IVF Success Rates Have Improved in the Last Decade in Older Women
The team of medical researchers at UNSW has released a new report based on their research study on IVF.
According to their report, IVF success rates have improved slightly over the past 10 years in older women. The data shows significant changes in the ratio for those unable to conceive a baby naturally.
IVF, while advanced, has several drawbacks. Many people believe that the treatment is not worth it as the success ratio is lower than what the IVF centers are claiming.
However, according to the researchers at UNSW, the treatment is nothing less than a blessing for older women.
What does the latest research report say?
The new research report claims that the live birth rate per cycle has increased by 5% for those women who have used their eggs for conceiving. The study also suggests that the increased ratio has older women as the majority group.
Professor Georgina Chambers is a lead author at UNSW’s ANZARD. The professor has released a detailed report comparing the initiated live birth through IVF on women who belong to different age groups.
According to the report, “For example, in women aged 35–39, the live birth rate per cycle started has increased from 19 percent to 23 percent, representing a 20 percent relative increase in success rates.”
Furthermore, the report has also described the effects of IVF treatment on even an older group aged 40-44.
In this particular age group, the research study claims that the success rates have increased by 4%, representing a 10% increase in the last 10 years.
What is ANZARD?
ANZARD stands for the Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database.
ANZARD generates reports on various health-related subjects. The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand funds the report. The report surveys the IVF centers across these two countries.
Australia and New Zealand have a total of 94 IVF centers. ANZARD’s latest report is based on these 94 centers from both countries.
Comparison of Success Rates
The ANZARD’s report has listed the data for 2018 and 2019. We have the data for the most recent year, 2019, through the report.
The data shows that 16,310 babies were born in Australia and New Zealand through this treatment in 2019. The data is collected from all 94 IVF centers.
The report further claims that out of 16,310 babies born, the initiated IVF cycles were 88,929 in 2019. A 6.2% increase rate compared to the previous year i.e. 2018.
Variations in initiated cycles mean that research findings can differ from one study to another. Not all cycles can go for embryo transfer.
However, embryo transfer rates have increased significantly over the past 10 years.
If we compare the data of previous years, the live birth rates through embryo transfer have increased by 6%. In 2018, they were 22%, which has now increased to 28% in 2019.
As in previous years, success rates were higher among younger women. The success ratio was 35.1% for the first cycle or fresh cycles.
The ratio for women aged 30-34 was 34.1%. For older women aged around 44, the live birth success rate was 1.7% for the initial cycle and 9.2% for the second cycle.
Different countries have adopted different techniques for giving birth to their babies. Frozen cycles are considered more effective than fresh cycles. Reports show that frozen cycles’ success rate is higher than the other cycles of twins and triplets.
The team of researchers has also compared the data between the frozen cycle embryo transfer and fresh cycle embryo transfer.
The data shows that rates have increased by over 50% over the past 10 years. So, the researchers highly recommend transferring embryos through a frozen cycle. The same technique is now being adopted by other IVF centers worldwide.
Key Stats from the Report
- Single embryo transfer rates have been increased compared to the previous year.
- Multiple live birth rates have been decreased through the frozen cycle technique over the past 10 years.
- The live birth rates have been increased by 6% in Australia and 2% in New Zealand.
Take Away!
With new technologies and inventions, the success rate of IVF will be increased further in the coming years. Researchers are doing their best to bring new techniques to help those who can’t conceive a baby naturally.
See Also
Follow us