International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies world report: assisted reproductive...

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Global Health
• Biostatistics

Background:

• Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are globally utilized but show significant disparities in access, practice, effectiveness, and safety.
• The International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ICMART) provides annual reports tracking ART trends and outcomes.
• Understanding global ART utilization and trends is crucial for public health and clinical practice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the global utilization, effectiveness, and safety of ART practices in 2014.
• To identify and analyze global trends in ART over a five-year period.
• To provide comprehensive data for ART professionals, health authorities, and the public.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective, cross-sectional survey of ART procedures performed globally in 2014.
• Data collected from 76 countries and 2,746 ART centers via national and regional registries.
• Utilized a new method for calculating ART utilization rates and number of babies born.

Main Results:

• An estimated 1.93 million ART cycles were conducted globally in 2014, representing approximately 66% of worldwide activity.
• Key trends observed include increased success rates, a rise in frozen embryo transfer (FET) cycles, and a greater proportion of single embryo transfer (SET).
• Despite overall improvements, wide variations in ART practices and outcomes exist across different countries.

Conclusions:

• Global ART effectiveness and safety are improving, with notable increases in cumulative live birth rates and reductions in multiple birth rates.
• Significant disparities in ART access and practice necessitate attention from clinicians and policymakers.
• Continued efforts are needed to enhance the quality and consistency of global ART data collection and reporting.