Did you know that, on average, one in six couples worldwide are affected by fertility problems, according to the ESHRE?
Infertility on a Global Scale
Infertility is recognized as a disease by the WHO, ACOG, and ASRM. In 2014 about 10 percent (6.10 million) of women in the US aged 15-44 had difficulty conceiving. Excluding the physical causes of infertility, external factors such as smoking, diet, environmental toxins, alcohol, stress, and obesity also contribute to fertility problems in men and women.
Source: NHSR Study
The ART of Reproduction
To combat these alarming figures, the American Fertility Society first published guidelines for the ethical implementation of Assisted Reproductive Technology, or ART for short, in the US in 1986.
The Act mandated that clinics provide details of fertility treatment services like in-vitro fertilization, including the number of cycles performed and their outcomes, and report pregnancy rates to the federal government every year.
Increased adoption of ART worldwide has compelled regulatory bodies to introduce legislation. Most regulations focus on particular aspects of ART such as ART reporting, genetic testing, financial barriers to ART, and emerging technologies.
Increasing Success of Fertility Treatments
In-Vitro Fertilization or IVF is one of the most popular assisted fertility techniques used to treat infertility. According to the CDC, 1.5-2.0 million cycles of IVF are performed worldwide every year, and about 55 percent of these are in Europe.
The Global IVF Devices Market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 10.80 percent during the 2014-2019 forecast period.
The success rate of IVF depends on factors such as the reason for infertility, where the procedure has been carried out, and age. The success rate reduces as a woman ages and if she is using her eggs. The success rate is at its maximum, 39.60 percent, for young females below 35 years using their eggs, and it declines to 1 percent for females above 44 years.
Growing Number of Fertility Clinics
The increase in the number of fertility clinics is increasing the accessibility of IVF procedures. An estimated 3,000 fertility clinics operate worldwide, with about 650 clinics in India. The rise in the number of fertility clinics allows couples to choose clinics based on their convenience. Smaller countries in terms of area such as Ukraine and the Czech Republic also have a considerable number of fertility clinics, with 16 and 30, respectively.
