Parents who started assisted reproductive technologies (ART) treatments in 2022 gave birth to 98,289 babies, the vast majority of whom were conceived via in vitro fertilization.
From 2013 to 2022, the number of ART processes started more than doubled, and the number of infants born using these methods increased by 44.5%. One out of every 37 babies born in the US in 2022 was conceived using these treatments.
The number of ART babies born has increased 23% since 2020
Total infants born using Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART), by year
What is IVF?
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is the most common alternative method for people who want to have children but are unable to conceive. IVF accounts for over 99% of assisted reproductive technology procedures, according to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
How does the IVF process work?
During an IVF cycle, women and other people who produce female sex cells have their eggs surgically removed. The eggs are combined with sperm in a lab (usually in a test tube or Petri dish). The resulting fertilized embryos are then either transferred into a patient’s uterus or frozen for possible future use. In 2022, 86.9% of ART cycles used frozen embryos.
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Fertilized embryos may be transferred either to the patient who provided the egg or to a gestational surrogate, a woman who has arranged to carry an embryo created from someone else’s egg. Surrogate involvement was higher among older patients; 3.1% of ART procedures for patients under 35 used a surrogate, compared with 9.6% for patients over 40.
Women who are unable to provide eggs themselves may also use donated eggs or embryos. This is most common for women over the age of 40, 20.6% of whom opted for this.
Women over 40 are four times more likely to use donor eggs
Percentage of assisted reproductive technology cycles in which patients used donor eggs or embryos, 2022
Cycles don’t always start with having eggs surgically removed; sometimes, the first step is starting medication to enhance egg production.
What are the most common reasons for using IVF?
Patients pursuing IVF or other ART procedures, including the 42.6% who plan on freezing their eggs, may need help conceiving for any of a variety of reasons. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 28.0% of patients sought ART in part because of male infertility, including a low sperm count or issues with sperm function. This can be impacted by age and other health factors.
Some 26.2% reported low egg counts, which can also be either age-related or a result of genetic or medical causes, while 13.9% reported ovarian complications such as polycystic ovary syndrome (also called PCOS) and 10.2% had damaged or blocked fallopian tubes. Another 18.3% had eggs removed in part so that genetic testing could be done before embryo transfer in cases with heightened risk of passing along genetic abnormalities.
Storing eggs or embryos is the most common reason patients use ART
Reasons patients used assisted reproductive technology, 2022
How many people try IVF?
In 2022, 251,542 patients started a total of 413,776 IVF or other ART cycles. That marks a 33.4% increase in cycles from 2020, and a 128.2% increase from 2013.
How often does IVF work?
Across all ages of patients, 37.5% of ART cycles result in live births, though success rates vary depending on a host of factors, including age and the reason for pursuing IVF.
Women under the age of 35 using their own eggs delivered live infants 49.7% of the time they had a successful egg retrieval. Rates decreased at higher ages: for 35- to 37-year-old women, ART led to a birth 36.3% of the time, dropping to 23.1% for 38- to 40-year-olds. Women over the age of 40 gave birth to live infants 7.7% of the time.
Patients can run into difficulty at different parts of the process. Even after a successful retrieval, there are no guarantees of either pregnancy or delivery.
Nearly 40% of all embryo transfers resulted in live births. For women 40 and younger using their own eggs, the success rate after embryo transfer averaged 35.2%; for women over 40, it was 25.4%. For patients of all ages using donor eggs or embryos, success rates ranged from 42.2% to 52.0% depending on the circumstances of the transferred embryo.
What are the success rates of IVF?
Percentage of IVF or other assisted reproductive technology processes resulting in live-birth deliveries, 2022
Are there health risks associated with IVF?
HHS research indicates that risks associated with IVF are related to the higher likelihoods of having twins or other multiples. Babies conceived via IVF are more likely to be born early and at low birthweights, mostly a result of the fact that 12.5% of infants born using IVF are multiples, compared to 3.2% overall.
Multiple births are more frequent after IVF because embryo transfers often include more than one embryo in order to increase the probability of a successful pregnancy. (As a result, most multiples born through IVF are fraternal.)
Where is IVF most common?
In 2022, IVF was most common in Massachusetts (6.2% of babies conceived via IVF), New Jersey (5.6%), Connecticut (5%), and New York (4.6%). Washington, DC, has a higher rate than any state, at 7.3%.
Over 5% of infants in Washington, DC, Maryland, and New Jersey were born using ART.
Proportion of infants born using assisted reproductive technologies, 2022
Less than one percent of infants born in 2022 in Alabama (0.8%), Arkansas (0.8%), and Alaska (0.9%) were conceived via IVF.
How much does IVF cost?
A full cycle of IVF can involve multiple procedures, each with their own costs. HHS reports that a single cycle can range between $15,000 and $20,000 — and that the average number of cycles before a viable pregnancy is 2.5.
Private health insurance often does not cover IVF treatment, and Medicaid coverage for fertility services is dependent by state, so much or all of this cost can be out-of-pocket.
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Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2022 National ART Summary
Department of Health and Human Services
Fact Sheet: In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Use Across the United States
