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In an interview with Elle magazine on Wednesday, Emmanuel Macron clarified the broad outlines of the plan against infertility mentioned last January. This would be largely based on an assessment offered at the age of 20. A decision that surprises the medical profession.
France’s “demographic rearmament” strategy mentioned last January is becoming clearer. In an interview published Wednesday by the magazine She, the President of the Republic spoke of the importance of putting in place a plan against infertility to, according to him, give every chance to women of childbearing age. “Every woman must freely dispose of her body. But one figure catches my eye: the fertility rate is 1.8 and the desire to have a child rate is 2.3.”, he noted. “We must not make those who do not want to have children feel guilty, but the poor organization of our society must not prevent women and families from having children if they wish.” he justifies.
A “fertility check-up” from the age of 20
Concretely, this “support” would come in the form of a fertility check-up, not at the age of 25 as mentioned in January but from the age of 20. Complete assessment, spermogram, ovarian reserve… This will be offered to everyone and fully reimbursed by Health Insurance, assures the Head of State. “We will organize campaigns in favor of the self-preservation ofoocytes for women who want to have children later.
President Macron also intends to facilitate the PMA (medically assisted procreation) process for women. To reduce waiting times (currently 16 to 24 months), he wants to “open up oocyte self-preservation to private centers”, which was “until now reserved for hospitals”.
On the other hand, he remains opposed to surrogacy (or GPA) in France, which he sees as a “commodification of the female body”.
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An early assessment that surprises specialists
As for the medical profession, we are wondering. Certainly, it is important and necessary to finally talk about infertility. But a complete assessment at 20 years old could confuse the message. For Professor Samir Hamamah, head of the reproductive biology department at Montpellier University Hospital, offering this check-up too early can even be counterproductive, “either by distressing the future parents or, on the contrary, by falsely reassuring them” he emphasizes in the Voix du Nord:
“The more we do this consultation in advance, the more dangerous it is because people will say to themselves: that’s it, everything is fine, I’m not doing anything, while age is an important factor for fertility.”
Same question from the National College of French Gynecologists and Obstetricians (CNGOF), which remains skeptical:
“We never said that exams were needed at age 20! This makes no medical sense,” confirms Doctor Joëlle Belaisch-Allart, the president. “I don’t know any professional who will do a spermogram on a 20-year-old young man (who has no plans to have children, editor’s note)… There is surely a misunderstanding in this proposal.”
The modalities of such an assessment still remain to be defined…
Towards a parliamentary mission to better understand menopause
The President also spoke during this interview of his wish to create a parliamentary mission around menopause, this period in a woman’s life when her periods stop permanently. “We realized that we knew very, very little about this subject. It’s a real taboo in society, with all the consequences it brings, hormonal imbalances and pathologies.”
This mission would aim to establish “the state of play of the current management of menopause (treatmentsaccompaniement, osteoporosiscardio and psychological follow-ups) and the difficulties encountered by women in terms of information and follow-up”. A decision which seems to be gaining great support from the public concerned for the moment.