Multiple births following fertility treatment down across Europe

Preliminary data from the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic showed a drop in the total number of IVF treatments carried out across Europe in 2020 compared to 2019.

Pregnancy rates per embryo transfer remained stable at 32.9 percent in 2020, despite the fact that multiple embryo transfers and multiple births following fertility treatment had gone down across Europe, compared to the previous year. Data released by the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) European IVF-monitoring Consortium (EIM), published during the ESHRE 39th Annual Meeting 2023 also showed 57.6 percent out of all IVF and ICSI procedures reported in 2020 in Europe involved the transfer of a single embryo compared to 55.4 percent in 2019.

Lead author Dr Jesper Smeenk, from the Elisabeth-TweeSteden hospital, in Tilburg, the Netherlands, said: 'These preliminary findings show that live births resulting from fertility treatment in Europe continue to rise.

'Campaigns to raise awareness about multiple births have helped protect the health of women and their babies. The continued rise in single embryo transfer means women are less likely to face complications in pregnancy and during birth. The result has been that fertility treatments have become safer for mothers and babies without compromising success rates.'

Data was taken from 1326 clinics across Europe; and Spain, France and Germany were among the countries with the highest number of treatment cycles offered, though the UK did not report data. Figures from smaller European countries had still not been reported and authors of the study warned that the data was preliminary, and the trends may change as the data set becomes more complete.

Over twice as many treatments involved ICSI as IVF alone in 2020, preliminary data also showed, and continued a trend observed since 2002, said authors.

The chair of ESHRE from 2021-2023, Professor Carlos Calhaz-Jorge from the Northern Lisbon Hospital Centre and the Hospital de Santa Maria in Lisbon, Portugal, was not involved in this research. He said: 'Multiple births are a known risk factor for complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and can affect a child's development.

'The hope is that this upwards trend in single pregnancies, as highlighted by the EIM data, continues. Clinics must always prioritise the safety of patents who undergo fertility treatment, and that of their offspring.'