Researchers from Israel believe that limiting the number of IVF cycles can deny women the right to the possibility of having a baby.Raoul Orvieto (Barzilai Medical Center, Ashkelon, Israel) and colleagues found that, although the number of pregnancies achieved in cycles 1 to 3 is significantly greater than that in subsequent cycles, the number remains constant through cycles 4 to 20.
The researchers note that in most countries couples are limited as to how many cycles they can undergo, mainly due to financial constraints.To see if the chances of pregnancy decline with increasing number of cycles, they surveyed women in Israel, where IVF is completely covered by medical insurance allowing couples to perform as many cycles as they want.
A total of 2,760 cycles were studied, which resulted in 602 clinical pregnancies.In cycles 1 to 3, 25.2 percent of clinical pregnancies were achieved per cycle. This was significantly greater than the 17.8 percent rate per cycle for cycles 4 to 6. However, there was no further decline for cycles 7 to 9, 10 to 12, and 12 or more, at 17.5, 13.0, and 11.2 percent per cycle, respectively.
Orvieto et al conclude: "The number of attempted cycles available in the vast majority of countries severely and unjustly denies women the right to the possibility of having a baby."
