Fertility & Treatments
Wherever you may be in your fertility journey, it can be useful to understand the facts about fertility to help you to feel well informed with every decision you make.
0
605,479 babies were born in England and Wales in 20221
0
million
people in the UK are affected by infertility2
0
%
of known pregnancies end in miscarriage3
0
%
of couples will become pregnant within six months of trying4
0
million
individuals are effected by infertility across the globe5
0
million
miscarriages happen every single year, effecting over 25% of all pregnancies6
0
%
of women suffer from post-natal depression7
0
million
babies are born prematurely each year across the world8
The history of IVF
In vitro fertilisation (IVF) has greatly advanced since the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978.
Through continuing scientific excellence, including advancements in cryopreservation (i.e. egg, sperm and embryo freezing) and genetic testing, IVF and assisted reproductive technology (ART) have helped millions of families worldwide achieve their dream of having a baby.7
- Office for National Statistics. Births in England and Wales: 2020. Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/livebirths/bulletins/birthsummarytablesenglandandwales/2022 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Leaver RB. Male infertility: an overview of causes and treatment options. British Journal of Nursing 2016;25:S35-S40. Available at: https://www.magonlinelibrary.com/doi/full/10.12968/bjon.2016.25.18.S35 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Brann M, Bute JJ. Communicating to promote informed decisions in the context of early pregnancy loss. Patient Education and Counseling 2017;100:2269-2274. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738399117303622?via%3Dihub#bib0005 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Taylor A. Extent of the problem. BMJ 2003;327:434. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/327/7412/434 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- WHO – Infertility Key Facts. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/infertility
- Fauser BC. Towards the global coverage of a unified registry of IVF outcomes. Reproductive BioMedicine Online 2019;38:133-137. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30593441/ [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Brinsden PR. Thirty years of IVF: The legacy of Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards. Human Fertility 2009;12:137-143. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14647270903176773 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Brezina PR, Ning N, Mitchell E, Zacur HA, Baramki TA, Zhao Y. Recent Advances in Assisted Reproductive Technology. Current Obstetrics and Gynecology Reports 2012;1:166-173. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13669-012-0019-2 [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Monash IVF. Donor Eggs. Available at: https://monashivf.com/services/fertility-treatment-options/donor-eggs/ [Last accessed: March 2022].
- AP. First Baby Born of Frozen Embryo. New York Times 1984. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/11/us/first-baby-born-of-frozen-embryo.html [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Parikh FR, Athalye AS, Naik NJ, Naik DJ, Sanap RR, Madon PF. Preimplantation Genetic Testing: Its Evolution, Where Are We Today? Journal of Human Reproductive Science 2018;11:306-314. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6333033/ [Last accessed: March 2022].
- Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Celebrating 40 years of IVF. Available at: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/celebrating-40-years-of-ivf/ [Last accessed: March 2022].
- NGA Law. Parenthood after donor conception: female partners of birth mothers. Available at: https://www.ngalaw.co.uk/knowledge-centre/parenthood-after-donor-conception-female-partners-of-birth-mothers [Last accessed: March 2022].
- TIME. What It Was Like to Grow Up as the World’s First ‘Test-Tube Baby’. Available at: https://time.com/5344145/louise-brown-test-tube-baby/ [Last accessed: March 2022].
- ESHRE ART Fact Sheet. https://www.eshre.eu/Europe/Factsheets-and-infographics