Page 6 - FSANZ UPDATE Spring 2022

Data from 93 IVF clinics reveals latest
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) annual IVF report has revealed the latest data and trends in assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand.
The Australian and New Zealand Assisted Reproduction Database (ANZARD) report is funded by the FSANZ and contains data from all 93 IVF clinics operating in the two countries.
The 2020 data shows that one in three IVF cycles undertaken by couples trying to conceive was due to male infertility, or a combination of male and female infertility.
The underlying reason for male infertility was unknown in over 75 per cent of cases presented in the data. Previous vasectomy was a factor for IVF in seven per cent of cycles undertaken for male infertility, while 2.4 per cent of cycles where there was a cause of male infertility was due to cancer treatment in the male partner.
ANZARD has for the first time collected data and reported on the causes of male infertility for couples undergoing IVF allowing its impact to be studied more effectively.
The 2020 ANZARD report has also revealed detailed information on the types of patients undergoing IVF, more information about pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT), and the reasons for freezing eggs to preserve future fertility.
There were almost 96,000 assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles performed in Australia and New Zealand in 2020 resulting the births of 18,462 babies.
There were 3,647 fertility preservation cycles performed in 2020 where oocytes or embryos were cryopreserved for potential future use.
There were 3,647 fertility preservation cycles performed in 2020
Georgina Chambers
Over one third of these were performed for nonmedical reasons, for example not having a partner.
Professor Georgina Chambers, is the lead author of the ANZARD report. She is the Director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit (NPESU), a joint facility of the Centre for Big Data Research in Health and the School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Sydney.
She said the latest data showed a 7.6 per cent increase in cycles on 2019 with one in 18 babies born in Australia conceived though IVF treatment in 2020. However, she explained the number of cycles reported in the data may reflect limited IVF services in some States in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Professor Chambers said 14 per cent of females undergoing IVF in 2020 were in same-sex relationships or were single women, indicating how important access to IVF is for many less traditional families.
In Australia and New Zealand in 2020, the multiple birth rate – the proportion of twins and triplets born through IVF – decreased from 2019, a previous record low. It is one of the lowest multiple birth rates worldwide.
The multiple birth rate decreased from 7.9 per cent in 2010 to 2.8 per cent in 2020. This improvement has been driven by the increased proportion of IVF cycles where only a single embryo is transferred, up from 70 per cent in 2010 to 93 per cent in 2020.
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