New groundbreaking data from nine countries reveals that while the desire for parenthood remains strong, many factors contribute to women having fewer children than they want, later than they want – and increasing care for women experiencing infertility could help close the gap
Press Kit

MADRID, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — IVI Institute, formerly IVI RMA Global — the global leader in fertility care — today announced the outcomes of the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer, a new study of 24,000+ individuals across nine countries providing a global view of fertility aspirations, experiences, and barriers. The inaugural Barometer, which was conducted by GfK, a NielsenIQ company, reveals a measurable gap between the families women want and the families they ultimately have, highlighting the complex forces shaping fertility today and the growing need for trusted information, expert care, and greater confidence throughout the journey to parenthood.

The findings challenge the idea that declining fertility rates are simply a matter of people choosing not to have children. Approximately 82% of women globally are already mothers or want children, with 73% of women saying motherhood is an important life goal. Yet for millions, the path to parenthood is being shaped by delays, infertility, a lack of trusted information, and limited access to care.

“Few decisions in life are more personal—or require more trust—than the journey to building a family,” said Javier Sánchez-Prieto, IVI Institute Global CEO. “The Fertility Barometer gives us a clearer understanding of what people around the world want, what they are experiencing and what is standing in their way when it comes to fertility and building their families. They are looking for confidence—confidence in science, confidence in their care team, and confidence that they are receiving the very best care possible. That is what IVI Institute is built to deliver: scientific rigor, clinical excellence, and personalized care for all patients.”

The Fertility Barometer is a new product of IVI Institute, created to provide an ongoing, evidence-based view of how people around the world experience fertility.

With members and expertise spanning over 200 clinics in 15 countries, IVI Institute is uniquely positioned to understand fertility across different cultures, health systems, demographics, and patient experiences.

Highlights from the survey include:

• The desire to become a mother remains strong – on average, 82% are already mothers or want children, and 73% say becoming a mother is a priority for them.
• Despite this strong aspiration, the path to parenthood is increasingly being delayed. Many women are starting their families later than they hoped – and having fewer children than they intended. Among women who reported a target age for starting a family, 36% had their first child later than desired, and end up having close to one fewer child than they intended. This clear gap between the families women want and the families they ultimately have is shaped less by changing aspirations than by the circumstances and barriers that delay their path to parenthood. Most commonly, women cite finding the right partner and personal maturity as the factors that made it the right time to start a family.
• Infertility touches the lives of nearly one in five women around the world. Approximately 19% have experienced infertility at some point in their lives, and 5% are experiencing it today. That adds up to 25.2 million women across the nine countries surveyed who have experienced infertility at some point – and a full 6.8 million who are going through it right now. Infertility challenges carry a heavy emotional toll: Two-thirds of women – 66% – who have experienced infertility rate its negative impact on their lives at 7 out of 10 or higher.
• 76% of women who have experienced infertility in the past consulted a doctor about it – yet only 18% of them underwent IVF: 95% cite factors like a lack of confidence in success and emotional stress as substantial reasons deterring them from taking the next step, alongside financial concerns – meaning navigating fertility treatment is as much about trust and information as it is about cost.

Together, these findings reveal that the global fertility challenge is not simply about whether people want to become parents. The desire to have a family remains strong, but the path to parenthood is increasingly influenced by timing, fertility, affordability, and the availability of trusted information and support. To learn more about the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer’s findings, visit fertilitybarometer.iviinstitute.com.

One global network, connected by a shared vision

Reproductive medicine today is more advanced than ever, but patients are also navigating more information, more choices, and often more uncertainty. IVI Institute is designed to bring greater confidence to that increasingly complex journey by connecting world-class physicians, embryologists, scientists, laboratories, data, and research.

“IVI Institute is not a departure from who we have been—it is an evolution of the strength we have built for almost 40 years,” said Antonio Pellicer, Executive Chairman. “By uniting our legacy brands, we are bringing together the very best of our expertise so that innovation can move faster, knowledge can travel further, and patients can benefit from greater consistency, precision, and support.”

A new era of fertility care in the United States and around the world

In the United States, leading clinic brands will unite under one name: Everleap Fertility. The new identity brings together trusted local care with the global expertise and resources of IVI Institute, creating a more connected experience for patients and referring physicians. As part of IVI Institute, Everleap Fertility will give patients and care teams greater access to leading research, advanced technology, shared clinical expertise, and a global network, all while maintaining the personalized care and clinical excellence they trust. Everleap Fertility has ⁠65+ clinics in 19 states, making reproductive medicine more accessible to women across the U.S.

According to the Fertility Barometer, trends in the U.S. largely mirror the global findings.

“This research gives us a clearer picture of what women in the United States think about fertility, parenthood, and the barriers and uncertainty they face on the path to parenthood,” said Lynn Mason, CEO of Everleap Fertility. “Too many women are wanting to build a family but lacking the information, guidance, or support they need to understand their own fertility and family building options. These findings reinforce our commitment at Everleap Fertility to bring fertility care to people earlier, provide greater clarity on paths to family building, advocate for access to care, and make each patient’s journey more personalized and understandable.”

In Italy, Spain, Portugal, Latin America, and the UK, IVI Fertility will continue to serve patients through the clinics they know and trust as a member of the IVI Institute network. Everleap Fertility in the U.S., Genera in Italy, and ART Fertility in the UAE will also operate as members of IVI Institute, and TRIO in Canada, Create Fertility in the UK, and LIVIO in the Nordics will continue to operate under their current brand names.

IVI Institute will also encompass the IVI Institute Foundation, IVI Institute Research Alliance, and IVI Institute Education. The new brand will extend the organization’s commitment to scientific research, education and training, and social responsibility by building on its 700+ active research projects, $12M+ investment in scientific advancement, and 1,814 healthcare professionals trained in 2025.

About IVI Institute

IVI Institute is the global leader in reproductive medicine, bringing together world-class fertility clinics and expertise to advance the future of fertility care around the world. With 100+ babies born every day across more than 200 locations in 15 countries – including IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, LIVIO, ART Fertility, Create Fertility, Genera, and TRIO clinics, among other brands – IVI Institute accelerates innovation, expands knowledge, and improves outcomes for patients around the world through groundbreaking research, collaboration, and rigorous clinical standards. Learn more at www.iviinstitute.com.

About the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer

Fertility is an urgent social and public health issue, yet it is still discussed with little evidence on what people themselves think, want, and fear. The IVI Institute Fertility Barometer was created to close that gap. IVI Institute surveyed a representative sample of 24,074 women aged 19 to 49 in nine countries: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, UAE, the U.K., and the U.S., from May 16 to July 3, 2026. The survey was administered online using Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI). Results were weighted by region, age, and education level, except in the UAE, where weights were applied by emirate and age. The margin of error is ±0.63 percentage points at a 95% confidence level (p=q=50%), with larger margins among subgroups. IVI Institute and GfK, a NielsenIQ company, partnered on this research to understand how women think about fertility, parenthood, and family formation, and the barriers that shape reproductive decisions today. The research was conducted in collaboration with the member brands of IVI Institute: IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, ART Fertility, Genera, Create Fertility, LIVIO, and TRIO.

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SOURCE IVI Institute