Morbidity and Mortality: CDC Releases ART Surveillance Summary

CDC Releases ART Surveillance Summary for 2009 in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Today, in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released its Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance Summary for 2009.

In 2009, a total of 146,244 ART procedures were reported to the CDC and they resulted in 45,870 live-birth deliveries and 60,190 infants, or 1.4 % of U.S. births.

The average number of embryos transferred was 2.1 among women <35 years, 2.5 among women 35–40 years, and 3.0 among women >40 years. Elective single-embryo transfer rates were approximately 7% among women <35 years, 3% among women 35–40 years, and 0.5% among women >40 years. Among infants conceived with ART, 33.4% were born preterm, compared with 12.2% of the general birth population.

The summary identifies as a public health action the promotion of single-embryo transfer, where feasible, to reduce multiple births and related adverse consequences of ART. However, it concludes that because ART accounts for a relatively small fraction of total births, the overall prevalence of low birth weight and preterm births cannot be explained solely by the use of ART, and therefore non-ART causes of these adverse outcomes must be examined, including the monitoring of non-ART infertility treatments.

A copy of the report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/mmwr_ss/ss_cvol.html

-- ASRM news