News and Updates

Study pinpoints 45 years as the critical threshold for a significant downturn in male fertility

Media Release, 10 May 2026

Forty-five years has been identified as the critical age threshold at which elevated sperm DNA fragmentation significantly reduces fertility potential in men.

High levels of DNA fragmentation, defined as a breakdown of genetic material inside sperm cells, make it harder for sperm to fertilise an egg with other potential adverse outcomes including impaired embryo development and higher miscarriage rates.

Advanced age is an established risk factor for elevated sperm DNA fragmentation with existing studies suggesting a gradual rise as men get older, but the specific age at which it exceeds the clinical brink has been poorly defined.

However, new research being presented at the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Beijing has revealed the age group in which the high-risk threshold is crossed.

Clinical embryologist Ms Yixin Seow said 45 to 49-year-old men had been identified as the age group when a significant rise in sperm DNA fragmentation occurs compared to all younger cohorts.

Her research team conducted a retrospective analysis of sperm DNA fragmentation records at a major Malaysian fertility centre with 249 subjects stratified into five age groups from 30 years to 50-plus years.

“The outcome confirmed gradual increases in DNA fragmentation across the age groups, but most noticeably from age 45, after which it plateaus with minimal further increase in men over the age of 50,” Ms Seow said.

“While larger prospective studies are warranted, our research has clearly shown the age group where there is marked downturn in fertility potential.

“We recommend counselling of patients participating in assisted reproductive technology about the potential impact of advancing male age on likely success of conception and ongoing pregnancy

“Additionally, men aged 45-plus should consider sperm DNA fragmentation testing.”

Infertility affects one in every six couples around the world. It is defined as the failure to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse, or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth. The causes of infertility are equally shared between male and female partners.

The ASPIRE Congress at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing has attracted almost 3,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors specialising in assisted reproduction.

It has cast a global spotlight on fertility health in the Asia Pacific region which, like other parts of the world, is experiencing a disturbing downturn in fertility rates.

ASPIRE is a unique Asia Pacific taskforce of specialists in the management of fertility and assisted reproductive technology, and it is dedicated to advancing access to quality treatment for those experiencing infertility across the region.

For further information on the ASPIRE 2026 Congress, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Ms Yixin Seow is available for interview.

To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net

Psychosocial support is vital to help those living with infertility to overcome treatment barriers, including stigmas, myths and taboos about IVF

Media Release, 9 May 2026

Diverse cultural or religious values across the Asia Pacific region mean that many people living with infertility face challenging family or societal attitudes when considering assisted reproductive treatment to achieve their dreams of parenthood.

In many cases infertility generates personal shame and feelings of failure, as well as pressure to maintain family lineage with stigma compounding distress and depression over the struggle to conceive.

In some societies with conservative cultural or religious views, fertility treatments such as IVF are viewed with suspicion and are often associated with myths and taboos.

Globally, one in every six couples experience infertility, which is defined as the failure to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse, or the inability to carry pregnancies to a live birth. The causes of infertility are equally shared between male and female partners.

The problem is particularly relevant in many APAC countries where birth rates have fallen below population replacement levels creating disturbing socio-economic forecasts about dependencies of ageing populations.

The importance of integrated psychological care for people seeking assisted conception is a major focus of the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) being held in Beijing.

Speaking at the Congress, clinical psychologist Associate Professor Sonja Goedeke, said infertility was simultaneously a medical condition and a profound life crisis.

“Furthermore, assisted reproductive treatments may be characterised by prolonged uncertainty, physical burden, relational strain, and repeated exposure to potential loss,” she explained. “Psychological distress – most commonly anxiety, depression, and infertility-related stress – is highly prevalent and not confined to those with pre-existing mental health difficulties.

“Psychological care is not simply an optional adjunct, but an essential component of patient-centred, evidence-based fertility treatment. By providing accurate, evidence-based information and support counsellors can help people feeling overwhelmed.

“Psychological care also strengthens emotional regulation, coping capacity, relational communication, and decision-making, supporting patients to engage more fully in informed consent and complex treatment choices.

“Hearing about other people's experiences and research evidence can address issues of shame and isolation. Professional counselling assists individuals and couples to clarify their values and make decisions in the face of external pressure such as when families hold strong expectations about genetic relatedness or traditional family formation.

“It includes strategies to manage ethical, cultural and identity considerations.”

Sonja Goedeke is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Auckland University of Technology. Her research centres on the psychosocial and ethical dimensions of infertility and assisted reproduction.

She told the ASPIRE Congress: “The central message is clear. Psychological care does not guarantee pregnancy, but it improves the conditions in which successful treatment can occur.

“Integrating routine, responsive psychosocial services into fertility clinics is therefore both clinically justified and ethically imperative.”

Associate Professor Goedeke said despite its evidence-based benefits in assisted reproductive treatment, psychosocial care remains inconsistently integrated into fertility services in the Asia Pacific.

“Barriers can be addressed at several levels, beginning with increasing awareness of why psychosocial care is integral to best-practice assisted reproduction, including its role in decision-making, emotional wellbeing, and long-term family outcomes.

“ASPIRE has taken an important step in this regard through the establishment of its Psychology and Counselling Special Interest Group, which provides professional development opportunities such as webinars and educational talks that are open to all healthcare professionals.”

The ASPIRE Congress at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing has attracted almost 3,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors specialising in assisted reproduction.

For further information on the ASPIRE 2026 Congress, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Associate Professor Sonja Goedeke is available for interview.

To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net

South and East Asia identified as hotspots of global warming related impacts on male fertility

Media Release, 9 May 2026

A major new study has shown that South and East Asia dominate patterns of global warming related decline in male fertility with the strongest and most consistent evidence coming from India, Pakistan and the southern parts of China.

The effects of increased environmental temperatures on male reproductive health include declining sperm concentration and motility and increased sperm DNA fragmentation, or genetic damage that can hinder fertilisation and embryo development.

Male related factors account for around 50 per cent of infertility cases around the world and the impact of rising ambient heat on semen parameters raises serious implications across wide areas of Asia where total fertility rates are in serious decline.

Outcomes of the study undertaken by the Taiwan IVF Group and Ton Yen General Hospital, Taiwan (China) in collaboration with Stanford University (USA) are being presented at the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) in Beijing.

Research principal and Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University, Dr Jack Yu Jen Huang, MD, PhD, FACOG said: “Given the temperature sensitivity of spermatogenesis, even modest increases in ambient temperature could have cumulative, population-level effects over time.

“As global warming accelerates, male reproductive health may represent an emerging climate sensitive public health concern.”

The testes function optimally at temperatures lower than the internal body heat level, and previous studies have shown elevated scrotal or ambient temperatures can impair sperm production.

The latest research explored global patterns to reveal comparative data across regions. It is based on a systematic review of international studies on temperature exposure and semen parameter trends between 2000 and 2024. Artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning tools were applied to extract key variables including geographic regions and semen outcomes.

Dr Huang said studies examining occupational heat exposure alone were excluded from the analysis as they reflected localised, job-specific conditions rather than broader climatic trends.

“Our findings therefore represent population level climate associated temperature effects including consistent seasonal variations showing poor semen quality parameters in warmer periods.”

The global patterns on temperature associated lower sperm concentration and motility show South and East Asia as major hot spots of concern followed by the Middle East, Europe and North America.

“South and East Asia are likely more affected due to a combination of factors including higher baseline ambient temperatures and rapid urbanisation that contribute to greater cumulative heat stress on spermatogenesis,” Dr Huang explained.

“With ongoing global warming, chronic heat exposure may increasingly impact male reproductive health.”

Dr Huang said potential approaches to address the issue include:

• increasing public awareness of heat exposure and reproductive health;

• encouraging protective behaviours;

• expanding research integrating climate and reproductive health data; and

• exploring clinical and lifestyle interventions to mitigate heat-related effects.

The research team was assisted by research intern Jeffrey Zi Kang Huang from Taipei American School, particularly in the application of artificial intelligence in biomedical research including AI-assisted data analysis and pattern recognition across global datasets.

“Further longitudinal and mechanistic studies will be important to better define causality and guide interventions,” he added.

The ASPIRE Congress is being held at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing. More than 3,000 scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors in assisted reproduction from around the world are attending the Congress.

For further information, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Dr Jack Yu Jen Huang is available for interview. To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net

ASPIRE demonstrates leadership and partnership responses to the global crisis of depopulation

Media Release, 9 May 2026

The Asia Pacific region is bearing the brunt of a dramatic decline in birth rates that will have severe socio-economic impacts in shrinking and ageing societies.

Countries including China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are among those hardest hit in the global fertility backslide while others including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia are also losing procreative power.

However, fertility health specialists across the Asia Pacific are spearheading efforts to arrest the slide into the unchartered future of depopulation as dependent older people outnumber the young.

The crisis is being tackled head on by the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE), a vast network of scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors working in assisted reproduction in APAC countries.

The collapse in total fertility rates below population replacement levels is a headline issue at the ASPIRE 2026 Congress in Beijing, a summit that has brought together over 3,300 experts from 60 countries.

ASPIRE President, Dr Haroon Latif, declared: “The societal impacts of depopulation are unprecedented, and it is challenge that requires leadership and partnerships.

“There are many contributing factors to the fall in fertility rates including socio-economic and environmental pressures.

“Those of us assisted reproductive technology need to work together with governments and policy makers, the corporate sector and communities to create greater awareness and measured responses to the crisis.

“ASPIRE has established a population sustainability task force harnessing experts in a range of disciplines to consider evidence-based insights and family building strategies.

“Thousands of specialists in assisted reproduction from across the world have come to the ASPIRE Congress in Beijing to address this issue and other fertility health challenges that impact on the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

“Language is not a barrier because we speak science. Throughout its relatively short history, assisted reproductive technology has faced many challenges, but it has overcome each of them to support those striving for parenthood.

“My philosophy is that our future lies in networking, and as we face the issue of declining fertility it is encouraging to see some major industry partners offering confidential family building incentives to their employees.”

Dr Latif said ASPIRE had grown over the past 25 years to become one of the world’s biggest and most influential societies in assisted reproduction and it has created dynamic education and awareness programs with communication technologies reaching participants across the globe.

“ASPIRE has established close links with other international bodies including the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the International Federation of Fertility Societies and the Global Andrology Forum,” he added.

“We are working collaboratively to achieve our objectives including raising awareness and understanding of infertility and to address vital issues of equitable and affordable access to care.”

The ASPIRE 2026 Congress is being held at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing. For further information, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Dr Haroon Latif is available for interview.

To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net

Men can step up to domestic duties to help arrest the global backslide in birth rates

Media Release, Friday 8 May 2026

BEIJING: A more active role for men in fatherhood and domestic chores could be the key lever of population rebound to arrest collapsing fertility rates around the world.

Men being more hands-on in infant care and household responsibilities can support family building with evidence that it may also improve their personal well-being and professional fulfillment.

Speaking at the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction, renowned reproductive endocrinologist Professor de Ziegler said the world was facing a general collapse of total fertility rates, defined as the number of children women are expected to have in their lifetime.

He said there were various reasons for declining birth rates, including socio-economic pressures, but the root cause was the increasing numbers of women entering the workforce and delaying parenthood as their biological fertility declined.

“The inherent desire for children does not diminish among many women pursuing education or career objectives,” he explained. “But it interferes with the realisation of that desire and often leads to abandoned hopes for family creation.

“The time has come for men to step up as the trigger for a bounce back in birth rates by supporting their partners in domestic responsibilities and parenthood options.”

Professor de Ziegler said the age of mothers at first birth had been steadily increasing globally. In Europe, it has increased by five years over the past five decades while in China the average age of first-time mothers has almost reached 30.

He told the ASPIRE Congress that birth rates had fallen sharply in countries like Japan, South Korea and Italy where women traditionally entered the workforce without a corresponding change in men’s roles within the partnerships.

Professor de Ziegler noted that in Nordic countries, where men generally are reported to be more involved in domestic chores, fertility rates were higher.

“Since male involvement in domestic life can influence birth rates, it represents a potential lever that can be used to encourage family building,” he said.

“Men participating further in child rearing to support their partners is bound to take on a new meaning and growing importance.

“American anthropologist, Professor Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, notably argues that men’s capacity to care for children is neither a modern invention, nor a product of some woke ideological trend.

“Rather, men’s role in infant care is deeply rooted in the animal kingdom where both male and female share equally in the tasks of feeding their young while the other hunts for food.

“Our long-term goal is to lay the groundwork for education, particularly among young people in schools about fertility issues, with a renewed vision of men’s domestic roles.

“Time will tell, but the hope for a rebound in birth rates is real and worth attempting.

“It will take quite a measure of inventiveness and adaptability to cope with the consequences of family and fertility choices we are making today, but there is no reason to think we are not up to the task.”

Professor de Ziegler is based in Cambodia where he has long experience in social and family issues. He is also a reproductive specialist at Maison de la Fertilité headed by Dr Chloé Tran in Paris.

He told the ASPIRE Congress studies had shown that fathers actively involved in newborn care experience hormonal changes that can enhance personal satisfaction and bonding.

“The hormonal changes encountered in actively involved fathers may improve men’s interpersonal connections and well-being, and even their professional fulfillment,” he said.

Around 3,000 specialists in fertility health – including scientists, clinicians, nurses and counsellors – are attending the ASPIRE Congress at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing.

For further information, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Professor Dominique de Ziegler is available for interview.

To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net

Remarkable progress in assisted reproduction as the ASPIRE Congress returns to China, where it all began 20 years ago

Media Release, 8 May 2026

Journeying the Silk Road of Reproductive Care is the theme of the 2026 Congress of the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction (ASPIRE) to be held at the China National Convention Centre in Beijing from 7 to 10 May.

The Congress has brought together thousands of renowned fertility specialists from across the globe to address latest advances in assisted reproduction. It showcases ASPIRE’s commitment to fostering communication and collaboration in reproductive science and medicine geared to the best possible outcomes for the one in six couples who experience infertility.

Background

The first IVF baby in China’s mainland was born in the Peking University Third Hospital (then named the Third Hospital of Beijing Medical University) in 1988, a decade after the first so-called test-tube baby in England.

At that time, there was controversy over whether to conduct assisted reproductive research because it was a period of strict family planning policy. Infertile patients faced difficulties under early restrictive family planning policies, which also brought complex challenges to the development of assisted reproductive research and medicine in China.

Among the most notable pioneers of assisted reproductive technology (ART) in China were gynaecologist Zhang Lizhu of Beijing’s Medical University Third Hospital, geneticist Lu Guangxiu of the CITIC-Xiangya Reproductive and Genetic Hospital in Changsha, and Professor Zhuang Guanglun of the Reproductive Medicine Centre, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University.

Professor Zhang Lizhu achieved the birth of the first IVF baby in the Chinese mainland in 1988 earning her the title “Mother” of IVF. Professor Lu Guangxiu established the country’s first human sperm bank and led the team that achieved another milestone with the birth of China’s first donated-embryo transplant test-tube baby.

Professor Zhuang Guanglun is often referred to as the “Father of IVF” in China’s mainland. He led the team that completed the country’s first successful Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) procedure introducing a crucial technique for treating severe male infertility.

Against numerous setbacks, they developed novel ART procedures addressing fertility-related challenges in the Chinese context, not the least of which was tuberculosis-induced infertility.

Like other countries across the Asia Pacific, China now faces a serious decline in total fertility rates with negative population growth creating a demographic crisis. China’s population is expected to drop by 204 million people between 2024 and 2054. It could lose 786 million people by the end of the century, returning its population to levels last seen in the 1950s.

As infertility has become more prevalent, demand for ART has surged creating a rapidly expanding industry. The Chinese Government has introduced policies to make ART more accessible and affordable, including medical insurance coverage for fertility treatments and regional subsidies.

However, legal restrictions remain, particularly for single women seeking elective egg freezing to preserve their fertility.

Professor Jie Qiao, Director of Peking University Health Science Centre, will be a keynote speaker at ASPIRE’s 2026 Congress in Beijing.

She has been working on reproductive biology and the pathology of infertility since 1990. Her reproductive research focus has been on the molecular mechanism of human gametogenesis and embryo development, infertility causes and clinical treatments, the protection and preservation of female fertility, and the development of new pre-implantation diagnosis methods.

She has led a research team in technical and theoretical breakthroughs in the systematic study of human embryonic development with many landmark contributions to reproductive medicine.

Professor Qiao has served as Director of the National Clinical Research Centre on Obstetrics and Gynaecology Disease, National Centre for Healthcare Quality Management in Obstetrics, President of China Women Doctors’ Association and Chair for the Reproductive Medical Society of Chinese Medical Doctors’ Association.

She has contributed the following reflection on the development of assisted reproductive technology research in China.

In the 1960s, Professor Zhang Lizhu, while treating reproductive endocrine diseases, encountered a large number of infertile patients. She was later influential in the establishment of one of China’s earliest reproductive endocrinology laboratories.

Inspired by the birth of the world’s first test-tube baby, Professor Lizhu – leading Peking University Third Hospital in collaboration with Hunan Xiangya Medical College and Union Hospital – applied to the Ministry of Health to research the breakthrough technology.

This led to the birth of the project Research on the Protection, Preservation and Development of Early Human Embryos, which was included as a key project in the Chinese National Seventh Five-Year Plan.

Since the birth of China’s mainland first test-tube baby in 1988 Chinese ART scientists have continuously tackled key challenges in reproductive disorders achieving new milestones including the following:

• 1995 – China’s mainland first frozen-thawed embryo test-tube baby was successfully delivered at Peking University Third Hospital;

• 1996 – the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University Medical School completed mainland China’s first Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) test-tube baby;

• 2006 – Peking University Third Hospital successfully nurtured China’s first and the world’s second “three types of frozen” (frozen egg, frozen sperm, frozen embryo) test-tube baby; and

• 2014, Peking University Third Hospital successfully delivered the world’s first test-tube baby screened for single-gene genetic disorders using MALBAC genomic amplification and high-throughput sequencing (otherwise referred to as the “MALBAC baby”). This marked China’s world leading level in pre-implantation genetic diagnosis technology.

On March 31, 2006, the first ASPIRE Congress was grandly held in Changsha. Over 300 experts and scholars from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and 19 other countries and regions – including the United Kingdom, Australia, Denmark, and Finland – participated in this conference.

At this inaugural meeting, Chinese ART practitioners primarily acted as learners and participants.

However, since 2006 ART in China has achieved world-renowned accomplishments with continuous expansion of assisted reproductive services.

In 2007, there were only 64 ART institutions approved by the Ministry of Health. As of June 30, 2025, the number of medical institutions approved to perform human ART in China reached 635.

In recent years, ART in China has developed rapidly, with the number of births exceeding 300,000, accounting for about three per cent of the total births. The number of treatment cycles has surpassed 1.2 million, representing approximately 30 per cent of global total ART cycles.

Accessibility to the technology has been greatly enhanced. A strict regulatory system has been formed and improved, encompassing technical specifications, ethical principles, approval procedures, medical security, inspection details and training base Management.

An extremely strict system has been established for access, implementation and supervision of ART technology. The establishment of national and provincial quality control centres ensures the safe and compliant use of the technology. In recent years, ART procedures have been gradually included in medical insurance reimbursement scopes.

By 2025, all 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps have included ART in their medical insurance reimbursement schemes. This has significantly reduced the financial burden on patients and improved accessibility.

Public understanding of infertility and ART has become more inclusive enabling greater numbers of people to openly seek professional help. In particular, the successful birth of the world’s first MALBAC baby propelled ART in China and the world. This subsequently led to the emergence of new pre-implantation genetic testing methods to meet the needs of more patients.

To help address declining fertility and reproductive ageing in China, a fertility preservation technology system centred on cryopreservation techniques is developing rapidly.

Clinical scientists and basic biologists in reproductive medicine in China are focusing on gamete and early embryonic development. They are successfully deciphering the mysteries of reproduction across multiple levels, such as genetics and epigenetics, achieving world-acclaimed results.

Concurrently, in-depth research on the mechanisms of reproductive diseases is being conducted. For instance, exploring the etiology of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), the most common reproductive endocrine disorder, using gut microbiota as an entry point, has provided highly effective insights for investigating the mechanisms of this disease.

In recent years, we have seen the integration of cutting-edge tools from multi-omics, gut microbiota, stem cell technology and single-cell analysis to big data models empowering fertility assessment, and the gradual exploration of digital cell empowerment.

In summary, the progress of ART in China over the past 20 years represents a remarkable journey from scale expansion to quality enhancement. It has not only helped millions of families realise their dream of parenthood, but has also profoundly influenced China’s demographic structure and social perceptions.

For details on the ASPIRE 2026 Congress in Beijing, go to https://www.aspire2026.com

Interview

Professor Jie Qiao is available for interview.

To arrange, please contact Trevor Gill, ASPIRE Congress Media Relations.

Tel: (Australia) 61 418 821948 or email lighthousepr@adelaide.on.net