Assisted reproductive technologies in Russia: medical breakthroughs and social problems

Abstract

The paper considers the role of assisted reproductive technologies in changing the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Russian fertility. The author analyzes the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ART in Russia in 1986-2020, their public perception and current problems based on the data of national ART registers, reviews of international professional associations of reproductive specialists, secondary sociological information and hospital statistics. The general trend is the expansion of the geography of reproductive centers and the diversification of services, but the growing demand for ART as methods of alternative conception in the absence of reproductive disorders intensifies public debate around them, especially in the context of religion and children’s health. Nevertheless, in conditions of low fertility, the state considers ART as instruments of a pronatal demographic policy and finances them even against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.