Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has committed to looking into the matter. Here’s what we understand — and what remains unclear — regarding infertility in the United States. It has turned into a notable discussion topic for some key backers of President-elect Trump: America is facing an infertility issue. “What is causing so many couples to experience infertility?” Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nominee by Mr. Trump to head the Department of Health and Human Services, raised a question in a September post on the social media platform X. Dr. Casey Means, a former surgeon and health influencer who has provided advice to Mr. Kennedy, referred to infertility as a “crisis.” Mr. Trump has mentioned that he would assign Mr. Kennedy the job of looking into “the long-standing rise in chronic health issues,” such as infertility, or the inability to conceive. Like many other developed areas worldwide, Americans are now having fewer children than in the past, a demographic pattern that has raised concerns among some conservatives. Certain aspects of this may be due to social and economic issues, such as high child care expenses, housing costs, and an increasing number of individuals opting not to start families. However, determining whether infertility is becoming more widespread is a separate and challenging question to definitively resolve. Nonetheless, researchers and doctors expressed concern about certain health trends emerging in the United States that may impact fertility. This is how scientists monitor fertility. Researchers utilize several metrics to analyze fertility and infertility, each providing a slightly varied view of the current situation in the United States. We are experiencing difficulties accessing the article content. Kindly enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your understanding as we confirm access. If you are currently in Reader mode, please leave that mode and log into your Times account, or subscribe to The Times for full access. We appreciate your patience as we verify your access. Are you already a subscriber?
