IVF offers hope in China, even to the government

China is urgently trying to deal with its declining population. One idea is to subsidize assisted reproductive procedures, which are often a last resort for couples and out of reach for many.
It was a cold, overcast morning in November, but one full of promise for Guo Meiyan and her husband: they would finally have the chance to start a family.
As Ms. Guo, 39, was driven on a stretcher in a hospital room where a doctor transferred her eggs, which had been harvested and fertilized, into her uterus, she also felt a sense of dread.
"If the transplant is not successful, all the money we spent will be wasted, all the pain I have endured will be wasted and we will have to start over," said Ms. Guo, who had traveled 200 km to surrender. to Beijing from the northern city of Zhangjiakou.She and her husband had been living in hotels near the hospital for a m ois during the final stage of the in vitro fertilization process.
They are among hundreds of thousands of Chinese couples who turn to assisted reproductive technologies every year after exhausting other options to get pregnant. They travel from all corners of the country to major cities like Beijing in hopes of overcoming infertility risks. Many wait in long lines outside hospitals before sunrise, just for the possibility of a consultation.
Now the Chinese government wants to return the technology, which he made legal in 2001, more accessible. He promised to cover some of the costs - usually several thousand dollars for each round - through national medical insurance. It's one of more than a dozen policy measures the Chinese authorities are throwing at what they see as a very big problem - a fertility rate so low that China's population has begun to decline.
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ImageMs. Guo and her husband talk to a doctor before the procedure.Credit...Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times
Image"If the transplant is not successful, all the money we spent will be wasted, all the pain I have endured will be wasted, and we will have to start all over again," Ms. Guo said. .Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times
China reached this turning point earlier than other countries at its stage of economic development, leading some demographers call the curse of "getting old before you get rich". As fewer babies are born each year and China's oldest people live longer, the government is forced to tackle a series of related challenges - a shrinking workforce, a nascent pension system and a generation of young people who are not interested in having babies.
Subsidize fertility services like IVF, a technology that fertilizes eggs with sperm in a lab and transplant an embryo into the womb, is "a big deal," said Lin Haiwei, general manager of Beijing Perfect Family Hospital, where Ms. Guo...

Health Jan 22, 2023 0 60 Add to Reading List

IVF offers hope in China, even to the government

China is urgently trying to deal with its declining population. One idea is to subsidize assisted reproductive procedures, which are often a last resort for couples and out of reach for many.

It was a cold, overcast morning in November, but one full of promise for Guo Meiyan and her husband: they would finally have the chance to start a family.

As Ms. Guo, 39, was driven on a stretcher in a hospital room where a doctor transferred her eggs, which had been harvested and fertilized, into her uterus, she also felt a sense of dread.

"If the transplant is not successful, all the money we spent will be wasted, all the pain I have endured will be wasted and we will have to start over," said Ms. Guo, who had traveled 200 km to surrender. to Beijing from the northern city of Zhangjiakou.She and her husband had been living in hotels near the hospital for a m ois during the final stage of the in vitro fertilization process.

They are among hundreds of thousands of Chinese couples who turn to assisted reproductive technologies every year after exhausting other options to get pregnant. They travel from all corners of the country to major cities like Beijing in hopes of overcoming infertility risks. Many wait in long lines outside hospitals before sunrise, just for the possibility of a consultation.

Now the Chinese government wants to return the technology, which he made legal in 2001, more accessible. He promised to cover some of the costs - usually several thousand dollars for each round - through national medical insurance. It's one of more than a dozen policy measures the Chinese authorities are throwing at what they see as a very big problem - a fertility rate so low that China's population has begun to decline.

ImageMs. Guo and her husband talk to a doctor before the procedure.Credit...Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times

Image"If the transplant is not successful, all the money we spent will be wasted, all the pain I have endured will be wasted, and we will have to start all over again," Ms. Guo said. .Andrea Verdelli for The New York Times

China reached this turning point earlier than other countries at its stage of economic development, leading some demographers call the curse of "getting old before you get rich". As fewer babies are born each year and China's oldest people live longer, the government is forced to tackle a series of related challenges - a shrinking workforce, a nascent pension system and a generation of young people who are not interested in having babies.

Subsidize fertility services like IVF, a technology that fertilizes eggs with sperm in a lab and transplant an embryo into the womb, is "a big deal," said Lin Haiwei, general manager of Beijing Perfect Family Hospital, where Ms. Guo...