On this page:

• How many women have had IVF or ICSI treatment?
• How old are the women having IVF or ICSI treatment?
• What types of infertility are treated with IVF or ICSI treatment?

How many women have had IVF or ICSI treatment?

The number of women treated has increased steadily since the early 1990s. The number treated has increased over 2½ times between 1992 and 2007:

• 1992 – 14,057 women received treatment
• 2007 – 36,648 women treated, receiving 46,502 IVF and ICSI cycles

The number of women having IVF or ICSI treatment, 1992 to 2007

Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?

The number of treatment cycles carried out each year,1992 to 2007

Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?

Note: Some women have more than one treatment cycle in a year. For this reason the number of treatment cycles started is always greater than the number of women starting treatment each year.

Back to top

How old are the women having IVF or ICSI treatment?

The age at which women have IVF or ICSI treatment has changed substantially over time:

• In 1992 women were on average 33 years old.
• By 2007 the average age had shifted to 36.

The age of women receiving IVF or ICSI treatment in 1992 and 2007

Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?

This shift in age reflects what is happening to age at childbearing in the general population.

Women in general are on average older now when they have their children than they were in the past. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show in 1992 women having a baby were on average 27.9 years old whereas in 2006 they were 29.1 years old.

A delay in age at childbearing has important consequences, as fertility declines with age.

References:

• Birth Statistics. Review of the Registrar General on births and patterns of family building in England and Wales, 2001. Series FM1 no.30 (revised). London: Office for National Statistics. 2002.
• Birth Statistics. Review of the Registrar General on births and patterns of family building in England and Wales, 2006. Series FM1 no.35. London: Office for National Statistics. 2007.

Back to top

What types of infertility are treated with IVF or ICSI treatment?

Information about the types of infertility treated has been collected on the HFEA Register since 2000. The types of infertility are collected on the patient registration forms for treatment, which clinics submit to the HFEA.

Types of infertility treated by IVF and ICSI treatment, cycles started 2000 to 2007

Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?

Between 2000 and 2007 the number of women categorised under each of type of infertility has increased, except for women where both female and male factors are present, which has decreased slightly over time.

The number of couples with unexplained and male factor infertility has increased the most. This is probably because ICSI is now more widely used for treating male factor infertility.

• Read more about ICSI

Back to top