Around 3,500 reproductive experts from China and more than 70 foreign countries gathered in Shanghai for a four-day conference starting on Thursday to discuss the reproductive technologies and clinical practices.

The conference, organized by the International Federation of Fertility Societies and Renji Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University's School of Medicine, will focus on topics including human reproductive health, reproductive aging, assisted reproductive technology, reproductive stem cells and genetic engineering and reproductive ethics.

This marks the first time such a large-scale event in this field has been held in China since IFFS' establishment nearly seven decades ago.

A rising number of families around the world, including in China, are faced with infertility issues due to factors such as the delay of childbearing age and pressures, experts said at the conference.

Official statistics showed infertility rates in China had increased from between 1 to 2 percent three decades ago to between 15 and 20 percent in 2018. Experts said the best childbearing age for women is between 20 and 30.

Sun Yun, director of the Reproductive Medicine Center of Renji Hospital, the largest medical facility regarding ART capabilities in the city, said a rising number of couples are turning to medical assistance to have children.

"Roughly 2 percent of infants born in the country last year were with the help of ART," she said.

Altogether 18 hospitals are licensed to perform ART services in Shanghai, according to Sun.