Number of babies born by assisted reproduction rises by 12%

More than 200 000 babies worldwide are born each year as a result of assisted reproduction technology (ART). A report estimates that 219 000 to 246 000 babies were born in 2002, an increase of 12% compared with 2000, from an estimated 911 000 to 1 025 000 cycles ( Human Reproduction 2009 May 27, doi:10.1093/humrep/dep098). But the report shows wide geographical differences in the availability of assisted reproduction technology, from two cycles per million population in Ecuador to 3688 cycles per million population in Israel. “There are wide variations between countries in the availability and quality of ART,” says Jacques de Mouzon, who led the International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technology, which compiled the report. …