According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people in the world is infertile. Although infertility is a recognized disease, this diagnosis does not exist in Austria. Those affected who want to have a child face numerous obstacles.
Costs for treatments are only partially reimbursed and the in vitro fertilization fund requires associated diseases and diagnoses, as shown in the second Fertility Atlas, which compares the situation within Europe. Behind this are the organization Fertility Europe and the parliamentary network European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (EPF).
Additional costs for exams
According to the report, despite financing, you have to pay around 1,100 euros per IVF treatment, plus additional costs for medicines and tests. In vitro fertilization (IVF) is fertilization performed in a test tube. To do this, eggs are removed from the woman, which are then fertilized with the partner’s sperm.
The fund supports four attempts per couple and intended pregnancy. This requires a corresponding diagnosis, such as infertility in men or the disease endometriosis in women, as well as an age limit for women of 40 years. Female same-sex couples have access to the treatment, while male same-sex couples and single women do not.
Certain treatments are prohibited
Those affected must bear the full costs of other treatments such as insemination, i.e. sperm transfer, themselves. This involves transferring seeds to the female genital tract. Surrogacy and embryo donation – where the genetic information comes from another woman and another man – are prohibited in Austria. Freezing eggs is only allowed for certain medical reasons.
Independent information about this is difficult to find, criticizes Christina Fadler, chairman of the association “Die Fruchtbar” and an affected person herself. “For the Austrian public health system, infertility does not exist. Affected couples are left financially and emotionally alone with the diagnosis – apart from support from the IVF fund (…).” In the self-help group, kindergarten teachers could no longer practice their profession due to the psychological stress.
Psychotherapy and advice for those affected
To improve the situation for people without children, the association advocates, for example, the recognition of infertility as a medical condition, free or low-cost psychotherapy, an independent advice center for endometriosis (abdominal disease, note) and the desire to have children, as well as a uniform register and fertility treatment statistics.
“We call on policymakers to recognize the universal right to children, provide public funding and reduce the stigma of infertility (…),” says Leonidas Galeridis of EPF. Access to fertility treatments must be equal and safe.
The Fertility Atlas provides an overview of the situation in European countries. Criteria include legal bases, financial support for those affected and access for same-sex couples. Austria is therefore in the middle bracket – behind countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands and France, but ahead of countries such as Italy, Slovakia and Albania.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
