Assisted reproduction demand rises amid delayed motherhood in Spain and Chile

Demographic shifts and the postponement of motherhood are driving an increase in the use of assisted reproduction technologies in Spain and Chile.

In Spain, specialists from Next Fertility report that while the average age for initial information consultations has dropped to 36.8 years, the actual age at which patients begin clinical treatment remains around 40. This delay is attributed to extended education, delayed entry into the labor market, and the pursuit of economic or personal stability. Assisted reproduction now accounts for one in ten births in the country.

In Chile, the fertility rate has dropped to 1.16 children per woman, well below the replacement level of 2.1. This trend has led to a 52.5% increase in assisted fertilization treatments through Fonasa during the first half of the year. The public system offers both low-complexity programs, such as artificial insemination, and high-complexity options like in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).