Infertility and fertility: demographic problems of assisted reproduction

The article dwells upon topical demographic problems of infertility in the context of their national specifics and institutional features. The purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of infertility correction on the annual number of births in Russia through identifying reproductive disorders and expanding assisted reproduction programs as effective tools of the pronatal fertility policy. The material for the analysis is statistical data of the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, official information from the Russian Association of Human Reproduction published in the National Registers of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in 2000-2021, materials of the World Health Organization and international professional associations of reproductive health professionals, domestic and foreign themed publications. The paper casts light on the economic, psychological, medical, social, professional, financial and gender changes in society associated with the development of assisted reproduction as the most effective way to correct infertility. A currently prevailing global trend towards universal access to assisted reproduction programs as the realization of everyone's right to the highest level of health, regardless of income, marital status, gender identity, etc., is limited in some countries by cost-effectiveness and "threshold of utility" of in vitro fertilization in treating infertility. In Russia, the main concern is the programs involving "third parties" and reproductive donors, especially surrogacy, therefore, it is necessary to strengthen state regulation to make the assisted reproductive technologies most similar to the natural processes and traditional ethical standards.