Overall, the pregnancy rate for IVF (in our opinion the more relevant rate) has not improved in Europe, it is around 35%
The 33rd Annual Meeting of the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has just been held in Geneva, Switzerland. At the meeting, Dr Carlos Calhaz-Jorge, director of the European Consortium for In Vitro Fertilization presented data on assisted reproduction in Europe.
The report shows that a total of 707,171 cycles were carried out in 2014, resulting in 146,232 babies born. Spain is the most active country as regards assisted reproduction. The Report, which collected data from 1997 to 2014, found that 109,275 treatment cycles were carried out in Spain; this was followed by Russia, with 94,985 cycles, and France, with 94,434. Cycles included by the ESRHE included IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), egg donation and intrauterine insemination.
Dr Calhaz-Jorge says that around 80% of all assisted procreation treatments performed in Europe have been assessed.
The Report also shows that the pregnancy rate per embryo transfer is higher with IVF (34.6%) than with ICSI (33.1%). Overall, the pregnancy rate for IVF seems to have stabilized in Europe at around 35%, and 33% when ICSI is used. However, the pregnancy rate obtained by egg donation is higher, around 50%, although rates vary significantly between countries. Similarly, the pregnancy rate with frozen donor eggs is 49%, compared to 51% with fresh donor eggs.
While these data are undoubtedly interesting for evaluating the efficacy of the technique, in our opinion, they lack an ethical assessment.
Leave A Comment