Highlighting that fertility is no longer just a statistical issue, Luís Vicente, President of the Portuguese Society of Reproductive Medicine, stressed that even with immigration, Portugal is still failing to tackle the problem. “We are seeing increasing infertility, which requires boosting public awareness, implementing health promotion policies, and encouraging companies to adopt family-oriented measures so women aren’t forced to delay motherhood,” he said.

Mr Vicente noted that in 2022, the WHO revealed infertility now affects one in six couples, up from one in ten, underlining the need for a collective, multi-pronged effort.

The movement, to be presented at the Belém Cultural Centre, seeks to involve not just healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, embryologists – but also businesses and institutional representatives. The organisers point to economic concerns, a lack of family planning support, and poor working conditions, which lead many to postpone parenthood, impacting the emotional health of young people and reducing the desire to have children.

Mr Vicente emphasised the need for upstream prevention alongside infertility treatment, as pregnancies at later ages carry higher risks. “We can’t simply tell women to have children earlier, because they often reply: ‘We’d like to, but we don’t have the conditions.’”

Thursday’s event will showcase companies already implementing family-friendly policies like flexible hours and hybrid work to avoid penalising women when they have children.

Mr Vicente also called for better access to infertility treatments – no public centres exist in the south of the country – and for policies that promote healthy habits, such as tacking reproductive toxins like cannabis, which harms male fertility.

A final pillar is health literacy. “Education must raise awareness of fertility,” he said, noting that many young women are unaware of their ovarian reserve or egg freezing options. A European study showed 78% of women aged 30-45 didn’t know about ovarian reserve, and 70% were unaware of cryopreservation.

The movement warns that failing fertility rates threaten to worsen labour shortages, undermine social protection systems, and reduce global competitiveness. In 2024, Portugal recorded around 84,650 births, down 1.2% on the previous year, with a third born to foreign mothers.