In-vitro fertilization rises in Britain
More British women had in-vitro fertilization (IVF) in 2005 than in 2004, officials figures revealed Friday as multiple births continued to be a concern surrounding the fertility treatment method.
There was a nearly 6-percent rise in the number of women having in-vitro fertilization (IVF), from 30,861 in 2004 to 32,626 in 2005, resulting in the delivery of 11,262 children, said the figures released by the government-supervised Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority.
Multiple births continue to be a concern as IVF accounts for nearly a fifth of multiple births in Britain, although IVF accounts for only around 1 percent of all births in the country, the authority said.
In 2005, 24 percent of IVF births were twins or triplets, up from 22.7 percent in 2004, and twins and triplets tend to be born earlier, and thus face far greater health problems, it said.
Earlier this week, the authority announced a three-year strategy aimed at bringing down the multiple birth rate, asking clinics to look at ways of cutting the rate to one in 10 or less.
The overall live birth rate for all IVF was 21.6 percent in 2005 in Britain, up from 20.6 percent in 2004. For women under 35,the rate was 29.6 percent, up from 28.1 percent in 2004.
It is estimated that one in seven British couples - 3.5 million people - have difficulty in conceiving.
The IVF is a method of assisted reproduction in which the man’s sperm and the woman’s egg are combined in a laboratory dish, where fertilization occurs. The resulting pre-embryo is then transferred to the woman’s uterus.
