Assisted Reproduction Procedures Increasing; Multiple Births Declining

The number of Assisted Reproduction Technology (ART) procedures is on the rise, but the number of multiple births is decreasing. From 2000 to 2002, there was an increase of 25 percent in babies born internationally annually as a result of ART.

Based on a study led by Professor Jacques de Mouzon with INSFRM in Paris, France, known as the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology (ICMART), ART procedures continue to increase. The study based its research on the latest data gathered internationally in 2002 compared to 2000, but was lacking data from a few major international continents/regions, such as Asia, Africa, Oceania, and the West Indies. However, the researchers used estimates for these countries to calculate the worldwide numbers. Records were gathered from 1,563 fertility clinics in 53 countries. Dr. de Mouzon said, “even if it is imperfect, it gives data that can inform debate and decision-making on issues such as availability and the benefits and risks of this important medical practice,” allowing researchers to make comparisons of countries and regions, and to analyze trends by comparing previous data. The report was published in the May 28 issue of the journal Human Reproduction.

According to Professor Jacques de Mouzon in a news release, “There has been a constant increase in ART activity; with the number of procedures increasing to 25 percent since the previous report in 2000. This is due not only to an increase in the number of countries participating in this report, but also to an increase in ART activity in most individual countries.” He cautioned that there are vast variations in quality and availability of ART procedures between countries and there are several factors that play rolls in this, such as fertility, women’s age, insurance coverage, the nation’s economy, and access to health care and ART. The researchers noted the increase in ART procedures may be a result of better reporting by countries and centers, as well as actual growth in ART activity.

The study highlighted the fact that even though ART procedures were on the rise the number of multiple births actually decreased. This was an important finding and goes to show how far ART has come, since multiple births raise risks for birth defects in babies and increases complication risks for the expectant mother. The study noted several other interesting findings, including the United States reporting the highest number of ART procedures, Europe and Australia-New Zealand rates of triplets was around 50 percent less than those of the U.S. and five times less than Latin America. The incidences of transfers of four or more embryos decreased from 15.4 percent in 2000 to 13.7 percent in 2002, the proportion of twin and triplet pregnancies decreased slightly and the procedure known as ICSI where a single sperm is placed into an egg obtained through in vitro fertilization rose from 54 percent to 61 percent in North America, from 46 to 54 percent in Europe, and in Latin America rose to 76 percent and in the Middle East reached 92 percent.

The increase in the use of frozen embryo cycles proved to be very positive since it seemed to improve cumulative pregnancy and delivery rates while the number of multiple embryo transfers and multiple births declined.
 

Check out the new HealthNews pregnancy and childbirth column, debuting next Saturday June 6th. Bringing in Baby: Pregnancy and Childbirth Made Healthy, written by Constance Rock, LM, CPM and Aleksandra Evanguelidi, LM, CPM, will run every Saturday and focus on all aspects of pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, childbirth, and early postpartum. Find out everything you need to know to have a healthy conception, pregnancy and birth.