The use of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) is on the rise around the world, according to experts who presented their findings on the popularity of this type of infertility therapy at a recent conference.1
The study was released by members of the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART) at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS) in Montreal in October.
"With the apparent increase utilization and reporting of assisted reproductive technologies around the world, it is important that ICMART continue to provide the global monitoring of these activities," said Robert Schenken, MD, who heads the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, in a statement.
A Decades-Old Treatment Approach
In vitro fertilization has been one of the most popular ART options for couples facing infertility for nearly 30 years. It is one form of assisted reproduction in which a man's sperm and a woman's eggs are combined outside of the body in a laboratory dish. If fertilization occurs, the resulting embryos are then transferred to the woman's uterus. It's hoped that one of the embryos will implant in the uterine lining to begin a pregnancy.
IVF was initially used as a therapy for women who had blocked, damaged or absent fallopian tubes, which prevented sperm and egg from uniting in the body. However, the procedure has evolved as a treatment for many causes of infertility, such as endometriosis or certain cases of male infertility.2
An Upward Trend
For the study, the researchers reviewed results of a survey submitted to fertility clinics in nearly 50 countries. The surveys were taken in 2000 and more than 1,400 clinics responded.
The clinics collectively reported more than 367,000 egg retrievals, nearly 53,000 frozen embryo transfers, and almost 15,000 transfers using donor eggs. "This was an increase in all procedures of 10% from 1998," the study investigators wrote.
Egg retrievals for in vitro fertilization (IVF) jumped about 5.5%, and for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), 17%.
The only procedure that was used less often in 2000 compared to a 1998 survey was gamete intrafallopian transfer (GIFT), in which eggs and sperm collected similarly to IVF are inserted into the woman's fallopian tube using a catheter. Fertilization then takes place naturally.3 Cycles using GIFT dropped by more than 50% that year, according to the study.
European clinics "by far" used ART more often in 2000 compared to clinics surveyed in other countries, the study reported.
Pregnancy Success Remains About the Same
The pregnancy rate for conventional IVF cycles around the world was 26.7%. It was slightly higher at 27.7% in cycles using ICSI, the survey found. The average number of embryos transferred per cycle declined for both IVF and ICSI cycles. The pregnancy rate was higher for women who had used donor eggs in their cycles, jumping to nearly 42% in 2000.
The survey also found that nearly half of the women using ART in 2000 were at least in their mid thirties. Nearly 15 percent of them were over age 39.
The rate of miscarriage was about 26% in cycles using either IVF or ICSI, according to the report.
Finally, the total number of children born from assisted reproductive techniques was 107,910, an increase of 28% from 1998, the investigators reported. "However, by evaluating the effect of incomplete reporting, it can be estimated that between 197,000 and 220,000 babies were born from IVF and related procedures in 2000," the researchers maintained.
1. Adamson G, Lancaster P, De Mouzon J, Nygren K, Sullivan E, Zegers-Hochschild F. ICMART World Collaborative Report on In Vitro Fertilization 2000. Conjoint Meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine 61st Annual Meeting and the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society 51st Annual Meeting. 2005 Oct 15-19. Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
2. American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). In vitro fertilization. Available at: http://www.asrm.org/Patients/patientbooklets/ART.pdf. Accessed November 28, 2005.
3. Fertility Neighborhood. In vitro fertilization (IVF) and other types of ART. Available at: http://www.fertilityneighborhood.com/content/treatment_options/
assisted_reproductive_technology_307.aspx. Accessed November 28, 2005.
John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for CuraScript. His credits include overseeing health news coverage for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.
