BEIJING, July 11 (Xinhua) -- At a maternal and child healthcare hospital in Chongqing Municipality, southwest China, expectant mothers receive their first prenatal consultations at the early pregnancy care clinic.
The clinic provides a range of services for women within 14 weeks of pregnancy, including medical support, psychological counseling, and health guidance, helping ease their anxiety and aiming to improve care throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
The issue of early pregnancy has weighed on policymakers worldwide as demographic shifts -- declining fertility rates and population aging -- continue to reshape societies around the globe.
China marked this year's World Population Day, observed on Saturday, with a focus on "caring for early pregnancy, nurturing and empowering," which complemented the global theme, "realizing the hopes and aspirations of young people, now and in the future."
At a Friday event marking the World Population Day in central China's Hubei Province, Guo Yanhong, deputy head of the National Health Commission (NHC), said China will continue to improve early pregnancy care to ensure that every young person has access to high-quality and convenient services.
Early pregnancy represents a critical window at the start of life. It not only affects the quality of embryonic development but also women's long-term reproductive health.
At the end of 2024, the NHC launched an initiative to provide professional counseling and health services for women in their early stages of pregnancy. To date, 12,226 early pregnancy clinics have been established at medical institutions across the country, with services largely reaching county-level areas.
In Guangdong Province, south China, experts have been designated to formulate early pregnancy care guidelines and service manuals. Hunan Province in central China has expanded weekend clinic services to improve access for women in need.
Yichang in Hubei took the lead in developing an intelligent system that enables full life-cycle management for women of childbearing age. Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi Province, applies a system to match pregnant women with doctors, providing one-stop services.
In addition, models have been developed to replicate the process of human embryo implantation in the laboratory and human organ formation in vitro. Images of human embryo development before implantation help researchers investigate the causes of embryonic developmental arrest.
Wang Yuanyuan, a researcher of reproductive health at Peking University Third Hospital, said they have pioneered a genetic diagnosis technology to prevent hereditary birth defects and help families at high genetic risks achieve healthy reproduction.
"The technology has been applied in more than 60 medical institutions, enabling the precise diagnosis of more than 900 genetic disorders," Wang said.
China has also accelerated the building of regional medical centers for more balanced distributions of high-quality medical resources.
Peking University First Hospital, for example, has supported Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in the country's northwest in establishing early pregnancy care clinics.
Safeguarding women's reproductive health is a fundamental issue in building a birth-friendly society, and efforts must begin at the very start of life, said an NHC official.
Nadia Rasheed, representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to China, said that China is creating conditions to help young people better plan their lives by integrating full life-cycle health management with a broader family support system.
"The UNFPA looks forward to deepening strategic partnership with our partners in China to advance responsive health systems that protect and empower people at every stage of life," said Rasheed.
Young people's aspirations are at the heart of the demographic resilience to counter the wide-ranging implications of demographic shifts, said Rasheed, noting that the health sector serves as the foundation to "enable people to move through life's transitions with dignity and security."
Earlier this week, the UNFPA launched a report, drawing on the views of young adults across 73 countries. The report found that young people continue to value partnership and parenthood, yet their ability to realize these aspirations depends on the surrounding conditions, including financial security, stable employment, housing, emotional readiness and confidence in the future.
According to the report, supporting young adults means taking a comprehensive, life-course approach in the health sector, which is most effective when connected with broader social support -- family-friendly workplaces, parental leave and inclusive childcare.
China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), with its people-centered focus on stronger public services, provides an important foundation for responding, in a comprehensive manner, to practical issues hindering young people's aspirations.
The holistic approach to supporting young adults is strongly reflected in China's strategic vision, Rasheed said. ■
