Long-term data - treatments
On this page:
- How has the use of IVF and ICSI treatment changed over time?
- How often are fresh and frozen embryo transfers carried out?
- How many treatment cycles involve women’s own eggs or donated eggs?
- How often is donor insemination used?
- How often is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) carried out?
How has the use of IVF and ICSI treatment changed over time?
Overall the use of IVF and ICSI has increased steadily since 1992.
Number of women treated with IVF and ICSI started in 1992 to 2007
Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?
The number of women treated with IVF increased until 1996. Since then the number treated has remained constant at about 18,500 women per year.
The first babies conceived following ICSI treatment in Belgium were born in 1992. As it was more successful even with poor quality sperm, ICSI began to replace SUZI treatment and the outcome rates began to improve. SUZI is no longer used.
By 2006 ICSI and IVF were used to treat roughly equal numbers of women having fertility treatment
ICSI was originally used only for the treatment of couples with male factor infertility. It is now used for a wider range of problems including unexplained infertility.
Before ICSI was developed, couples with severe male factor problems had a very low chance of conceiving following IVF. Many couples in this situation used donor insemination or adopted.
How often are fresh and frozen embryo transfers carried out?
In 1992, 89 in every 100 treatment cycles (89%) involved the transfer of a fresh embryo.
By 2006, this had reduced to 81 in every 100 treatment cycles (81%).
Frozen embryo transfer is less commonly used in UK clinics than fresh cycles of treatment. However, there has been an increase in cycles using embryos frozen from previous cycles.
In 1992, 12 in every 100 treatment cycles (12%) used frozen embryos.
By 2006, this had increased to 19 in every 100 treatment cycles (19%).
The proportion of IVF or ICSI treatment cycles involving fresh or frozen embryo transfer, treatment cycles started in 1992 to 2007
Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?
How many treatment cycles involve women’s own eggs or donated eggs?
Most women having IVF or ICSI use their own eggs. For various reasons a small number of women need to use donated eggs.
In 1992 IVF and ICSI treatment involving donated eggs accounted for 3 in every 100 treatment cycles (3%) carried out in the UK.
The use of donor eggs increased slightly over the period 1992 to 2007 to a maximum of 7% of treatment cycles in 2000. Since then the percentage has fallen again to about 4 in every 100 treatment cycles (4%).
The proportion of IVF and ICSI treatment cycles using women’s own eggs and donor eggs, treatment cycles started in 1992 to 2007
Note: The figures given for ICSI treatment include those for SUZI cycles. What is SUZI?
How often is donor insemination used?
The number of women undergoing donor insemination has reduced dramatically since 1992 when nearly 9,000 women had donor insemination. By 2007 just over 2,000 women had donor insemination, less than a third of the number treated in the early 1990s.
The dramatic reduction in donor insemination is largely due to the increase in the availability and use of ICSI, as an alternative treatment to donor insemination.
Number of women treated with donor insemination (DI), treatment cycles started 1992 to 2007
Donor insemination is used as a treatment for male factor infertility. It is also used for single women, same sex couples, and men who want to avoid passing on genetic disorders.
Donor insemination can involve hormonal drug stimulation to ensure eggs are produced (stimulated treatment) or can be carried out without stimulation (unstimulated treatment).
About 60 in every 100 donor insemination cycles (60%) are unstimulated cycles and about 40 in every 100 are stimulated (40%).
The split between stimulated and unstimulated cycles has remained more or less constant over time.
How often is pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) or pre-implantation genetic screening (PGS) carried out?
Although PGD and PGS have been carried out since the late 1980s/early 1990s, we have only been collecting data on this since 2002.
The number of women having IVF or ICSI treatment involving either PGD or PGS increased from its introduction in the 1990s:
- In 2002, 120 women had IVF or ICSI treatment involving PGD or PGS.
- In 2003 this had increased to 2,008.
- From 2004 onwards information about PDG and PGS was collected separately and is shown in the following graph.
- In 2007 just over 350 women had PGD or PGS with PGS being slightly more commonly carried out than PGD.
Number of women having IVF and ICSI involving PGD or PGS, treatment cycles started 2004 to 2007
... more about long-term trends
Page last updated: 03 August 2012