HFEA statement regarding pregnancy terminations following IVF
07 June 2010
‘The HFEA has published data on the number of terminations following IVF treatment on our website every year since 2007. This is part of our long term data analysis and the next update is due later this year.
IVF is not a procedure that is undertaken lightly and we know what it means personally to the many women who make this decision every year. All patients who undergo IVF are assessed, as are the implications for any child that might be born, in advance of the decision to treat.
The HFEA does not regulate terminations of pregnancy.
On average, the number of terminations every year is less than one percent of all pregnancies through IVF. We do not collect data on the legal grounds for the termination, although we do ask centres to describe the reason given by the patient. The number where the reason given is ‘social’ or ‘psychological’ is very few compared to the total.’
| Pregnancies | Terminations | |
| 2004 | 4,435 | 50 |
| 2005 | 10,253 | 90 |
| 2006 | 11,600 | 90 |
| 2007 | 12,645 | 97 |
| 2008* | 6,723 | 52 |
*Half year data
More information
Ends
Notes to editors
- The HFEA is the independent regulator for IVF treatment and embryo research. Our role is to protect patients and the public interest, to drive improvement in the treatment and research sectors and to provide information to the public and policymakers about treatment and research.
- The HFEA was set up in August 1991 as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA’s principal tasks are to license and monitor clinics that carry out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), artificial insemination (AI) and human embryo research. The HFEA also regulates the storage of gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos.
Page last updated: 07 June 2010