IVF cycles increase across Europe - pregnancy rates remain stable
IVF cycles increase across Europe - pregnancy rates remain stable
New data presented as part of the 40th annual ESHRE meeting in Amsterdam
IVF and IUI other assisted reproductive technology treatment cycles topped 1.1 million annually across Europe, in latest figures from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) European IVF Monitoring (EIM) consortium.
The data - summarised for 2021 - shows a steady and progressive rise in the use of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
It reveals:
a total of 1,103,633 ART treatment cycles reported by 1,382 clinics across 37 European countries.
a 20% increase from the 919,364 cycles reported in 2020, keeping in mind that this was the year COVID affected the number of treatment cycles.
Of the 2021 treatment cycles:
153,191 were IVF
418,069 intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI)
368,464 frozen embryo replacement
78,432 preimplantation genetic testing
79,510 egg donations
415 in vitro maturation of oocytes
5,552 cycles with frozen oocyte replacement.
In addition, data from 1,441 institutions reported 148,194 IUI treatments where the partner’s semen is used (31 countries) and 48,583 IUI treatments where donor semen is used (23 countries). A total of 28,768 fertility preservation interventions, including oocyte, ovarian tissue, semen, and testicular tissue banking, were reported from 15 countries.
Clinical pregnancy rate data
Clinical pregnancy rates per aspiration and per transfer remained similar in 2021 and 2020 for IVF and for ICSI:
IVF was 26.3% per aspiration and 33.5 % per transfer in 2021 versus 25.4% and 33.2% in 2020.
ICSI was 23.9% per aspiration and 33.5% per transfer in 2021 versus 25.2% and 33.0% 2020.
Pregnancy rates per transfer for frozen embryo replacement with own embryos was slightly higher in 2021 (37.0%) versus 2020 (36.0%), as were pregnancy rates per fresh embryo transfer from egg donations (53.1% in 2021 versus 51.3% in 2020), while for frozen oocyte replacements the number decreased slightly (45.5% in 2021 versus 45.7% in 2020).
This reflects a 3.98% increase in the use of one embryo per transfer, rising from 57.9% in 2020 to 60.5% in 2021. The proportion of singleton, twin, and triplet deliveries was 90.4%, 9.5%, and 0.1% in 2021, respectively, compared to 88.9%, 10.9%, and 0.2% in 2020. Twin and triplet delivery rates after frozen embryo replacement were 6.9% and 0.1%, respectively, compared to 7.9% and 0.1% in 2020.
The lead author, Dr. Jesper Smeenk of Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital in Tilburg, Netherlands, stated:
“The 25th ESHRE report on ART and IUI shows a continuous increase of reported treatment numbers and medically assisted reproduction (MAR)-derived live births in Europe.
“Being already the largest data collection on MAR in Europe, continuous efforts to stimulate data collection and reporting strive for future quality control and completeness of the data and offer higher transparency and vigilance in the field of reproductive medicine.”
Professor Dr. Karen Sermon, Chair of ESHRE, added:
“This report underscores the significance of collaborative efforts and standardized reporting in advancing reproductive medicine. By enhancing data collection practices, we aim to elevate clinical standards and patient outcomes across Europe.”
Data collection and reporting
The ESHRE EIM report represents the largest data collection on medically assisted reproduction in Europe. Since 1997, ART data aggregated by national registries, clinics, or professional societies have been collected and analysed by the EIM. This year's data, covering treatments from January 1 to December 31, 2021, were provided by national registries or medical associations from 37 European countries.
The authors note in their presentation that the findings should be interpreted with caution, as the methods of data collection and levels of completeness of reported data vary among European countries.