Infertility in the U.S.
Did you know that an estimated 6 million couples in the U.S. have fertility challenges? One in six American couples is infertile. Most people may not realize they have problems until later in life when they decide to have children. Since the average age of having children has been pushed back to age 25, many couples do not start having children until well into theirs 30s. Although adoption has always been one solution, luckily technology has brought more solutions to the infertility dilemma. In vitro fertilization, along with egg and sperm donors, give hopeful couples the opportunity to be parents. According to 2005 statistics, about 100,000 pregnancy attempts are made each year using in vitro fertilization (IVF), in which eggs and sperm are mixed in a lab dish and the resulting embryos are implanted in the womb. More than 3 million babies have been born following fertility treatment since the first successful in-vitro fertilization child was born nearly three decades ago. Success rates for IVF are rising as well. Ten years ago the success rate was 20%, but it is now 50% in women under 35 years old. So women who are growing older or don’t want to pass on a unhealthy genetic trait have a good chance of becoming pregnant using IVF and oocyte donation. Overall, the number of women seeking infertility treatment is increasing. Infertility services include receiving advice from a medical professional, infertility testing, drugs to improve ovulation, surgery to correct tubes, oocyte donation, and artificial insemination. Hopefully, technology will continue to improve and help those couples who are seeking to add children to their family.