Over 50,000 children born through IVF in Kazakhstan
More than 50,000 children have been born in Kazakhstan through assisted reproductive technologies (ART), including in vitro fertilization (IVF), Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the Ministry of Healthcare.
This was announced at the 18th International Congress of the Kazakhstan Association of Reproductive Medicine (KARM), ongoing in Almaty.
The congress brought together more than 1,000 specialists from 25 countries and is dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the birth of the first child born in Kazakhstan through IVF. The baby was born on July 31, 1996.
Kazakhstan currently has 32 specialized clinics providing assisted reproductive services, conducting approximately 18,000 ART cycles annually.
In her welcoming address to participants, Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova said Kazakhstan places particular emphasis on protecting reproductive health throughout a person's life, from family planning and the prevention and treatment of reproductive disorders to preconception care and improvements in maternal and child healthcare services.
According to the minister, funding for IVF programmes has been increased sevenfold in line with the presidential instructions.
Between 2021 and 2025, approximately 34,000 women underwent IVF procedures under the Ansagan Sabi program. More than 13,000 of them registered their pregnancies, resulting in the birth of over 11,000 children.
"Behind these figures are thousands of families for whom the dream of motherhood and fatherhood has become a reality. This is perhaps the most important outcome of our joint efforts," Alnazarova said.
She also highlighted the contribution of scientific research and the work of scientists, embryologists, doctors and other healthcare professionals to the development of reproductive technologies.
Meanwhile, maternal mortality in Kazakhstan has declined fourfold over the past five years, while infant mortality has fallen by 30%, according to the ministry.
The congress program covers cutting-edge areas of clinical medicine, including the integration of artificial intelligence, preimplantation genetic screening, and oncofertility.
Earlier, it was reported that Chinese scientists identified a key cause of early developmental failure in human embryos, a breakthrough that could help improve the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF).