<strong>Lifestyle trends increase global infertility.</strong>
The global use of artificial reproduction technologies is accelerating with 3.9 million “fresh”<em> in vitro </em>fertilisation (IVF) cycles and a market value of USD 17.6 billion predicted by 2026 <sup>1</sup>.</p>
<p>However, the success rate of IVF remains stubbornly low <sup>2</sup>. For example, in the ANZ market, pregnancy rate per cycle is 16.5% with fresh embryos implanted (58% of cycles) and 28% when the embryo was frozen/thawed. For women below 40 years of age, there is an average of 2.2 IVF cycles before achieving a successful pregnancy <sup>2</sup>.</p>
<p>For males, sperm count has halved over the last 30 years and in 50% of infertility issues, there is a causative male infertility factor <sup>3</sup>.</p>
<p>As there have been few meaningful advances in sperm preparation and selection for ART since the advent of IVF techniques in the 1980’s, the market is receptive to new technologies that improve IVF performance.
1. Global IVF services Market Opportunities and Forecasts, 2019 – 2026 by Allied Market Research, 2018.</p>
<p>2. Newman JE, Paul RC, Chambers GM 2021. Assisted reproductive technology in Australia and New Zealand 2019. Sydney: National Perinatal Epidemiology and Statistics Unit, the University of New South Wales, Sydney.</p>
<p>3. Aitken, RJ. (2022) <em>The Infertility Trap</em>. Cambridge University Press.