IVF success rate on the rise
UNSW researchers have announced promising developments in IVF. According to a report commissioned by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), the number of babies born using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) has almost tripled in the past ten years, with the total number of babies born increasing by 8.6 percent between 2002 and 2003, .
The report, Assisted Reproduction Technology in Australia and New Zealand 2003, conducted by the Perinatal Statistics Unit (NPSU) at UNSW, also shows the proportion of multiple pregnancies has decreased leading to fewer babies being born prematurely or with a low birth weight.
The report finds better outcomes due to a number of factors including the use of fresh embryos and women embarking on ART at a younger age.
Almost one in four (23.7 percent) of embryo transfer cycles where women used their own fresh embryos resulted in the successful delivery of at least one live baby, while the figure for women who used their own frozen embryo was 15.2 percent.
“When we look at the ages of women who used their own fresh embryos, women aged 25-29 years achieved more successful outcomes, with 35.1 percent of embryo transfer cycles achieving live delivery, while women aged 40-44 years had a success rate of 9.5 percent,” said Professor Michael Chapman, head of the School of Women’s and Children’s Health.
The average age of women undergoing ART treatment in 2003 was 35.2 years.