2012 record year for test-tube babies: SART report

A record number of test-tube babies were born in the United States during 2012, according to a recent annual report released by Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) on Monday.

Babies conceived via in-vitro fertilization (IVF) accounted for 1.5 percent of the total number of children born that year, the highest since the method was introduced to the United States in 1980s.

The authors of the report based their findings on information gathered from SART's 379 member clinics, which represent more than 90 percent of the country's infertility clinics.

According to SART, there were 165,172 procedures performed in 2012 that mostly involved in-vitro fertilization (IVF), of which 61,740 were successful.

Although this number represents improvements in technology, it is also indicative of increased chances of pregnancy-related complications like low birth weight, miscarriage and likewise. To increase the chances of pregnancy, physicians often infuse multiple embryos, which can lead to the birth of twins and triplets.

An earlier report by SART shows that women below 35 years old are 10 times more likely to experience a live birth as a result of IVF when compared to women over 42.

"It's important for people to understand that women over 35 have the highest percentage of failures," Miriam Zoll, author of the 2013 book "Cracked Open: Liberty, Fertility and the Pursuit of High Tech Babies," told Reuters.

>Earlier research suggests that failure to conceive through IVF can increase a couple's chances of separation. IVF typically costs around $12,400 per cycle, and is often not covered under health insurances.