Assisted reproductive technology in China: compliance and non-compliance

According to the WHO, infertility and sterility will be the third-most serious disease worldwide in the 21st century, after cancer and cardiovascular diseases. In contrast to developed countries, assisted reproductive technology (ART) were not offered in China until the mid-1980s with the first in vitro fertilization (IVF) infant born in Taiwan in 1985, then Hong Kong in 1986, and mainland China in 1988, respectively. Since those inceptions, the practice of ART in China has evoked a variety of social, cultural, political and one-child policy responses that have resulted in restrictions on the number of IVF cycles performed annually. According to recent survey, an estimate 40-50 million women and 45 million men suffered from infertility, which is estimated that more than ten million Chinese infertile couples require ART treatment. However, it has limited access to ART facilities, many of them may not have a child are whirling to all types of fertility therapies. Exposure to radiation, pesticides and other environmental pollutants, work-related stress and unhealthy lifestyles are believed to contribute to the increasing incidence of infertility in China. The aim of this first report is to provide China nationwide ART data and government policy in compliance and non-compliance, particularly related to family plan policy in China.