This report tabulates and analyzes the voluntarily reported international ART experience from 49 countries for the year 2000. More than 460,157 procedures were reported. This was a 10% increase since the last report in 1998. These cycles resulted in delivery rate for conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF) of 18.6% (per aspiration). There 46,099 babies delivered as a result of conventional IVF. Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) resulted in a delivery rate of 20.4% with 27.4 babies per 100 aspirations. The mean pregnancy loss for ICSI cycles was 26.3%. There was significant regional variation reported. Conventional IVF and ICSI twin rates were 26.9% and 26.2%, respectively. . The triplet rates were 2.8% (IVF) and 2.9% (ICSI). These had not decreased compared to 1998. Again, there were significant regional differences. In some countries the triplet rate was 0% and in others it was greater than 10%. Not surprisingly, the triplet rate correlated with the number of embryos transferred. In the US the triplet rate was 4.29%. The authors estimated a total of approximately 197,000 to 220,000 babies worldwide.

Editorial Comment:

The data presented would suggest that the pregnancies rates have reached a plateau. The marked regional variation in success rates and multiple gestation pregnancies should place the clinician on notice. Success rates that influence patient management should be individualized to the locale within which one practices. Decreasing the number of transferred embryos has, not unexpectedly and thankfully, reduced higher order gestations in countries that transfer fewer embryos.

Fertility and Sterility (volume 85 issue 6)

Written by Harris M. Nagler, MD, a Contributing Editor with UroToday.

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