When 1 + 1 does not make 2

In National Fertility Awareness Week 2-8 November 2015; do you know the fertility facts top ten?

  1. 1 in 6 couples in the UK struggle to become parents (source: European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology).
  2. 1 in 50 births in the UK are as a result of fertility treatment (source: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority).
  3. On average, 1 in 4 fertility-treatment cycles are successful; however, this varies dependent on age. Aged less than 35, the success rate is 33 per cent; between 35-37 it is 27 per cent; between 38-39 it is 31 per cent; between  40-42 it is 13 per cent and over 43 it is 4 per cent. (source: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority).
  4. Fertility issues are as likely to be caused by male fertility factors as female fertility factors: approximately one-third are male in origin; one-third female in origin and the remaining one-third are a mixture of unexplained fertility problems and both female and male problems (source: Resolve).
  5. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common female reproductive disorder affecting up to 1 in 10 women (source: Verity).
  6. 9 out of 10 people struggling with fertility problems show signs of depression (source: Fertility Fairness).
  7. 1 in 3 patients are not offered any counselling at their fertility clinics (source: Infertility Network UK).
  8. There are 4,000 clinics worldwide which perform a total of 1.5milion treatments annually (source: International Federation of Fertility Societies).
  9. Globally, each year 350,000 babies are born as a result of assisted reproductive technology (source: European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology).
  10. In the UK, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends 3 cycles of IVF for women under 40 years and 1 cycle for some women aged 40-42. However, across the UK the picture of NHS provision of fertility treatment varies and this guidance is often not followed. In England, fewer than I in 5 (18 per cent) of clinical commissioning groups fund 3 IVF cycles for women under 40; 29 per cent offer 2 cycles; 52 per cent offer 1 cycle. In Scotland, all health boards fund 2 cycles for women under 40; in Wales women under 40 are entitled to two cycles and in Northern Ireland women under 40 are offered one cycle (source: Fertility Fairness).