New IVI Institute Fertility Barometer reveals that while the desire for parenthood remains strong, many factors contribute to women having fewer children than they want, later than they want – and increasing care for women experiencing infertility could help close the gap
ABU DHABI, UAE, Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ART Fertility, a member of IVI Institute, the global leader in reproductive medicine, today released new data from the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer, a new global study providing critical insights into fertility attitudes, concerns, aspirations, and barriers among women in the Middle East and around the world. The findings from the UAE offer a closer look at how women view motherhood, fertility, and family building, pointing to a complex fertility landscape where women’s aspirations for motherhood are shaped by a range of personal, social, and practical considerations.
According to the Fertility Barometer, for women in the UAE, the desire to become a mother remains strong – 92% are already mothers or want children, and 89% say becoming a mother is a priority for them – but the path to parenthood is increasingly being delayed. Many are starting their families later than they hoped and having fewer children than they intended. Among women with a target age, 30% had their first child later than desired, and mothers have 2.1 children on average, compared with the 3.3 they say they want.
“What the Fertility Barometer makes clear is that the desire to have children remains strong among women in the Middle East, yet that desire does not always translate into an easy or timely path to parenthood,” said Suresh Soni, CEO of ART Fertility. “The data underscores the importance of ensuring that women and couples have access to the right information, expert medical care and advanced fertility treatment when they need it. Now as part of IVI Institute, ART Fertility is uniquely positioned to help address this need, bringing together world class physicians, advanced laboratories, and leading reproductive research to make high-quality, personalized fertility care more accessible to families across the Middle East who have experienced infertility.”
With nearly 40 years of expertise in reproductive medicine, IVI is entering a new chapter with the launch of IVI Institute. Formerly known as IVI RMA Global, the organization is uniting its expertise, leading fertility clinics, and cutting-edge research under one global vision and brand. This next chapter also marks a defining moment for our presence in the Middle East, where ART Fertility clinics will continue to serve patients under the name they know and trust, as a proud and integral member of IVI Institute.
The Fertility Barometer findings offer a closer look at the factors shaping fertility decisions in the UAE, and the increasingly important role reproductive medicine can play in helping people build the families they want. Roughly one in six women in the UAE report having experienced infertility. The findings are based on 1,506 interviews from May-June of 2026 with women in the UAE aged 19-49 years old.
What Women in the UAE Say About Fertility and Motherhood
The IVI Institute Fertility Barometer reveals a clear gap between the families women want and the families they ultimately have – one shaped less by changing aspirations than by the circumstances and barriers that delay their path to parenthood:
- For women in the UAE, the Fertility Barometer reveals the desire to become a mother remains strong – on average, 92% are already mothers or want children, and 89% say becoming a mother is a priority for them.
- Despite this strong aspiration, the path to parenthood is increasingly being delayed. Many women are starting their families later than they hoped – and having fewer children than they intended. Among women in the UAE who reported a target age for starting a family, 30% had their first child later than desired, and they have 2.1 children on average, compared with the 3.3 they intend to have. This clear gap between the families women want and the families they ultimately have is shaped less by changing aspirations than by the circumstances and barriers that delay their path to parenthood. Most commonly, women cite finding the right partner and personal maturity as the factors that made it the right time to start a family.
- Infertility touches the lives of one in six women in the UAE. Approximately 16% have experienced infertility at some point in their lives, and 6% are experiencing it today. That adds up to 500,000 women across the UAE who have experienced infertility at some point – and about 180,000 who are going through it right now. Infertility challenges carry a heavy emotional toll: About 65% of women who have experienced infertility rate its negative impact on their lives at 7 out of 10 or higher.
- More than 77% of women in the UAE who have experienced infertility do consult a doctor about it – yet only 14% of them undergo IVF: Most cite factors like a lack of confidence in success and emotional stress as substantial reasons deterring them from taking the next step, alongside financial concerns – meaning navigating fertility treatment is as much about trust and information as it is about cost.
- Reproductive medicine is what can help the 180,000 women experiencing infertility achieve the families they envision – and it could have a significant impact on birth rates around the world.
One Global Network, Connected by a Shared Vision
As a member of IVI Institute, ART Fertility will leverage insights from the Fertility Barometer alongside its clinical experience and research to help inform the care it delivers across its clinics in the Middle East—expanding access to trusted information, supporting more personalized care, and helping patients make confident, informed decisions every stage of their fertility journey.
The new structure brings ART Fertility together with a broader global network spanning more than 200 clinics across 15 countries and nearly 40 years of experience in reproductive medicine. For patients in the Middle East, ART Fertility being part of IVI Institute means greater connection to a global ecosystem of expertise and innovation while maintaining a focus on the needs of patients in the region.
“The Fertility Barometer’s findings confirm what we’re seeing across our global network: women are increasingly aware of reproductive medicine’s potential, and they’re making family planning decisions based on that knowledge,” said Javier Sánchez-Prieto, IVI Institute Global CEO. “Our unified structure aims to address emerging demand through expanded access and coordination of personalized care. We will continue setting the global standard in reproductive medicine through clinical excellence, data-driven advancements, and decades of experience.”
To learn more about the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer’s findings, visit fertilitybarometer.iviinstitute.com.
About ART Fertility
ART Fertility Clinics is a leading provider of reproductive medicine in the Middle East, with modern facilities across the UAE and Saudi Arabia. ART Fertility Clinics are an integral part of the IVI Institute, the global leader in reproductive medicine, bringing together world-class fertility clinics, over 500 medical professionals, embryologists, and researchers to advance the future of fertility care. Through a combination of advanced technology, proprietary research and compassionate care, ART Fertility Clinics have supported couples on the journey to parenthood. ART Fertility Clinics are treatment centres and hubs of scientific innovation where international expertise meets region-specific know-how. Learn more about ART Fertility Clinics at www.artfertilityclinics.com/uae/en.
About IVI Institute
IVI Institute is the global leader in reproductive medicine, bringing together world-class fertility clinics and expertise to advance the future of fertility care around the world. With 35,000 babies born each year across more than 200 locations in 15 countries – including IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, LIVIO, Create Fertility, TRIO clinics, and ART Fertility, among other brands – IVI Institute accelerates innovation, expands knowledge, and improves outcomes for patients around the world through groundbreaking research, collaboration, and rigorous clinical standards. Learn more at www.iviinstitute.com.
About the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer
Fertility is an urgent social and public health issue, yet it is still discussed with little evidence on what people themselves think, want, and fear. The IVI Institute Fertility Barometer was created to close that gap. IVI Institute surveyed a representative sample of 24,074 women aged 19 to 49 in nine countries: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, UAE, the U.K., and the U.S., from May 16 to July 3, 2026. The survey was administered online using Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI). Results were weighted by region, age, and education level, except in the UAE, where weights were applied by emirate and age. The margin of error is ±0.63 percentage points at a 95% confidence level (p=q=50%), with larger margins among subgroups. IVI Institute and GfK, a NielsenIQ company, partnered on this research to understand how women think about fertility, parenthood, and family formation, and the barriers that shape reproductive decisions today. The research was conducted in collaboration with the member brands of IVI Institute: IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, ART Fertility, Genera, Create Fertility, LIVIO, and TRIO.
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