The Royan Institute has announced a specialized webinar for October 1st dedicated to assisting individuals in making informed decisions regarding their reproductive health. The main focus will be on strategies and options for preserving fertility for single men and women over the age of 30.
The increasing age of marriage and the postponement of childbirth have made issues of reproductive health, awareness of one's own fertility status, and knowledge of available fertility preservation methods extremely relevant, according to IRNA. Understanding age-related changes and realizing the chances of preserving fertility and extending the reproductive period can help people make balanced decisions about future parenthood.
Fertility Preservation in the Modern Era: Options and Strategies for Single Men and Women Over 30
The specialized webinar, titled 'Fertility Preservation in the Modern Era: Options and Strategies for Single Men and Women Over 30,' will examine various aspects of male and female fertility. Topics will include the impact of aging on fertility, assessing current fertility status and potential, the importance of understanding one's status before delaying childbirth, and methods for preserving reproductive cells.
Furthermore, medical aspects related to fertility preservation methods, factors influencing the success of these methods, as well as opportunities and limitations for individuals postponing childbirth for any reason, will be discussed.
Infertility Treatment Policies and Programs
To combat infertility, which is recognized as one of the main public health and demographic problems in the country, the government has implemented a number of measures. Among them is infertility insurance, designed to reduce high out-of-pocket treatment costs. IRNA reported that insurance organizations have played a key role in infertility treatment since the Iranian year 1400 (2021).
Insurance coverage includes the cost of tests, medications, and assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF and ICSI. This has facilitated access to specialized services and encouraged couples to visit doctors regularly. In state centers, 90 percent of the treatment cost, based on subsidized tariffs, is covered, and in private centers, 90 percent of the cost based on paid tariffs is covered.
Currently, 150 medical centers provide services to infertile couples, 120 of which operate under medical insurance. Over the past Iranian year (March 2025 – March 2026), medical insurance reviewed 107,374 applications and reimbursed 9.98 trillion rials (approximately $6.743 million) to medical centers. The insurance company also paid 11.16 trillion rials (nearly $7.541 million) for prescribed medications for infertile couples. Since the Iranian year 1400, medical insurance has invested 37 trillion rials (approximately $25 million).
In addition to insurance, the government has taken other steps to improve fertility. These include establishing specialized infertility treatment centers in major cities and underserved areas, implementing incentive policies for infertile couples, such as financial support and providing loans for treatment, implementing national projects and comprehensive family health and population programs to encourage birth rates and reduce infertility. Another measure is equipping medical centers with advanced IVF equipment, as well as providing counseling and psychological services to assist infertile couples.
Demographic Shifts in Iran
As the elderly already constitute 13 percent of Iran's population and the country's birth rate continues to decline, demographic changes are accelerating. According to current forecasts, nearly a third of Iran's population will be aged 60 or older within the next 25 years.
The aging of Iran will place significant pressure on the healthcare system, pension funds, social support agencies, and the national economy. To prevent the consequences of population aging, the country is implementing policies aimed at increasing the young population and stimulating birth rates. Although aging is a natural life cycle process, society's approach to this phase will determine the living conditions of future generations.
Population aging entails not only an increased demand for medical services; the growing number of elderly people also requires increasing services for care, rehabilitation, home care, environmental adaptation, and social welfare, which will change the pension system and create serious challenges for it. Demographic shifts make action more urgent than ever. Measures must be taken now to ensure the well-being and subsistence of the elderly in the coming years. The gap between the current situation and advanced aging provides an opportunity to develop policies and structural reforms; inaction will lead to consequences that will be much harder to resolve.
Fortunately, Iran is in a demographic window of opportunity—a period when the majority of the population is of working age; the country has 15–20 years left before this demographic window closes.