Reproductive health experts are revising their definition of “infertility” to make it more inclusive
The new definition, recently introduced by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) Practice Committee now encompasses individuals or couples requiring medical assistance to achieve a successful pregnancy.
The new clinical definition establishes infertility as a disease, condition, or status that meets one or more of these characteristics:
- Not being able to get pregnant, with or without a partner, for any reason related to the patients’ medical, sexual, or reproductive history, or their age, physical findings, or diagnostic testing
- Requiring donor gametes or embryos, or other medical intervention, to achieve a successful pregnancy, with or without a partner
- Evaluation should begin at 12 months of regular unprotected intercourse with no pregnancy (for female partners under 35) or at 6 months (for female partners older than 35) when there is no known etiology for either partner that suggests impaired reproductive ability
Infertility was previously defined by ASRM and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ Committee on Gynecologic Practice as failing to get pregnant from unprotected intercourse or therapeutic donor insemination within one year of trying (for women younger than 35) or within 6 months (for women older than 35).
Jared Robins, MD, ASRM’s chief executive officer, said in an ASRM press release that the new definition “reflects that all persons, regardless of marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity, deserve equal access to reproductive medicine.”
“This inclusive definition helps ensure that anyone seeking to build a family has equitable access to infertility treatment and care,” Robins said.
In the press release, ASRM specified that Elizabeth Fino, MD, a reproductive endocrinologist at NYU Langone Health in New York City, said this updated definition is how a lot of doctors have been viewing patient care for a while.
“We’re looking at using reproductive medicine to kind of build families and that looks so different for so many people,” Fino told MedPage Today, adding that she’s not sure how insurance companies will interpret the new definition.
Fino also explained that LGBTQ people and single women have been at the forefront pushing for more inclusive reproductive care. When it’s nearly impossible to meet clinical and insurance criteria for infertility based on their experiences trying to get pregnant, they have had to jump through hoops – for instance, lying to their doctor about what they’ve been trying in order to meet the definition. Fino said this “leads to poor medical care if people aren’t being open about what their real goals are.”
