Where are U.S. ART clinics located, how many ART cycles did they perform in 2005, and how many infants were born?

Although ART clinics are located throughout the United States, generally in or near major cities, the greatest number of clinics is in the eastern United States. Figure 1 shows the locations of the 422 reporting clinics. The fertility clinic section of this report, arranged in  alphabetical order by state, city, and clinic name, provides specific information on each of  these clinics. The number of clinics, cycles performed, live-birth deliveries, and infants born as a result of ART all have increased steadily since CDC began collecting this information in 1995 (see Section 5). Because in some cases more than one infant is born during a live-birth delivery (e.g., twins), the total number of infants born is greater than the number of live-birth deliveries. CDC estimates that ART accounts for slightly more than 1% of total U.S. births.

Figure 1: Location of ART Clinics in the United States and Puerto Rico, 2005.

What types of ART cycles were used in the United States in 2005?

For 72% of ART cycles carried out in 2005, fresh nondonor eggs or embryos were used. ART cycles that used frozen nondonor embryos were the next most common type, accounting for approximately 15% of the total. In about 12% of cycles, eggs or embryos were donated by another woman. A very small number of cycles (less than 1% of the ART cycles carried out in 2005) involved the evaluation of a new treatment procedure. The vast majority of these cycles included pre-implantation genetic diagnosis for screening of genetic disorders, and a few involved the retrieval of immature oocytes. Because of small number, cycles in which a new treatment procedure was being evaluated are not included in the total number of cycles reported in Sections 2 through 5 of the national report and in the individual fertility clinic tables. Thus, data presented in subsequent figures in this report and in the individual fertility clinic tables are based on 134,260 ART cycles.

Figure 2: Types of ART Cycles—United States, 2005.

How old were the women who used ART in the United States in 2005?

The average age of women using ART services in 2005 was 36. The largest group of women using ART services were women younger than 35, representing 40% of all ART cycles carried out in 2005. Twenty-two percent of ART cycles were carried out among women aged 35–37, 19% among women aged 38–40, 10% among women aged 41–42, and 9% among women
older than 42.

Figure 3: ART Use by Age Group—United States, 2005.

How did the types of ART cycles used in the United States in 2005 differ among women of different ages?

Figure 4 shows that, in 2005, the type of ART cycles varied by the woman’s age. The vast majority (96%) of women younger than 35 used their own eggs, whereas only 3% used donor eggs. In contrast, 22% of women aged 41 to 42 and more than half (55%) of women older than 42 used donor eggs. Across all age groups, more ART cycles using fresh eggs or embryos were performed than cycles using frozen embryos.

Figure 4: Types of ART Cycles by Age Group—United States, 2005.