Assisted reproductive technology in Japan: a summary report for 2015 by The Ethics Committee of The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Hidekazu Saito; Seung Chik Jwa; Akira Kuwahara; Kazuki Saito; Tomonori Ishikawa; Osamu Ishihara; Koji Kugu; Rintaro Sawa; Kouji Banno; Minoru Irahara

doi:10.1002/rmb2.12074

Assisted Reproduction · Registries and Reporting

Assisted reproductive technology in Japan: a summary report for 2015 by The Ethics Committee of The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Saito H, Jwa SC, Kuwahara A, Saito K, Ishikawa T, Ishihara O, Kugu K, Sawa R, Banno K, Irahara M

Reprod Med Biol, 2018

DOI 10.1002/rmb2.12074 PMID 29371817 PMC PMC5768979

RRM Academy Synopsis

Japan's 2015 ART registry recorded 424 151 cycles and 51 001 neonates

Japan's 2015 ART registry recorded 424 151 cycles and 51 001 neonates, equal to 1 in 19.7 newborns nationwide. The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology compiled the descriptive analysis from participating facilities. Patients had a mean age of 38.2 years, and 38.5% of fresh egg retrieval cycles were freeze-all cycles.

Key Findings

The registry held 424 151 cycles and 51 001 neonates in 2015, equal to 1 in 19.7 newborns nationwide. Patients' mean age was 38.2 years (SD = 4.5).
Among 244 718 fresh egg retrieval cycles, 94 158 (38.5%) were freeze-all cycles. Fresh embryo transfer took place in 70 254 cycles, a decrease from 2014.
Single embryo transfer was used in 79.7% of fresh and 81.8% of frozen transfer cycles. Singleton live birth rates were 96.5% for fresh and 96.4% for frozen cycles.
The live birth rate per embryo transfer was 14.4% for fresh cycles and 23.0% for frozen-thawed cycles. The pregnancy rate per transfer was 20.8% and 33.2%, respectively.
The live birth rate per registered cycle was about 20% up to age 33, 9.1% at 40 and 3.0% at 43. The miscarriage rate per pregnancy was 52.4% at 43.

Interpretation

The report is a descriptive analysis of one year of registered ART cycles. The report presents fresh and frozen cycles separately and includes no untreated comparison group. The authors note that the registry holds multiple cycles per patient. Cycles from the same woman cannot be distinguished, so correlations within a patient could bias outcomes. The authors also note that registration of cycle and pregnancy information depends on each facility. The registry collects patient characteristics, treatment information and pregnancy and obstetric outcomes for each cycle.

RRM Context

A registry of ART cycles counts transfers, pregnancies and neonates. Restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) starts from a different question: why conception has not occurred. RRM principles call for evaluating both partners, finding the underlying cause and restoring reproductive function. Cycle charting methods such as the Creighton Model and FEMM provide cycle data for that evaluation.

Our editorial summary of this paper, not the article's abstract.

Abstract

Purpose

The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) implemented an assisted reproductive technology (ART) registry system in 1986. Here are reported the characteristics and treatment outcomes of ART cycles that were registered in 2015.

Methods

JSOG has requested all participating ART facilities to register cycle-specific information for all ART cycles since 2007. A descriptive analysis was performed by using the registry database for 2015.

Results

In total, 424 151 cycles and 51 001 neonates (1 in 19.7 neonates born in Japan) were registered in 2015. The patients' mean age was 38.2 years (standard deviation = 4.5). Among the fresh cycles, 94 158 of 244 718 (38.5%) egg retrieval cycles were cycles with freeze-all embryos or oocytes, while fresh embryo transfer (ET) was performed in 70 254 cycles, signaling a decrease from 2014. There were 169 898 frozen-thawed ET cycles, resulting in 56 355 pregnancies and 40 599 neonates. Single ET was performed at a rate of 79.7% for fresh and 81.8% for frozen cycles and the singleton pregnancy/live birth rates were 96.9%/96.5% and 96.8%/96.4% for the respective cycles.

Conclusion

The total ART cycles and live births resulting from ART has been increasing in Japan. Single ET was performed at a rate of almost 80% and ET cycles have shifted from fresh to frozen cycles.

Topics

Assisted Reproduction Registries and Reporting National Registry Data

Assisted Reproduction › Registries and Reporting › National Registry Data

Hidekazu Saito, Seung Chik Jwa, Akira Kuwahara, Kazuki Saito, Tomonori Ishikawa, Osamu Ishihara, Koji Kugu, Rintaro Sawa, Kouji Banno, Minoru Irahara

H Saito, S Jwa, A Kuwahara, K Saito, T Ishikawa, O Ishihara, K Kugu, R Sawa, K Banno, M Irahara

PMID 29371817 29371817 DOI 10.1002/rmb2.12074 10.1002/rmb2.12074 Saito et al. 2018, Saito 2018

Assisted reproductive technology in Japan: a summary report for 2015 by The Ethics Committee of The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Japan's 2015 ART registry recorded 424 151 cycles and 51 001 neonates

Key Findings

Interpretation

RRM Context

Abstract

Topics

By this author

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