
(Former Reproductive Center of the Autonomous Region Health and Family Planning Commission)
Interviews were conducted.
▲The new branch of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Reproductive Hospital
1 in 5 women of childbearing age suffers from infertility
"Getting married and having children" is like a natural occurrence, and infertility seems like a distant thing for many people. However, according to Mo Xiangen, deputy director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine (who presided over the work) of the Reproductive Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, relevant research reports show that the infertility rate of women of childbearing age in mainland China has risen from 12% in 2007 to 15% in 2010 and then to 18% in 2020. In other words, on average, nearly 1 in every 5 women of childbearing age around them are suffering from infertility.
▲ Deputy Director of the Department of Reproductive Medicine (presiding over the work) Mo Xiang'en is consulting
How is infertility counted? The World Health Organization defines that men and women of childbearing age who have sex normally without contraception and are still not pregnant after a year can be defined as infertility and should seek medical attention in time.
Among the causes of infertility, the male factor and the female factor are basically half of the factor. Common causes of infertility in women include blocked fallopian tubes, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, etc.; male infertility may be azoospermia, poor sperm quality, etc.
The "three children" who are preparing to conceive need to pay attention to the age problem
In recent years, the age of first marriage and childbearing among the mainland population of childbearing age has been rising. Statistics show that the proportion of marriages in the age group over 30 has increased significantly in recent years, reaching nearly half of the total number of marriages in 2020.
The delay in the age of marriage has led to an increase in the age of childbearing. Relevant surveys show that the proportion of pregnant women in mainland China (over 35 years old) has risen to about 17%.
And advanced age is the "great enemy" of pregnancy. In women over the age of 35, the number and quality of oocytes have decreased significantly, the chance of pregnancy is significantly reduced, and they are more likely to encounter infertility. Women who intend to prepare for pregnancy for "three children", because they have had two birth experiences, most of them are not low in age.
It is worth noting that families that have a smooth birth of "one child" and "second child" may also encounter infertility when preparing for pregnancy "three children".
At the same time, work and life pressures and bad living habits are also eroding people's fertility. For example, smoking and drinking reduces the sperm count and vitality of men, and staying up late and mental stress leads to the loss of normal hormone secretion related to pregnancy.
Mo Xiangen reminded that for couples over 35 years old, age is not waiting for anyone. If there is a pregnancy plan, you should not wait until you are not pregnant for a year to seek medical treatment, but you should seek medical treatment in time after trying to conceive naturally for half a year without success.
IVF Fertility Paves the Way to Hope
In the face of infertility, is there no chance to have your own baby? Not. Human assisted reproductive technology (commonly known as IVF) is currently recognized by the medical community as an effective and safe means of coping with infertility.
In the embryology laboratory, the embryologist is operating the Time-lapse embryo culture dynamic monitoring and analysis system.
Mo Xiangen introduced that IVF is not really crawling out of the IVF, but for the problems of infertility caused by tubal blockage, obstructive azoospermia, etc., by taking sperm and eggs out of vitro, helping them complete the combination in the laboratory, cultivating embryos, and then transferring back to the woman's uterus. The baby still grows up in the mother's womb and is eventually delivered naturally or by caesarean section.
In the embryonic laboratory, the embryologist works intently in front of the microscope.
Some people may be worried about the safety of this technology, and whether a baby who has been conceived through IVF will be healthy in the future.
In fact, Zheng Mengzhu, China's first case of IVF, has been growing up healthy since she was born in 1988, and in 2019, she also gave birth to a baby boy.
Louis Brown, the world's first IVF baby born in 1978, is now a mother of two.
As of 2018, there were more than 8 million IVF babies worldwide, and decades-long follow-up studies have shown that they are not significantly different in physical and mental health compared to people conceived naturally.
IVF fertility is a highly regulated medical technology that can only be carried out in a small number of approved medical institutions on the mainland.
It is understood that the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Reproductive Hospital has carried out this technology since 2000 and is the first batch of approved reproductive centers in our region.
▲The hall on the first floor of the outpatient clinic of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Reproductive Hospital
By the end of 2021, the hospital has given birth to more than 32,000 IVF babies (live births), which is the first medical institution in the region to exceed 10,000, 20,000 and 30,000 IVF babies, and the technical indicators such as clinical pregnancy rate are at the leading level in China.
▲At present, there are about 60,000 embryos frozen in the Reproductive Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
Therefore, infertility is not an "incurable disease", timely detection and active treatment, as well as hope to be a parent and mother.
Source 丨Nanguo Morning Post reporter Zhang Ruofan Correspondent Yang Xiawei Luo Wei
Duty Editor 丨 Wu Sisi
Duty proofreader 丨 Huang Shaohua
The duty director 丨Tang Haibo
Duty Editorial Board 丨 Lu Yueling
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