The 8th Scientific Congress on Fertility and Infertility organized by the research center of the Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science will be held at the university campus from December 16-18.

Key topics will include roles of metabolic disorders, obesity and hirsutism (excessive growth of facial hair on women) in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), new protocols of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) services, the effect of complementary therapies on infertility and PCOS, new ethical considerations in the treatment of infertility, and rational prescription of medications for ovulation induction, IRNA reported.

It will also discuss issues such as the efforts to help cancer patients retain their fertility or ability to procreate, impact of the environment and pollution on reproductive health, new therapies to treat and diagnose male infertility and the links between infertility and psychosomatic disorders.

The impact of lifestyle in the infertile population undergoing fertility treatment as well as other factors including age, weight, smoking, diet, exercise, psychological stress, and exposure to environmental pollutants, are also to be debated.

Physicians and experts in various fields including urology, internal medicine, orthopedics, rheumatology, social medicine, psychology, psychiatry, obstetrics, nursing, geriatric medicine, reproductive medicine and reproductive and family health will participate.

At present, between 11% and 15% of the 80 million population suffers from infertility. Studies show that 70% of the cases are due to both male and female fertility problems, 20% due to factors involving both partners, and 10% are unexplained causes.

According to the Health Ministry, the total fertility rate (the number of children born per woman) in Iran should reach 2.1 (the global average) to make up for the significantly low rate in the past decades.

Currently, the TFR is 1.9, a big decline from the mid-1970s and the 1980s when TFR was 6.4. The low TFR now poses a challenge to the national population growth rate which declined to a record low of 0.7% in 2007 from nearly 4% in the 1980s.

Following a directive in 2012 from the Leader, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, Iranian authorities began a major reversal of the family planning policy to boost the growth rate. It now stands at 1.3%.

By Financial Tribune