{"id":20408,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/low-grade-inflammation-and-fertility-improving-equity-and-early-access-through-family-medicine\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:51","slug":"low-grade-inflammation-and-fertility-improving-equity-and-early-access-through-family-medicine","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/low-grade-inflammation-and-fertility-improving-equity-and-early-access-through-family-medicine\/","title":{"rendered":"Low-Grade Inflammation and Fertility: Improving Equity and Early Access Through Family Medicine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Low-grade chronic inflammation is increasingly recognized as a central contributor to declining fertility in both women and men. Conditions frequently encountered in family medicine\u2014such as obesity, insulin resistance, prediabetes, PCOS, endometriosis, chronic stress and metabolic syndrome\u2014promote a persistent pro-inflammatory state that affects ovulation, oocyte quality, endometrial receptivity and semen parameters. Despite its impact, inflammation-related fertility risk is often under-recognized in primary care, especially in regions with limited access to hormonal testing, metabolic screening and preconception counselling. Significant disparities exist between Eastern and Western Europe, where patients in the East, including Romania, face delayed diagnosis, reduced access to reproductive evaluation and fewer preventive services.To review current evidence linking low-grade inflammation to impaired fertility and to examine how inequities in access to reproductive assessment affect early detection and prevention in family medicine.A narrative review was conducted using PubMed, Embase and Scopus (2014\u20132024). Studies exploring metabolic inflammation, fertility outcomes, reproductive endocrinology and primary care approaches were included.Low-grade inflammation alters reproductive physiology through cytokine imbalance (IL-6, TNF-\u03b1), oxidative stress, endothelial dysfunction and endocrine disruption. These mechanisms correlate with anovulation, reduced oocyte competence, impaired implantation and decreased sperm quality. While Western European countries benefit from early metabolic screening, routine preconception counselling and timely fertility referral within primary care, Romania continues to face marked limitations in these areas. Access to metabolic evaluation is frequently delayed, reproductive hormone testing is inconsistently available in family medicine, and structured preconception pathways remain largely absent. As a result, early reproductive risk factors associated with low-grade inflammation are often recognized late, contributing to delayed diagnosis of subfertility and poorer preventive outcomes compared with Western Europe.Integrating inflammation-focused assessment into routine family medicine\u2014through early metabolic screening, lifestyle interventions, menstrual cycle evaluation and male fertility assessment\u2014can significantly reduce the progression toward infertility. Closing the East\u2013West access gap requires equitable pathways, improved availability of diagnostic tools and strengthened preconception services.Low-grade inflammation is a modifiable determinant of fertility decline. Enhancing equity in access to metabolic screening, reproductive evaluation and preventive counselling within family medicine is essential to improving fertility outcomes and reducing disparities across Europe.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20408","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}