Fertility defense war, what technology can do| Haibin interview

"There are a lot of PEOPLE around who do IVF (babies), but I'm the luckiest one!"

Liu Xiaohui from Cangzhou, Hebei Province, told the first financial reporter that when she was 32 years old, she was conceived through assisted reproductive technology and successfully gave birth to a healthy male baby.

China's infertility rate is still climbing upwards, with tens of millions of families struggling to demand children. Factors such as the delay in childbearing age, inappropriate contraception and consequent abortion all affect fertility. China's fertility defense war has begun, but not everyone can get what Liu Xiaohui wants.

"Painless" pain

"Our colleagues have done it five or six times," Liu Xiaohui told CbN, adding that it is not uncommon for people around her to try IVF. There are not many like her who "went from the first visit to the success of the 50 days or so".

IVF is a technique of ivory fertilization that transfers embryos back to the mother. Some women need multiple IVF attempts to succeed, while others fail to do so after multiple attempts.

Infertility plagues a significant number of women, and the sheer number of this group is growing.

During this year's two sessions, a CPPCC member quoted a report that China's infertility rate increased from 3.5% in 1997 to 16.4% in 2019 and may further increase to 18.2% in 2023. Combined with data on The population of women of childbearing age in China, the Eggshell Research Institute, a medical research institute, speculates that the infertility population in mainland China is nearly 51 million.

"There are many influencing factors for the rise in the infertility rate of chinese women," Shi Wang, president of Ogalon China, told CbN that the delay in childbearing age will make it difficult for older women to conceive, and unintended pregnancy and miscarriage can also easily lead to infertility.

Ogalon, a medical innovation company focused on women's health, was spun off from Merck in 2021 and listed independently, deeply engaged in areas such as women's reproductive health.

"Thirty million people in China use emergency contraception a year, and nine million abortions are performed, which is a great damage to women's bodies and fertility." Shi Wang told reporters: "Less than 10% of women in China use high-efficiency contraceptive methods, which is very different from mainstream Western countries." The abortion of about nine million, many of which are related to contraceptive failure. ”

The reason for Liu Xiaohui's infertility is also this. Her previous miscarriage experience resulted in "tubal ligation on one side and adhesion of the fallopian tubes on the other."

"Now society has a state of late marriage and late childbearing due to various factors. Many women want to start a business and then start a family, but they don't protect themselves enough. Professor Wei Lihui of Peking University People's Hospital recently said at a forum: "Now 9 million abortions a year, 50% of which are unintended pregnancies, are accidentally caused by not understanding contraception, and most women are pregnant for the first time or unmarried." This kind of behavior is considered common, so it is not regarded as a very important issue. ”

This is a false perception. People often don't know what to pay for rash decisions in the days to come. The so-called "painless abortion" can have painful consequences.

"Now it is common to do painless abortions, many women do not feel pain, but in fact, a single abortion can cause serious problems." Wei Lihui said: "Because women are in a painless state during abortion, they will be scraped more thoroughly in order not to remain, which often leads to adhesions in the uterine cavity. Therefore, there are many cases of uterine cavity adhesion and endometrial damage. This can lead to problems when trying to conceive, because the fertilized egg cannot implant and is not easy to conceive. ”

Fertility Defense War

Protecting fertility is not an immediate job.

"The fact that the product has been in China for many years and the drug has been in the market for many years does not mean that it has played its rightful role." Shi Wang told reporters.

Whether it is Ogallon, Bayer and China Resources in China, there are corresponding contraceptive drugs on the market, but such drugs have obviously not been effectively used, and before 2019, the number of abortions per year in China has remained high.

Similarly, although IVF technology has been carried out in China for many years, most people do not have the same accurate cognition as Liu Xiaohui.

Before ivy surgery, Liu Xiaohui had been working as a nurse in a county-level hospital for many years, which meant that she was more likely than ordinary people to understand assisted reproduction-related technologies such as IVF, and it was easier to grasp sufficient information to make judgments such as "where to go for surgery, which ovulation induction drugs to choose, and what side effects may be".

The average person's understanding of assisted reproduction may not be so clear.

"There is no correct idea of when to use assisted reproduction. With assisted reproduction, we are worried that the non-natural pregnancy process will have a certain impact on the healthy growth of the child, and because of the use of drugs to promote ovulation and cycle regulation, this may have some side effects for women. Shi Wang said: "Many factors come together, resulting in everyone's understanding of assisted reproduction is not at the right level. ”

Sullivan, an advisory firm, reported that assisted reproductive technology penetration in the United States exceeds 30 percent and in China less than 10 percent.

"The cost of assisted reproductive technology, it seems that thirty or forty thousand is not very cheap, in fact, this piece is still relatively low compared with the entire cost of fertility." Schwann believes that the low penetration rate is not due to technical or cost factors. The penetration rate of assisted reproductive treatment in various countries has gradually increased with economic development, and it is positively correlated with the level of education and public awareness of scientific medical methods.

To build a fertility-friendly society, innovation in medicines and technologies is essential. Technologies such as safe and efficient contraceptives and assisted reproduction protect women's fertility and give women greater freedom of choice under the premise of safety.

"Let families who want to have babies know correctly about assisted reproductive technology, know when to use it, and how to use it, so that families who want to have children can get what they want." Shi Wang told reporters that what companies can do is "something within their reach."

In 2021, the number of newborn births on the mainland will drop to 9.98 million, and the birth rate of the population will be less than 1%. The problem of low fertility is a worldwide problem. Japan, South Korea and Singapore in Asia have all seen sharp declines in birth rates. Europe's Germany and the United Kingdom have also long been committed to reversing the trend of low fertility. Some countries have achieved phased success, citing Sweden, which has seen a W-shaped fertility rate over the past few decades. The positive trend in Sweden in recent years has benefited from the intensification of policies to encourage fertility, and the support of families in the fertility and parenting process.

Domestic fertility policy is changing from family planning to birth promotion. From the central to the local level, China has gradually implemented some policies to protect fertility and increase fertility. At present, there are about 500 medical institutions with assisted reproduction qualifications in China. In 2021, China promulgated the Guiding Principles for the Application of Human Assisted Reproductive Technology (2021 Edition), which moderately relaxed the access requirements for third-generation IVF technology. This policy is considered to encourage more assisted reproduction institutions to upgrade their skills to alleviate the infertility dilemma.

Some positive signals are emerging. According to the China Health Statistics Yearbook, the total number of birth control procedures in China has declined since 2014, and the number of abortions has dropped from 9.76 million in 2019 to 8.96 million in 2020.

Building a fertility-friendly society is a long-term issue, and elements such as the emergence of new technologies, the implementation of active policies, and the popularization of scientific concepts are indispensable.

"The state will certainly have a series of overall considerations to promote fertility. The promotion of fertility willingness, the improvement of the accessibility of assisted reproduction and other aspects together, in the end, more families can get what they want, so that they can get the baby they want. Shi Wang said.