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Japanese in-vitro fertilization births top 100,000
Janury 28, 2005
The number of babies born in Japan through in-vitro fertilization has topped
100,000, data released Thursday by the Japan Association of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (JAOG) has shown.
A survey conducted by JAOG found that there had been 100,189 in-vitro births in
Japan by the end of 2002. In 2002 alone there were 15,223 in-vitro births, a
total of 1.3 percent of the 1,153,855 births in the country that year.
Technological advances and an increase in the number of institutions offering
in-vitro treatment are thought to be behind the increasing application of
in-vitro treatment.
The first in-vitro birth in Japan was in 1983. In 1986, JAOG, formerly the
Japan Association for Maternal Welfare, introduced regulations requiring all
hospitals and clinics that performed in-vitro fertilization to register with
the association and report on the number of in-vitro births performed each
year.
Of the 100,189 intro-births up until 2002, about half of these -- a total of
55,688 -- were normal in-vitro births. A total of 13,316 involved the use of
frozen fertilized eggs. Another 31,185 babies were born through micro
fertilization, a process JAOG accepted in 1992 that involves inserting sperm
into an egg with a tiny needle under a microscope.
The number of in-vitro births has continued to rise since the 1990s, with micro
fertilization being particularly popular. This process is used in cases in
which the male partner's sperm count is low, or sperm are inactive. In 2002 it
was used in 5,481 births, accounting for 36 percent of all in-vitro
fertilization births.
At present one in 10 couples in Japan is said to be infertile, but since
in-vitro fertilization is not covered by health insurance, those who want to
use this process have had to foot the full amount themselves.
Recently, however, a system providing assistance for those who receive
fertility treatment has been started. Under the income-based system, introduced
in April last year through the efforts of House of Representatives member Seiko
Noda and others, applicable couples can receive up to 100,000 yen per year for
up to two years.
Harumi Kubo, a professor at Tokyo's Toho University said the recent trend to
marry later would probably result in an increased number of couples who were
unable to have children naturally. He added that in-vitro fertilization was
likely to become more common.
"With the launching of the government's support system, in-vitro fertilization
is likely to increase in the future," he said.
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