Infertility cases climb 30% in 2 years; psychological support lags far behind

The number of infertility treatments has increased by nearly 80 cases per day over the past two years, reaching about 600 cases daily.

However, only eight regions have established infertility depression counseling centers in the nation to provide psychological support for infertile couples, highlighting a serious gap in mental health support for these couples.

Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea said Friday that an analysis of data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Insurance Service revealed that while the number of infertility patients and procedures increased by nearly 30 percent over the past two years, psychological counseling support for infertile couples remains inadequate.

According to the ministry’s data, the total number of infertility patients increased by 18,511, from 142,572 in 2022 to 161,083 in 2024. During the same period, the number of fertility procedures also increased by 58,129, from 201,611 to 259,740.

The number of registered couples also rose by 12,469, from 77,904 to 90,373.

By age group, female patients aged 35-39 were the most numerous. The number of male patients aged 40 and above increased from 24,979 in 2022 to 28,402 in 2024, representing a rise of approximately 1.14 times. The number of female patients aged 40 and above also rose significantly, increasing from 21,563 to 24,928.

In contrast, while infertility depression counseling centers currently operate one central center and 11 regional centers, there are large disparities between regions. Furthermore, the proportion of phone and online counseling outweighs in-person counseling, meaning regional accessibility remains low.

Among the nation's 17 metropolitan cities and provinces, counseling centers were established in only eight regions.

By type, while face-to-face counseling has stagnated, remote counseling has steadily increased, surpassing face-to-face counseling in 2024. Rep. Seo pointed out that this demonstrates an inability to meet direct counseling demand due to insufficient counseling personnel and facilities.

“According to what has been confirmed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the national agenda announced by the Lee Jae Myung administration on Tuesday includes support for establishing psychological counseling centers for infertility and pregnant women. Specifically, it proposes plans to add at least two new centers annually and to solicit and select new centers by 2026,” Rep. Seo said.

He argued that infertility is an area where psychological recovery must accompany physical treatment, yet the current counseling center infrastructure falls far short of demand.

“The depression and anxiety experienced by infertile couples due to advanced maternal age and repeated failures are not individual problems but social challenges the government must take responsibility for and support,” Seo said. “The Ministry of Health and Welfare must promptly secure budgets to expand centers, deploy specialized personnel, and improve counseling accessibility.”