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After years of delays and debate, the French government has finally unveiled a national strategy to address infertility, an issue affecting millions across the country.
The plan combines awareness campaigns with medical measures, while attempting to steer clear of political pressure around family choices, reports Le Monde.
A plan unveiled
The government presented its plan to combat infertility on Thursday, February 5, fulfilling a pledge made by President Emmanuel Macron several years ago. According to the Ministry of Health, infertility affects more than 3 million people in France.
“The challenges of infertility have been analyzed in all their aspects” in order to allow the “immediate launch of concrete and long-awaited measures,” Health Minister Stéphanie Rist said during the presentation, as reported by Le Monde.
Message at 29
One of the most striking measures involves direct outreach to citizens. From the end of the summer, all French people will receive an official message around their 29th birthday to raise awareness about fertility issues.
Rist stressed that the initiative is not intended to pressure people into parenthood. “The role of politicians is not to dictate whether or not to have children; what we must avoid is continuing to hear ‘if only I had known’,” she said.
The clarification follows criticism of Macron’s earlier remarks linking infertility to “demographic rearmament”, language denounced by feminist groups as inappropriate.
Freezing eggs easier
Beyond communication, the plan aims to expand access to egg freezing. Although authorised under the 2021 bioethics law, the procedure has been limited by long waiting lists.
The health ministry plans to authorise several dozen new centres by 2028 and open the field to private providers, while insisting the service will remain free and outside any “commercial logic”.
A public awareness campaign on reproductive health is also scheduled for the end of 2026, alongside the launch of a dedicated information website.
Medical gaps addressed
The strategy also promises better care for conditions linked to infertility. Polycystic ovary syndrome, long overlooked in public policy, will receive greater attention. Endometriosis is included as well, although it is already covered by a separate government plan.
Cautious optimism
Patient groups have welcomed the announcement. “We are entering a new era; we have never been at this level of consideration for fertility and infertility issues,” Virginie Rio, president of the BAMP collective, told AFP. She added that it was “a starting point” and that “a lot of work” remained.
Advocacy groups continue to push for authorisation of PGT-A embryo testing, a method still debated in France over ethical concerns.
Years in the making
The plan builds on a 2022 government-commissioned report which estimated that 3.3 million people in France are affected by infertility. Until now, only limited research programmes had followed.
The renewed focus under Rist marks a shift from earlier proposals to merge infertility into broader demographic and ageing policies.
Sources: Le Monde, AFP
