French government launches fertility awareness campaign targeting 29-year-olds

The health insurance system is about to send 29-year-old men and women a message on fertility issues, a key measure in the government’s anti-infertility plan launched in February. A report from the monitoring committee for the fertility plan was submitted on Tuesday 3 November to the health minister, Stéphanie Rist. Immediately afterwards, she announced the launch of a major information campaign to support all couples who are planning to have children. By the end of November, women and men in France aged 29 will receive an awareness letter from Assurance Maladie in order to "give every adult the means to understand and preserve their fertility", the minister said. The letter will invite people who wish to have children to consult a health professional for "a preconception consultation", to review their health, lifestyle habits and any concerns "so as to prepare a future pregnancy as well as possible". For couples who are trying to have a child but are not succeeding, the letter recommends consulting a specialised health professional, where there is no particular problem, after "one year of trying before the age of 35" and after "six months of trying after the age of 35". While age is a decisive factor, fertility also depends on many medical, environmental and behavioural factors, including diet, sleep, physical activity and the consumption of tobacco and alcohol. At the same time, the government says it is rolling out the "Ma fertilité" portal, which brings together a set of dedicated information on the Santé.fr website, as well as audio messages and posters in doctors' waiting rooms. Towards an increase in the number of centres able to provide egg freezing The novelty of this information campaign is relative, since it corresponds to one of the 16 measures in the plan against infertility presented last February by Stéphanie Rist, following the call for "demographic rearmament" launched by President Emmanuel Macron in 2024. "In France, 15 to 25% of couples who wish to conceive a child encounter difficulties, that is more than three million people", the health minister recalled. She wants to increase the number of centres able to provide egg self-preservation for non-medical reasons. The information letter that is about to be sent out recalls that in France, "it is possible to self-preserve one's gametes" (male or female reproductive cells) in view of a possible parenthood project. Oocytes (female reproductive cells) can be collected and stored for women "between 29 and 37, for possible use up to the age of 45". For men, sperm can be stored "between 29 and 45, for possible use up to the age of 59". Last year, more than 20,000 women asked to store their oocytes with a view to a future child. That is an increase of 30% in one year. But waiting times vary from 14 to 24 months depending on the region. "Fertility is a major public health issue that concerns both women and men. Too often, difficulties are discovered late, whereas we can act earlier to better inform, prevent and support", the health minister wrote in her statement.