Program seeks Council approval for an initiative titled “Fertility Status as a Marker for Overall Health.” Recent epidemiologic studies demonstrating links between fertility status and various somatic diseases and disorders strongly suggest that fertility status can be a window into overall health.
While it’s accepted that somatic conditions can harm reproductive health, it’s not clear to what extent fertility status can act as a marker or “window” into overall health.
The goal is to support studies testing the premise that fertility status can act as a marker for overall health. Validation of the premise would provide a valuable opportunity to affect future health. With an increase in the number of couples seeking infertility treatment, there is greater potential to reach people when they are highly motivated to protect their future health and young enough to harbor earlier, more responsive stages of disease.
This initiative aligns with Theme 2 of the NICHD Strategic Plan, “Promoting Gynecologic, Andrologic and Reproductive Health”, and the cross-cutting area of Disease Prevention. FSOH is a high program priority area of the Fertility and Infertility branch.
Program Contact
Susan Taymans
Fertility and Infertility (FI) Branch
Back to Concept Review by Council
BACK TO TOP