As people start trying to have children ever later in life, the number of those having difficulties conceiving naturally is on the rise. And so growing numbers are turning to fertility clinic services, for treatments such as IVF. The latest annual report (for 2022) from the clinic regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), out last week, confirms this trend.
But would-be parents face a maelstrom of misinformation about fertility, experts have warned. Here, i takes a close look at eight of the myths in this area. Women are waiting too long to start IVF The average age that women begin IVF has now crept up to just over 35, according to the latest figures.
Success rates for IVF decline with age – just like chances of a natural pregnancy – so this has led to headlines blaming women for “leaving it too late”. Such judgement is unfair, as many women may have wanted to start fertility treatment sooner, said Clare Ettinghausen of the HFEA. In NHS services, there can be long waits to get a fertility clinic appointment, and for those going private, rising costs of living could have affected their ability to pay – IVF typically costs several thousand pounds per cycle.
“A lot would have wanted to start earlier,” said Ms Ettinghausen. Only women need to consider their biological clock Most people are aware that women need to start trying for children before their fertility wanes. A woman’s chance of getting pregnant each month is more or less stead.