Inroads Against Infertility?

An estimated one in six couples knows the heartbreak of infertility.

But, as medical correspondent Dr. Emily Senay explained on The Early Show, a new report shows that the science of fertility is getting more successful at helping those couples conceive.

The report was compiled by the CDC and organizations representing the field of reproductive medicine.

To help couples conceive, doctors use in vitro fertilization, the techniques used to stimulate a woman's ovaries to retrieve eggs, fertilize them in vitro (outside the body) and then re-implant them back into the womb in the hopes that the embryos will develop normally and result in a healthy newborn.

The technology has existed since 1983 when the first IVF baby was born. And, Dr. Senay says, the science has been refined a lot in the last two decades.

The latest statistics show dramatic improvements in our ability to mimic mother nature, she says. The report says that 35,000 babies were born in the year 2000 using these techniques. That's a 25 percent success rate, up more than five percent from the previous year. The number of single baby births as opposed to multiple births went up to about 75 percent from 63 percent.

Multiple births often occur as a result of implanting more embryos than are needed to improve the odds of a successful pregnancy.

Dr. Senay says the reduction of multiple births is significant. Doctors usually implant more embryos than are desired because the success rate is not perfect and they are betting that some of the embryos will not develop.

But, more embryos mean a greater chance of multiple births when the technique does work. The fact that there is an increased success rate combined with more single births mean that doctors are implanting fewer embryos at a time because that are getting better at using the technology.

Dr. Senay says the cost of the technique is decreasing. But, it is still expensive — $8,000 to $10,000 for each attempt. Many insurance plans don't cover all of the costs. And there are no guarantees that the techniques will work for everyone, no matter how many times you try.

Dr. Senay suggests couples seek professional help about infertility after one year of unprotected sex does not produce a child. But, since infertility can have many causes and each couple is unique, the best person to talk to is your doctor.