IVF ignores bigger problem: warns expert

A leading reproductive biologist says the IVF success rate hasn't changed much in the past 40 years, with only one in five cycles resulting in a live birth.

A scientist at work during an IVF process

Young couples have been warned not to ignore their biology when it comes to fertility. (AAP)

Young couples have been warned against ignoring their biology because only one in five IVF cycles result in a live birth.

It's been 40 years since the first ever baby was born via in-vitro fertilisation.

Yet a world leading reproductive biologist says the success rate hasn't changed much over the past four decades, with age the main underlying cause of infertility.

"We are species that deals with our biology very badly," said Laureate Professor John Aitken at the University of Newcastle.

"Reproduction is not a tap you can turn on and off, it's something which is there temporarily and then it's forever gone.

On November 10, 1977, British woman Lesley Brown, who with husband John had been trying to conceive for nine years, fell pregnant after undergoing IVF.

Nine months later, their daughter Louise was born - the first baby born following IVF.

Six million babies have been born thanks to the technique, pioneered by British scientist Robert Edwards and obstetrician Patrick Steptoe.

But research shows many couples put off having their first child until the age of 30, when a woman's fertility starts declining rapidly.

"The average age of women in fertility clinics is 37-years-old," said Prof Aitken.

"We can change many things, we can certainly change the way we orchestrate our society but we can not change our biology.

"The more we use IVF in one generation the more we are going to need it in the next, so we are just building up a health burden for generations of Australians to solve."

Better support is needed for women in the early stages of their career so they can reach their goals of having a baby, he said.

Promotion prospects within the workforce must factor in time required to have a child. and better parental support schemes are critical, says Prof Aitken.

"If we can find support mechanisms for couples that will encourage them to have children earlier then the government doesn't have to spend money later on with ART procedures," Prof Aitken said.

"But my real advice is don't leave it too late before you start to have children," he said.

To better educate couples on the science of reproduction, Prof Aitken has launched a free online course called Sex, Science and Society.


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Published 10 November 2017 2:22pm
Source: AAP


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