The most recent report from the National Council for Medically Assisted Reproduction (CNPMA), presented to the Health Committee, highlights as "very relevant data" the confirmation of the progressive reduction in the number of multiple pregnancies and births.

According to the document, the rate of multiple births resulting from Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAP) treatments fell from 7.9% in 2020 to 7.4% in 2021 and 6.8% in 2022.

"This rate constitutes one of the most important quality indicators in assessing the overall success of MAP techniques, as the reduction in the number of preterm births is associated with fewer potential negative implications for the health of the children born, in addition to a reduction in social and healthcare costs," it emphasizes.

In presenting the report, the president of the CNPMA, Carlos Calhaz Jorge, said that in 2022, nearly 16,000 treatments using therapeutic techniques were performed, 8% more than in 2021. Of this total, 29.7% took place in public centers.

"If this 29.7% figure leaves any impression on me—who has always worked in public service and is a public service advocate—the situation is even worse when donor cell transplantation techniques are required: only 3% were performed within the Unified Health System (SUS).

In the case of the subpopulation included in recent years among potential beneficiaries—female couples and women without partners—only 1% of treatments were performed within the SUS, the manager said.

As a result of the use of various PMA techniques, 3,673 children were born in Portugal in 2022, representing 4.4% of all babies born in Portugal that year, compared to 4.1% in 2021 and 2.5% in 2013, when the first report was prepared using current registry platforms.

At the hearing, Calhaz Jorge warned of the urgent need for a statute for the CNPMA: "We've existed for 17 or 18 years, and from day one, from the first meeting, it was clear that the list of responsibilities of the Council makes no sense, given the lack of a framework or adequate structure."