It’s looking to be another typically busy week at the Center. Although the overall patient volume at PFC in 2009 was down about 10% from 2008, 2008 was a record year, so 2009 was more typical of the volume in the last 10 years. So far in 2010, we are up over this time in 2009. Many clinics in California and around the country are seeing decreased demand for IVF services, likely due to the poor economy. I heard on the radio the other day that the number of vasectomy procedures was up sharply in 2009 as well. A sign of the tough economic times, I suppose.

In 2007, the last year for which U.S. IVF clinics have official results tabulated from mandatory reporting to the CDC, the total number of  fresh IVF cycles performed in 430 reporting clinics was 142,435 resulting in 43,412 live births and 57,569 infants*. It is estimated that in western countries, about 1% of babies born are now from assisted reproductive technologies. Overall, about 36% of embryo transfers resulted in a live birth. This number continues to climb nationwide, at the same time the number of triplets and more is dropping (now at only 1.8% of live births, which is excellent). The twin percentage is still too high at 30% but we hope to also see this number declining in the coming years as overall success rates improve and we continue to emphasize to our patients the  much better outcomes of singleton pregnancy as compared to twin pregnancy.

Delayed childbearing still continues to be the biggest issue for human reproduction and fertility in the post-industrial world. This is especially true in the San Francisco Bay Area. The median age for women doing IVF in the U.S. was less than 35 but at PFC it is age 39. This may partly to do with the fact that in California, insurance coverage for fertility treatment is not mandatory, like it is in some states like Massachusetts and Illinois. Therefore, couples wait longer before availing themselves of the most effective treatment for infertility. This is also why the proportion of women undergoing IVF nationwide diagnosed with decreased ovarian reserve (i.e. diminished egg quality, a diagnosis that tracks with female age) is 10.3% but this diagnosis represents 31% of the patients at PFC.

*2007 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates National Summary and Fertility Clinic Reports U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/ART/

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