Improved success rates and wider demand in UK market

Figures published in HFEA’s Fertility Treatment 2017: trends and figures also revealed continued improvement in success rates. The average birth rate for women of all ages using their own eggs reached 22%, while women under 35 using their own eggs had the highest birth rates with 30% for a fresh cycle and 27% for a frozen cycle.

Averaged across women of all ages, frozen cycles success rates of 23% overtook fresh embryo cycles success rates for the first time since records began.

According to the HFEA, the reasons for seeking fertility treatment are also beginning to change as more same-sex couples, single women and surrogates help drive increased demand.

While patients in heterosexual relationships still account for more than 91% of all fertility treatments, this only saw a 2% increase between 2016 and 2017. This is in stark contrast to the increases in treatments for patients in female same-sex relationships which rose by 12% to 4,463 cycles, single women by 4% to 2,279 cycles and treatments for surrogates by 22% to 302 cycles between 2016 and 2017.

HFEA chair Sally Cheshire CBE said: ‘We are seeing a gradual change in the reasons why people use fertility treatments, which were originally developed to help heterosexual couples with infertility problems. While the increases in same-sex couples, single women and surrogates having fertility treatment are small, this reflects society’s changing attitudes towards family creation, lifestyles and relationships and highlights the need for the sector to continue to evolve and adapt.’