Reproductive Health for the 21st Century

The ability to control one’s own reproduction encompasses the desire not only to have children but also to have them at a time and in a manner that best ensures their future health, both physical and mental. Reproductive health significantly influences the overall health of individuals and society and has been the subject of increased attention from a health and economic viewpoint. The economic burden imposed on infertile couples attempting to achieve pregnancy is difficult to estimate accurately because the cost of treatment is not always reported as infertility related. The projected direct cost of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) together with the cost of multiple-gestation pregnancies is estimated to be $1.1 billion for the year 2000. The direct cost of unintended adolescent pregnancies alone is more than $1.5 billion. Thus, the overall costs of infertility treatment and those of all unintended pregnancies would substantially exceed $3 billion annually. These direct costs are in addition to the considerable indirect costs associated with the immediate and long-term psychological and other consequences that accompany both conditions. In addition, the direct and indirect costs associated with uncontrolled population growth worldwide are difficult to comprehend, let alone quantify. Consequently, it is critical to address these problems from the broadest possible perspective.