A survey shows that a record of over 77,000 babies were born in Japan through in vitro fertilization conducted in 2022. The procedure earned public health insurance coverage in April of that year.
The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology collected data from more than 600 medical institutions on the number of IVF cases in 2022 and resulting births.
The number of births reached 77,206, marking a record high for the second straight year. The number of IVF procedures also set a record of 543,630, up over 45,000 from a year earlier.
Women age 42 were the largest recipients of the fertility treatment, at 46,095 cases. Those ages 39, 40 and 41 followed.
Toho University Professor Katagiri Yukiko, in charge of the survey, says insurance eligibility appears to have lowered the cost burden and led to more use of IVF.
Katagiri believes many women are hoping to undergo the procedure before they turn 43, at which point IVF treatment loses public insurance coverage.