The latest report from the National Council of Medically Assisted Procreation (CNPMA), presented to the Health Committee, highlights the noteworthy decrease in the number of multiple pregnancies and births.
The document indicates that the rate of multiple births resulting from Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatments declined from 7.9% in 2020 to 7.4% in 2021 and further to 6.8% in 2022.
“This rate is one of the most important quality indicators in assessing the overall success of ART techniques, as reducing the number of preterm births is associated with fewer potential negative health impacts on newborns, as well as reduced social and health costs,” the report emphasizes.
During the report’s presentation, CNPMA President Carlos Calhaz Jorge noted that nearly 16,000 therapeutic treatments were conducted in 2022, an 8% increase over 2021. Of these, 29.7% were carried out in public centers.
“The fact that 29.7% causes some concern for me — having always worked in and defended the public service — is worsened when only 3% of treatments requiring donor reproductive cells were done through the National Health Service,” he stated.
Among the subpopulation recently included as potential beneficiaries — female couples and single women — only 1% of treatments were performed within the National Health Service, he added.
As a result of various ART techniques in 2022, 3,673 children were born in Portugal, accounting for 4.4% of all babies born in the country that year, compared to 4.1% in 2021 and 2.5% in 2013 when the first report using current registration platforms was produced.
During the session, Calhaz Jorge highlighted the urgent need for a status for the CNPMA: “We have existed for 17 or 18 years, and from day one, from the first meeting, it was noted that with the list of responsibilities assigned to the Council, it makes no sense to lack a proper framework or structure.”
The CNPMA President acknowledged “total receptiveness” from the deputies to the proposal over the years but lamented the absence of progress.
He recalled that a legislative initiative was proposed in the previous legislature, but it returned “to zero” with the dissolution of the Assembly of the Republic, urging deputies to resume the process.
Despite these challenges, he assured that the Council has strived to fulfill its mission: “Not always with the perfection we desire, [but] the persistence and severity of the problems and the imminent risk of non-compliance with the responsibilities are a huge concern for everyone at the Council.”
Calhaz Jorge explained the aim is not to create “a large, very complex structure” and insisted that general support services — such as accounting or information systems — should continue to be supported by the Assembly of the Republic as they are currently.
“However, to carry out the upcoming functions, we need appropriate autonomy and the creation of a balanced staff in dimensions and differentiation,” he stated, considering all tasks of the CNPMA “and the progressive increase in daily activities.”
In this regard, he reminded that when the CNPMA was established, there were 15 ART centers, and now there are 29.
“In other words, they have doubled, and the complexity of technologies and the complexity of social integration has also become much greater.”
He also argued for “proper legal and salary framework for the current members of the office” as soon as possible.
