As the U.S. birthrate declines, a new report finds that U.S. women are using in vitro fertilization more than ever before.
The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology–which pulls data from the majority of U.S. IVF clinics–finds that clinics performed 165,172 fertility procedures in 2012, including IVF, CNN reports. This led to 61,740 babies, an increase of approximately 2,000 children from IVF treatments in 2011. A record 1.5% of babies born in 2012 were due to IVF procedures.
The increase in IVF doesn’t necessarily mean that American couples are dealing with more infertility than before. More likely it’s because of women having children later in life, when fertility declines.