Infertility, defined as the failure to conceive after 12 months or more of regular, unprotected intercourse, may affect as many as 15 percent of couples around the world including Asia. Like other countries, China's infertility rate is on the rise increasing from 3 percent to 15 percent in the past 20 years. It is estimated that at least 40 million Chinese couples have difficulty in having children or are actually infertile.
As a result, the use of assisted reproductive technology (A.R.T.) to increase fertility has been steadily increasing. In China alone, more than 10 million couples need A.R.T. procedures.
As the quantity of A.R.T. cycles increases, scientists and physicians are looking to improve the quality of A.R.T. cycles as well. One critical factor in A.R.T. is the proper culture and selection of fertilized embryos and then their successful implantation in the woman's womb. These important issues related to A.R.T. are the focus of the 3rd Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE 2010), 9 - 11 April in Thailand.
Cook Medical Women's Health Division is conducting a media briefing in Beijing to further explore ways to improve embryo transfer and implantation with a special focus on China.
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