(Newswire.net — January 13, 2015) Alicante, Alicante — The UK fertility watchdog have recently released their findings regarding IVF cycles and success rates, revealing that in 2013, 49,636 women had a total of 64,600 cycles of IVF in the UK, with a further 2,379 women having a total of 4,611 cycles of donor insemination. Data also reveals that the average age of treatment is 35, with women over 45 becoming quite a minority now, while the number of multiple births continues to drop.
The report has revealed that over 66% of women undergoing IVF treatment are aged 37 or under, while the average age for treatment has remained static at 35. Women over 40 are the minority of all patients treated, with women aged over 45 accounting for only 2% of IVF treatments, but according to the UK’s fertility watchdog report, the majority of the older women are now using donor eggs while trying to conceive.
The new figures show that nearly 50,000 women underwent a total of 64,600 IVF cycles in the UK last year, whereas in 2013, 49,636 women had a total of 64,600 IVF cycles. According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), a further 2,379 women had a total of 4,611 donor insemination cycles, another increase on the previous year, however the actual success rate still remains fixed at around 25%.
The report has also highlighted on the fact that these new figures also reflect certain changes in society. For example, the number of IVF treatment cycles involving female couples has increased by practically 20% year on year, having risen from 766 treatments in 2011 to 902 in 2012. Meanwhile, donor insemination cycles involving same-sex couples rose by almost 15%, from 1,271 in 2011 to 1,458 in 2012, however the HFEA has said that they only account for a minority of all treatments undergone.
Elsewhere, a health alert campaign to reduce multiple births has shown to have had good impact, with overall numbers declining. Having a multiple birth (twins, triplets or more) is considered the largest health risk associated with fertility treatment, so current guidelines only allow for a single embryo to be transferred at any one time. According to fertility experts, multiple births can put both the health of the mother and the unborn babies at risk, with the likelihood of twins or triplets being premature and having a below average birth weight. The report has revealed that multiple births happened in 16.9 per cent of treatment cycles in 2012, a reduction of 18.8% compared with 2011.
One country where IVF success rates have grown, and where anonymous egg donation is permitted is Spain. A Leading IVF clinic in Spain has actually managed a 68.8% overall pregnancy success rate per cycle, including fresh and frozen embryo transfers, during their 2013 Ivf-Icsi Programme, with IVF success rates seen on their website.
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