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Single ladies and feminine same-sex {couples} accounted for 1 in 5 IVF cycles in 2023, based on the newest report on IVF births throughout Australia and New Zealand.
“IVF is not just for treating infertility in heterosexual couples,” says Professor Georgina Chambers, Director of UNSW’s Nationwide Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit (NPESU). “It is increasingly enabling individuals who need medically assisted fertility treatment to build their own families—regardless of relationship status or sexual orientation,” she says.
Prof. Chambers is lead writer of the 2023 Australian and New Zealand Assisted Copy Database (ANZARD) report, which is the newest yr for which full IVF information can be found.
There have been 20,417 infants born in Australia and New Zealand that yr with the assistance of IVF, which is an identical quantity to the earlier yr. This interprets to 1 in each 16 births in Australia, with 1 in each 8 births being to ladies aged 35 years and older. In New Zealand, the general fee is 1 in 27 births.
Strong numbers
Greater than 109,000 cycles had been carried out in Australia and New Zealand in 2023—a rise of three.6% from 2022. Of those, 14.6% concerned single ladies and 4.4% concerned feminine–feminine meant dad and mom.
“We observed a steady increase in the diversity of individuals creating families using IVF, particularly single women,” Prof. Chambers says. “The variety of IVF cycles undertaken by single ladies surged from almost 9,500 in 2020 to fifteen,994 in 2023.
“Similarly, 3,648 IVF cycles in 2020 were undertaken by female same-sex couples, increasing to 4,777 cycles in 2023.”
Prof. Chambers says the definition of infertility is being broadened to incorporate people who cannot have kids due to their relationship standing or sexuality. “This updated definition of infertility is more inclusive and equitable and is reflected in our IVF statistics,” she says.
Dr. Petra Wale, President of the Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), says “Individuals without partners or those in same-sex partnerships need to use donor sperm or eggs during IVF.”
In 2023, about 60 cycles concerned egg or embryo donation to single males or same-sex male meant dad and mom, with surrogacy assist as a part of the method. Greater than 100 births got here from 405 surrogacy association cycles.
“Surrogacy provides many people with a pathway to parenthood, using eggs or sperm from either the intended parents or a donor,” Dr. Wale says. “As demand for IVF continues to rise, these data point to a future where reproductive care is both more effective and inclusive than ever before.”
Additional know-how uptake
The usage of fertility preservation—the place all appropriate eggs or embryos are frozen for future use—has additionally surged lately.
Preservation cycles surged to almost 9,000 in 2023, up 28% from the earlier yr and greater than twice the 2020 whole. Inside this, 712 fertility preservation cycles had been undertaken by sufferers dealing with most cancers therapy—a 22% improve from the 582 cycles carried out in 2020.
Nonetheless, the largest improve was in deliberate egg freezing cycles, the place ladies selected to freeze their eggs for future use. Whereas this selection could also be medically suggested for circumstances like extreme endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or diminished ovarian reserve, some ladies are additionally electing to freeze their eggs earlier in life. This safeguards their possibilities of having kids later, when pure fertility declines.
The information additionally mirror advances in genetic testing. Practically 10,000 cycles used preimplantation genetic testing (PGT)—a 14% rise from the earlier yr.
Half of all PGT embryo transfers resulted in a scientific being pregnant, with success charges highest amongst ladies of their early 30s.
Dr. Simon McDowell, Vice President of the FSANZ and subspecialist in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, says PGT is primarily used to establish embryos with the proper variety of chromosomes.
“This can improve the likelihood of success in an individual embryo transfer cycle,” Dr. McDowell says. “But whether PGT increases the overall chance of having a baby for each woman starting IVF treatment continues to be debated.”
Advances in security
The information point out IVF in Australia continues to be each protected and efficient.
“Australia and New Zealand lead the world in minimizing health risks associated with multiple pregnancies by promoting single embryo transfer,” Prof. Chambers says.
A number of pregnancies and births improve the danger of circumstances equivalent to preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, post-partum hemorrhage, pre-term beginning and low birthweight.
In 2023, almost 95% of transfers concerned just one embryo, in comparison with 83% of transfers a decade in the past. This technique has pushed a number of beginning charges through IVF in Australia all the way down to a file low of two.2%, which is among the many lowest globally.
Total success charges have additionally improved. For the greater than 40,000 ladies beginning IVF between 2020 and 2021, virtually 40% had a child of their first full IVF cycle.
Frozen embryos had been utilized in 40% of cycles and continues to drive increased outcomes, with beginning charges growing from 29.7% in 2019 to 32.8% in 2023.
“The increasing use of frozen embryos supports the practice of transferring one embryo at a time, giving patients confidence that they can ‘bank’ on what’s in the freezer while keeping multiple birth rates at an all-time low,” Prof. Chambers says.
The reside beginning fee per initiated IVF cycle elevated from 22.1% in 2019 to 23.8% in 2023.
The YourIVFSuccess Affected person Estimator can assist sufferers draw on the data of all IVF cycles carried out in Australia to calculate their very own likelihood of IVF success. Sufferers can enter information about their private circumstances and therapy traits.
The web site was just lately up to date to supply an outline of IVF use, success charges and tendencies. It should quickly embody an elective egg freezing calculator and extra shopper assets.
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College of New South Wales
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Extra various households created by way of IVF (2025, September 5)
retrieved 5 September 2025
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