Facts About Fertility that May Surprise You

IVF Rates are Improving

Although there is still no absolute guarantee of pregnancy through IVF, the chance of success through this fertility treatment is rising as more is known about fertility and the process. In the earlier days of IVF, only 12% of patients were able to get pregnant. Now, almost 60% of patients under 35 succeed in getting pregnant when they undergo IVF correctly.

IVF also used to result in a worrying number of multiple births, i.e. twins and triplets. This raises the chance of pregnancy complications and problems during birth. That number has now shot down from 30% of cases to 5%.^[1]

Infertility affects men and women equally

The information we are fed about why couples have difficulties reproducing is often stuck in the past, putting more emphasis on female infertility over male infertility. The truth is that each sex is affected by infertility at the same rate. For both men and women, infertility increases with age, although the symptoms obviously differ. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is key for anyone who wishes to have children successfully: obesity, lack of nutrition, and use of drugs, alcohol & smoking are all contributing factors to infertility.^[2]

When couples struggle to get pregnant, it is a result of the woman’s fertility a third, the man’s fertility a third of the time, and the other third is simply unknown. Professor Child of Oxford University comments that, simply put, ‘The only true test of fertility is to actually try to conceive.’^[3]

Investors are spending millions on fertility solutions

Many are now turning to digital products to help them conceive and investors have been plunging their dollars into startups that focus on fertility. ‘Fertility tech’ is a market forecast to be valued at $36 billion within the next three years. Female focused apps like Glow and Clue now have global uptake.^[4] These products allow women to effectively track their cycles and predict ovulation period so that they can more effectively plan conception. Male focused fertility apps are also finally seeing a jump in interest: ExSeed is a startup which offers at-home male fertility tests, and is now in a second round of funding after an initial investment of $1m.^[5]

There is a lot of disheartening information about fertility and when couples or individuals first embark on the, often long, journey towards having children, it is easy to be pessimistic. However, there is much to be optimistic about. The more we know about fertility, the more we can do to solve it, and attention is finally being given on making available the best solutions.

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