Forty years after the birth of Louise Brown, the first test-tube baby born through IVF, a study carried out by the Pew Research Center has revealed that 33% of American adults have personally used or know someone who has used fertility treatment to have a child.
Worldwide, an estimated 7 million babies are believed to have been born through artificial reproduction, just like Louise Brown. A process which, according to John Belon, an endocrinologist at the Genesis Fertility Clinic in Brooklyn, New York, requires: “A bit of science, a bit of magic and a bit of the unknown”.
According to the survey, some populations are more inclined to use medically assisted reproductive techniques.
Education is a key factor: 43% of people with a bachelor’s degree have been “exposed” to fertility treatments but the figure rises to 56% for those with a higher degree.
Race and lifestyle also influence attitudes. In terms of income, families with an income of $75,000 or more are most likely to embark on this route, bearing in mind that one IVF cycle costs $10,000 on average and not all medical insurance policies cover costs relating to these techniques.
Finally, women are slightly more likely to have faced these issues than men (36% vs. 30%, according to the study). When women approach menopause, 9% of those interviewed said that they or a husband or partner used fertility treatment.
In 2016, more than 75,000 babies where born through assisted reproduction in the US. Approximately 2% of births are the result of reproductive techniques.
Abc News, Lindsey Jacobson (18/07/2018) – A third of US adults say they or someone they know has used fertility treatments: Study
The Financial, Gretchen Livingston (18/07/2018) – A third of U.S. adults used fertility treatments or know someone who has