SOARING rates of IVF and other methods of fertility technology appear to be contributing to Australia’s high caesarean birth rate.
A new report shows almost half of babies born after fertility treatment are delivered that way.
There were nearly 62,000 attempts at fertility treatment provided in Australia and New Zealand during 2008, the report shows, and about 11,500 children were born from the process that year – an increase of 45 per cent since 2004.
The report, to be published today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, also shows the total number of babies born from fertility technology in Australia and New Zealand in the 30 years since it first became available had reached 102,000, out of 3.5 million worldwide.
But the report also shows the caesarean rate for women given fertility treatment is 49.1 per cent – well above the general rate of 30.9 per cent.
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