What types of ART procedures were used in the United
States in 2004?
For 74% of ART cycles carried out in 2004, 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 2004) 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. The number of
cycles in which a new treatment procedure was being evaluated is not
included in the total number of cycles reported in
Sections 2 through
Section 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 127,977 ART cycles.
Figure 2:
Types of ART Cycles—United States, 2004.
How old were the women who used
ART in the United States in 2004?
The average age of women using ART services in 2004
was 36. The largest group of women
using ART services were women younger than 35, representing 41% of
all ART cycles carried
out in 2004. Twenty-one percent of ART cycles were carried out among
women aged 35–37,
19% among women aged 38–40, 9% among women aged 41–42, and 9% among
women
older than 42.
Figure 3:
ART Use by Age Group—United States, 2004.
Did the types of ART cycles used
in the United States in 2004 differ among women of different ages?
Figure 4 shows that, in 2004, the type of ART cycles
varied by the woman’s age. The vast majority (96%) of women younger
than 35 used their own eggs while only 4% used donor eggs. In
contrast, 21% of women aged 41 to 42 and more than half (54%) 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, 2004. |