Following those incidences of IVF, there were a total of 9,058 births which, when multiple births were taken into account, meant a total of 11,262 children. The overall 'live birth rate' for all IVF in 2004-5 was therefore 21.6 per cent, an increase from the previous year's figure of 20.6 per cent. For women aged 35 or less, the success rate was even higher, at 29.6 per cent, again an increase on the previous year, where it was 28.1 per cent. In total there were 722,500 babies born in Britain in 2005, meaning that approximately one in every 64 births was from IVF.

In the same time period, there were 606 births following donor insemination, resulting in 645 children. 749 children had been born this way in 2003-4, meaning a decrease of 11 per cent. The HFEA said that there may be a reduction in the amount of times donor sperm is needed, with the increase of use of newer treatments such as intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) which mean that the partner's sperm can be used in more cases.

Despite this, the figures also showed that the number of men registering as sperm donors has risen, with 307 donors registering in 2006, an increase of 19 per cent from 2005, when only 259 registered.

Individual clinic success rates were also released last week. The Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre in London again had the highest success rate in the country: almost two thirds of patients who were aged under 35 and used their own eggs had a baby in 2005, which was the clinic's best result yet and one of the highest success rates of any clinic in the world. The clinic's live birth rate of 60.7 per cent is twice the national average of 29.6 per cent for this age group.

The Lister Fertility Clinic in London came in second, with a rate of 43.1 per cent for women aged 35 and under. Mohamed Taranissi, who runs the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre, also came fourth in the league table with the Reproductive Genetics Institute, his other clinic. The HFEA decided in July to strip him of his right to be 'person responsible' for the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre after saying that he treated patients at the Reproductive Genetics Institute without a licence, a decision that the Times newspaper said now looks 'embarrassing' for the HFEA. The BBC website (see link below) shows the top ten performers, and the new 'Find a Clinic' guide on the HFEA's website also contains all the information on success rates.

Reproduced from BioNews with permission, a web- and email-based source of news, information and comment on assisted reproduction and human genetics, published by Progress Educational Trust.