ART in Europe, 2020: results generated from European registries by ESHRE†

Area of Science:

• Reproductive Medicine
• Clinical Data Analysis
• Public Health Surveillance

Background:

• The European IVF Monitoring (EIM) consortium has collected and analyzed aggregated data on assisted reproductive technology (ART) from national registries since 1997.
• This data collection is crucial for understanding trends and outcomes in fertility treatments across Europe.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report and analyze the data and trends of ART and intrauterine insemination (IUI) cycle numbers and their outcomes for 2020.
• To assess fertility preservation (FP) interventions in 2020 compared to previous years.

Main Methods:

• Data on medically assisted reproduction (MAR) from 44 member countries of the EIM Consortium were collected for cycles performed between January 1 and December 31, 2020.
• Information was gathered from national registries or initiatives of medical associations, scientific organizations, or committed individuals.

Main Results:

• A total of 923,318 ART treatment cycles were reported in 2020, a 14% decrease from 2019. Pregnancy rates for IVF and ICSI remained stable, as did outcomes for frozen embryo transfers (FET) and IUI.
• Twin delivery rates decreased due to fewer multiple embryo transfers, while fertility preservation interventions increased, particularly sperm cryopreservation.

Conclusions:

• The 24th ESHRE report indicates a decline in ART and IUI treatment cycles in 2020, potentially influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic and reporting variations.
• Despite the decrease in cycles, key outcomes like pregnancy and delivery rates remained stable, highlighting the resilience of fertility treatments.
• Further optimization of data collection and reporting is needed to enhance surveillance and vigilance in reproductive medicine across Europe.