27 February 2026
The French government’s recent announcement that it intends to write to all 29 year-olds to remind them to have children is a sign of the times. It follows the launch in February 2026 of a National Fertility Plan to combat France’s falling birth rates and news that French mortality rates outnumbered births last year for the first time since the end of World War II. The letter to 29 year-olds in France forms part of 16-point plan by the Health Ministry to address France’s declining birth rate which has hit 1.56 children per woman, well below the 2.1 population replacement level, and its infertility levels affecting around 3.3 million people across the country.
France’s National Fertility Plan
From June 2026, the French government will send a letter to all men and women in France turning 29 years old to raise awareness and combat infertility. It will provide targeted information about sexual health, contraception and the risks of delaying parenthood given age-related fertility decline (recognising that biological clocks impact women and men differently). It will also explain that fertility is a shared responsibility for both women and men and not just a female issue. In doing so, it aims to prevent them coming up against fertility problems and having regrets later in life.
France’s National Fertility Plan will also seek to expand access to egg and sperm freezing, increase the number of fertility preservation centres from 40 to 70 and reduce waiting times. This initiative will tie in with the letter to 29 year-olds advising them that fertility preservation treatment costs are covered by French social security for women aged 29 to 37 and that access to egg freezing from age 29 is simplified without the need for a medical certificate. In addition, it intends to improve fertility care by implementing free fertility check-ups to identify issues sooner and enhancing patient experiences for those accessing fertility treatment services. Added to this, it will prioritise funding and research into fertility, including the development of a national strategy to combat endometriosis (a major cause of infertility). Moreover, it will initiate a nationwide fertility campaign and a website called “My Fertility” with information about the effects of obesity, smoking and lifestyle factors and run lessons for children on contraception and sexual health. France’s health ministry will also initiate a review into perinatal care (from pregnancy through to one year post birth) having recognised that maternal and infant death rates are higher than in other countries.
Declining Fertility Rates
Falling fertility rates are a growing problem around the world, including in the UK. They are symptomatic of fundamental issues underpinning how many modern societies are structured and operate and this will only become clearer over time. Whilst it is positive news that France is actively taking some steps to try and address its falling fertility levels, it will require even greater change, longer term consistency and a much more enlightened and joined up approach to solve matters. There is no one quick or easy fix for this. Instead, societies will need to reassess and rebalance their social contracts. Societies have historically been built by men, from the male perspective to serve male interests. In the past, men were the policymakers, leaders and main workforce whilst women married young, stayed at home and had children. This is no longer the case in many parts of the world where women are now educated, an integral part of the workforce and increasingly living independent lives for longer. Added to this, modern economic policy is increasingly at odds with childbearing. This is particularly evident in the UK given high costs of living, heavy tax burdens, rising student debt levels, expensive childcare and often limited maternity pay and leave.
If societies are serious about solving falling fertility rates, there has to be greater change to support and empower women to have more children. Women need safe, high quality gynaecological, fertility and obstetric medical care that is accessible and tailored to their needs. Long waiting lists, limited funding, medical research gaps relating to female physiology and lower priority given to women-only health issues still too often hinder women in practice. Governments and policymakers need to re-think politics and policies to a much greater degree as well. If women and men are to be incentivised to have more children earlier in life, they need greater economic support and better family-friendly policies to do so. This will require significant additional financial investment over the longer term into maternity and paternity pay and leave, costs of childcare, education costs (early years through to university) and more financial support to help parents house, feed and raise children in practice. There will also need to be greater synergy between the school calendar and workplace. This is particularly evident in the UK where the school day is considerably shorter than the average full time working day and a worker’s typical annual leave does not cover all school holidays, placing considerable burden on many working parents (both male and female) and their children.
New UK Ministry for Genomics and Fertility
A new UK Ministry for Genomics and Fertility, with a dedicated Minister providing unified future direction for the fertility sector, would help develop and spearhead new integrated national genomic and fertility policy and political strategy. This would help combat our growing fertility problem in the UK. It would bring greater cohesion and promote and prioritise the fertility space. It would help create an all-inclusive policy and strategy that encompasses fertility issues from pre-conception through to pregnancy and birth, as well as individual fertility and genetic legacy in the UK.
Read more in our previous blog “Why we need fertility and wider law reform part III” (17 July 2020).
