At a press conference on Saturday, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the Korean Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology and related groups said such programs pose potential risks to maternal health and fetal safety.
"These treatments are being promoted without sufficient scientific or safety verification, despite infertility care being a highly specialized medical field directly linked to the health and lives of both parents and unborn children," the groups said.
They cited a report published by the Research Institute for Healthcare Policy on the use of Korean medicine in infertility treatment, saying 4,473 participants took part in programs operated by 103 local governments between 2017 and 2019, recording a clinical pregnancy rate of 12.5 percent over an average treatment period of 7.7 months — roughly half the natural pregnancy rate observed over the same timeframe.
They also warned that many herbal medicines used in these infertility treatments contain ingredients that have been linked to fetal abnormalities, miscarriage and organ toxicity when used during pregnancy.
"Recommending treatments that lack even minimal safety assurances to women experiencing infertility — and funding them with public money — is unacceptable," they said.
The groups urged an in-depth investigation into the toxicity and teratogenic risks of herbal ingredients used in infertility treatment, as well as full public disclosure of the findings.
The controversy comes as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to extend Korean medicine to fertility treatments to promote the development of traditional medicine.
The KMA, in response, criticized the policy as lacking scientific grounds and reiterated its demand for a full suspension.
However, the Association of Korean Medicine has pushed back against the criticism, arguing that its infertility programs have accumulated sufficient clinical experience over years of implementation. The group has urged the government to expand support to protect patient choice and address Korea's low birth rate.
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