The world's most populous country is suffering lower fertility
as up to 10 percent of Chinese couples are unable to conceive,
reproduction health experts have warned.
No large-scale infertility survey has been carried out in China
and statistics are hard to come by, but reports contributed by
regional research bodies indicate an average infertility rate
between seven and 10 percent among married couples, said Prof. Wang
Yifei of the Shanghai Jiaotong University.
While delaying childbirth until after a woman turned 35 and
multiple abortions were often to blame for infertility and
miscarriages, Wang said male infertility was also on the rise in
China, with sperm counts decreasing from an average 100 million per
ml in the 1970s to 40 million per ml today.
"A certain percentage of the sperm donated by seemingly healthy
college boys to our sperm bank in Shanghai are not eligible in
terms of sperm count or motility," Wang said.
Though no official figure is available, experts believe more
than 10 million Chinese families need artificial fertilization and
many are undergoing fertility treatment.
A reproduction health specialist in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, has attributed the rising
infertility rates to stressful and unhealthy lifestyles linked to
China's dramatic social and economic changes -- including obesity,
drinking, smoking, and environmental problems.
"The problem deserves attention from all walks of life because
it threatens the quality and structure of our future population,"
said Prof. Huang Hefeng of Zhejiang University, at an ongoing
symposium on reproduction health in Hangzhou, capital of
Zhejiang.
Almost 1,000 researchers and doctors attended the symposium to
discuss a wide range of topics, including infertility,
miscarriages, maternity and baby health.
About 22 million babies are expected to join China's 1.3 billion
population this year, the year of the pig which is considered
auspicious for births, up from an average 16 million a year from
2001 to 2006.
But demographers have repeatedly warned of a graying society in
China.
According to the China Elderly Association, senior citizens will
account for 11.8 percent of the population in 2020, up from the
present seven percent. The elderly population will peak around 2030
and will last about 20 years. By the mid-21st Century, people aged
over 60 are likely to exceed 400 million, and those over 65 will
top 300 million.
(Xinhua News Agency April 9, 2007)