Rise in fertility treatment

15 April 2009 12:32pm

More women than ever before are undergoing fertility treatment in the UK, new figures revealed.

Data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) showed 36,648 women underwent fertility treatment in 2007 - a rise of 5% on the 34,855 in 2006.

In total, they received 46,502 cycles of fertility treatment.

The figures reveal a dramatic rise in the number of women opting for treatment compared with the early 1990s.

In 1992, just 14,057 women had fertility treatment and were aged 33 on average. Nowadays, more than twice that number undergo treatment.

Women are also now older when having IVF, with an average age of 36 in 2007.

No data is available yet for the number of babies born from women receiving fertility treatment in 2007.

But new figures for 2006 showed 12,589 babies were born as a result of treatment - namely IVF and intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), where the sperm is injected directly into the egg.

This number of babies is up almost 12% on the 11,268 born in 2005.

Professor Lisa Jardine, chair of the HFEA, said it had launched a new website to help people choose the right treatment for them.

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