Under the theme "Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures," "World Health Day 2025" is observed worldwide. It is important to acknowledge a critical but sometimes underappreciated problem in India's health conversation: fertility awareness.

Recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) results show India's Total Fertility Rate (TFR) decreased to 2.0, below the replacement norm of 2.1. Simultaneously, an estimated 27.5 million couples deal with infertility. Only one-to-two percent of them nevertheless seek medical attention. Driven by societal shame, ignorance, and restricted access to reasonably priced professional treatment—especially in rural and semi-urban areas—this suggests a quiet crisis.

Infertility is no longer solely an urban occurrence. According to a 2022 estimate by the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), infertility affects around 15% of Indian married couples in the reproductive age range. Many couples endure this issue in silence. Women, in particular, suffer from mental and social guilt, which discourages them from seeking professional care.

"Infertility is still considered as a taboo in many parts of the country, said Dr Nishi Singh, a famous IVF specialist from Delhi NCR. "We have to break the silence and provide support backed by science and empathy."

Venus Remedies Ltd, along with Pune-based Spherule Foundation, is tackling this issue head-on with their UMMID campaign, which seeks to raise knowledge about mother health and infertility therapies, including IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation).

Launched in 2023, the campaign has attracted over 9.82 lakh individuals via social media in addition to over 5,400 people personally in areas such as Pataudi, Manesar, Ropar, Mundhwa, and Pune. Through more than 150 awareness campaigns, it has also greatly raised knowledge of fertility—from 29.95% to 76% awareness levels in rural regions.

The initiative has also been successful among urban professionals: 89% of attendees in business sessions apparently changed their lifestyle after awareness campaigns.

"With India's Total Fertility Rate declining below replacement levels and nearly 30 million individuals affected by infertility—yet only 2% seeking medical help—the gap between need and access is stark," said Saransh Chaudhary, CEO of Venus Medicine Research Centre and President of Global Critical Care at Venus Remedies. Supported by around 600 IVF experts, the UMMID campaign is rewriting that story.

The initiative is growing to thirty cities in 2024 with more than 200 awareness events scheduled. Empowering office-goers and working professionals in metros and tier-2 cities—where infertility problems are growing but still underdeveloped—is the main focus.

To fight infertility, experts underline early diagnosis, safe medical support, and public education as absolutely vital. Infertility is also acknowledged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a public health concern requiring systematic and social attention.

"Maternal and newborn health starts long before childbirth," Chaudhary said. "We can give many couples hope by raising awareness, providing access, and dispelling preconceptions."

India makes progress in areas like maternal mortality and child immunisation; however, fertility is on the fringes of public health debates. Projects like UMMID deserve praise for shattering the silence and closing the knowledge gap. But the government also has to step in for significant change—by funding public fertility programs, controlling unqualified clinics, and including fertility instruction in primary healthcare. Infertility affects public health as well as being a personal matter. Let us give the right to parenthood top priority on this World Health Day as part of the right to health.