Health
Younger women more successful with ART
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 24, 2005
Assisted reproductive technology is more likely to produce a live birth for women in their 20s and early 30s than older women, according to a report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month.
Among procedures completed in women younger than 35, 37% resulted in live births. This number decreased to 31% among those ages 35 to 37. The rate was only 21% among those 38 to 40 and plummeted to 4% for those older than 42.
"This is a reminder that age remains a primary factor with respect to pregnancy success, and younger women have greater success than older women, even with technology," said Victoria Wright, one of the authors and a public health analyst in the agency's reproductive health program.
The report, "2002 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates," also found that more than 45,000 babies were born that year with ART, an increase from 40,687 in 2001. The number of procedures also increased from 107,587 in 2001 to 115,392 in 2002. Attempts were also slightly more successful with 28% of all procedures leading to a live birth in 2002. That was true for only 27% of attempts in 2001.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/01/24/hlbf0124.htm.
