First study to investigate how many eggs are needed to achieve a live birth after IVF finds 15 is the perfect number
11 May 2011An analysis of over 400,000 IVF cycles in the UK has shown that doctors should aim to retrieve around 15 eggs from a woman’s ovaries in a single cycle in order to have the best chance of achieving a live birth after assisted reproduction technology.
The study, which is published online in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction, found that there was a strong relationship between live birth rates and the number of eggs retrieved in one cycle. The live birth rate rose with an increasing number of eggs up to about 15; it levelled off between 15 and 20 eggs, and then steadily declined beyond 20 eggs.
Read the paper: Association between the number of eggs and live birth in IVF treatment: an analysis of 400 135 treatment cycles
Published in Human Reproduction, Advance Access, 10 May 2011.
Read the press release here.
In the news
Reuters - Fifteen eggs optimum for IVF success, study finds
Mail Online - Why 15 harvested eggs is the magic number for an IVF birth
France 24 - Fifteen: The best number of eggs for IVF success
On the OUP blog
For ‘in vitro’, 15 is the perfect number