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The prevalence of infertility in Europe, and presumably in other developed nations, is likely to double in the next 10 years – from one in seven couples now to approximately one in three, according to a UK scientist.  Sheffield University Professor Bill Ledger warned that the increased prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases like Chlamydia is robbing women of fertility. Ledger presented his findings at a European conference on fertility. He said that the incidence of chlamydia, a STD that is known to cause infertility, has doubled over the last ten years. 

“Young people of today will become tomorrow’s patients in infertility clinics,” he said, according to a BBC report. The alarming increase in Chlamydia rates in young women will

lead to a dramatic rise in infertility, he said. “Later, when these young women want to become mothers, they will  find they can’t conceive.” 

Professor Ledger also said that the trend for women to focus on their careers while delaying having children until their late 30s is also a major factor, as fertility is greatest in late teens and early 20s. Dr. Ledger warned about the obvious consequences of a population with a 33% infertility rate: “The sustainability of the population of Europe is at risk because there are too few children being born. It is a threat to the future.” 

Professor Ledger added, “Women are simply not as fertile after 35,” suggesting that a solution is to entice women to begin having families at a younger age. “It’s easier and more straightforward to do whatever you can to encourage women to have children naturally, rather than waiting to the point at which IVF may be needed.” 

The British Fertility Society’s Dr Allan Pacey said, “Nature designed women to have children in probably their late teens and early twenties, and many women are now waiting until they are over 35. The message has to be driven home that the sooner you do it, the more likely it is you will be able to conceive without medical assistance.”

Abstinence   

A new study released  14 June 2005  by the US Department of Health and Human Services, and completed by a contract with Mathematica Policy Research  Inc, reveals that abstinence education works. According to the interim report, teens who participated in abstinence programs had an increased awareness of the potential consequences of sexual activity before marriage, thought more highly of abstinent behaviors, and less favorable opinions about sexual activity before marriage than did students who were not in abstinence programs.

    “Students who are in these [abstinence education] programs are recognizing that abstinence is a positive choice,” HHS Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Michael O’Grady said. “Abstinence education programs that help our young people address issues of healthy relationships, self-esteem, decision-making, and effective communications are important to keeping them healthy and safe.”

   Leslee J. Unruh, president,  Abstinence Clearinghouse, agrees: “The evidence from this  and other studies is overwhelming; abstinence education results in self-confident, healthy kids -  [but] pro-promiscuity groups  like SIECUS continue to push for more of the same failed contraceptive sex ed of the past.