Main Takeaways:
- Ambassadors from Austria, Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Russia, Switzerland, and the USA report More Joy activities
- Ambassadors are meeting with policymakers and urging greater access to fertility care
- At conferences, in media appearances, and in collaboration with other stakeholders, More Joy Ambassadors are spreading the word and generating attention
Austria – Dr. Kazem Nouri
Austria is behind other European countries in making fertility care readily accessible, according to the European Parliamentary Forum. In fact, while the World Health Organization recognizes “infertility” as a disease, Austria does not.
Dr. Nouri is working to change that. He has addressed the growing global fertility crisis and highlighted the goals of the More Joy campaign in the following ways:
Lectures: Shared the More Joy campaign via invited lectures at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Austrian Society for Reproductive Medicine and Endocrinology (ÖGRM), the Austrian IVF Society, and at the Annual Congress of the Austian Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics (OEGGG).
Policymaker engagement: Made the case for addressing Europe’s fertility decline and the need for public awareness and government strategies that support access to reproductive health and patient-centered fertility care during meetings with leaders of the City of Vienna (Rathaus Wien).
Major event: Organizing a large-scale interdisciplinary event on 10 March 2026 on infertility and endometriosis that will bring together political leaders, healthcare professionals, researchers, industry partners, and patient communities.
Bulgaria – Dr. Iavor Vladimirov
Bulgaria provides some public funding to help access infertility care, but that care is only accessible to heterosexual couples and women, according to the European Fertility Treatment Policy Atlas. Bulgaria’s fertility rate is 1.6 children per woman, which is far below the replacement rate of 2.1.
Dr. Vladimirov is working to make fertility care more accessible in Bulgaria by sharing fertility trends and promoting the More Joy campaign in several ways:
Media coverage: Generated coverage of the More Joy campaign on television shows including the morning program of the national TV BulgariaOnAir: 24.11.2024 https://share.google/P1kqgItz22rCgzEhc
Forums and scientific meetings: At a public forum organized by the Lions clubs “St. John” Sofia and “Budin” Vidin in March in the city of Hisarya; at the International Conference of the International Academy of Medical Innovations and Science (IAMIS) in October, and at a reproductive medicine workshop on how to solve the declining birth rate organized by Organon in May.
New working group: Working with policymakers and Bulgaria’s Ministry of Health, a Working Group on financing and an Assisted Reproduction Council were created. Dr. Vladimirov is an expert member of both.
Ethiopia – Dr. Meseret Ansa, CEO, public IVF center
Nearly 1 in 4 are estimated to grapple with infertility in Ethiopia, and yet there are only six IVF centers, five of which are in the capital city, according to Dr Ansa. Due to the limited availability of treatment services, many couples face infertility unaware of their treatment options and often do not seek help due to fear of stigma.
To promote More Joy and make access to infertility care more accessible, Dr. Ansa has helped to:
Workshop: Plan a first for Ethiopia – a workshop on infertility in in collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Ethiopia and the Ethiopian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in April 2024.
Media coverage: Coordinate an infertility awareness session on Ethiopia’s national television in collaboration with the Ministry of Health.
Social media: Launched a channel on TikTok to provide health education on infertility and treatment options and to address the stigma associated with infertility.
New organization: Helped to establish the Fertility Society of Ethiopia and is seeking grants for a campaign to raise infertility awareness and screening in remote areas.
Policy initiatives: Educate policymakers to approve legislation for donor gamete IVF and ensure the availability of infertility treatment services.
Russia – Dr. Yulia Koloda
Russia reached the lowest fertility rate in Eastern Europe in 1999, according to Fertility in Russia, and then fertility bounced back before “shrinking again along with the Russian economy.” The government has attempted to incentivize family building through providing “economic assistance” to families with multiple children, but much more needs to be done.
Dr. Yulia Koloda has worked to share information about the impact of fertility decline and the More Joy campaign in the following ways:
Spreading the word: 31 presentations featuring More Joy strategies at conferences for obstetricians-gynecologists and other physicians in Russia and abroad (India, France, and Saudi Arabia).
Impact: Thanks to collaborations with physicians from other specialties, there has been an increase in the number of female patients seeking fertility preservation with different extragenital diseases.
Media coverage: Appeared on “Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia)” on reproductive medicine in the Russian Federation and worldwide and need for educational initiatives in schools and universities.
Patient screening: Planning a screening project in Moscow to identify women with diminished ovarian reserve for timely fertility preservation and family planning. A free Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) screening program was launched in Moscow in Sept 2024, which has been effective.
Education: Planning public education events to raise awareness about the importance of timely family planning and fertility preservation in collaboration with the Academy of Continuing Professional Education.
Danilo Cimadomo – Switzerland
“Switzerland’s fertility rate has fallen to a record low,” is a recent headline from Le News. And the share of Swiss people in their 20’s not wanting children has nearly tripled from 6% in 2013 to 17% in 2023.
For those who do want children in Switzerland, infertility is not the only barrier. High cost of IVF and some of the strictest rules to access it in Europe are an ongoing challenge.
Dr. Danilo Cimadomo is working to change this in the following ways:
Presentations: Highlighting the More Joy campaign in presentations at all congresses he has attended where audiences include non-IVF specialists.
New guidelines: Publishing guidelines related to IVF practice, as a member of the Practice Committee of the Italian Society of Fertility, Sterility and Reproductive Medicine (SIFES-MR). And drafting accessible informational materials on the IVF journey for non-IVF specialists and patients.
Education: Coordinating a master’s course at the University of Pavia for biologists, which will be open to medical graduates starting January 2026. The goal is to develop this into a fully international educational program And, beginning in the new year, they will host five symposia open to anyone interested in fertility and its preservation: https://master-innovart.unipv.it/
Funding: Drafting an Erasmus+ grant proposal with three other European universities to establish a training center at the University of Pavia in 2027, for students and junior IVF professionals.
United States of America – David Adamson
The birth rates in the United States also hit a historic low this year, according to the CDC. Proposals from the Trump administration to encourage people to have children and improve access to IVF have may not accomplish their intended goals and are problematic according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.
In this environment, Dr. David Adamson, who leads ARC Fertility, has worked to educate the public and policymakers about fertility trends and the More Joy campaign in these ways:
Press release: Promoted a landmark study in The Lancet on how endometriosis impacts fertility and the need to provide care and support.
Blogs: Highlighted studies showing worldwide decline in fertility rates in multiple blogs and the need for employers and policymakers to act.
Grand rounds: Presented on infertility trends and More Joy at Grand Rounds Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, November 2025.
We applaud these More Joy ambassadors and look forward to sharing more reports of progress and impact soon.