Is there a correlation between total fertility rate, utilization of assisted reproduction technology, and national wealth in Europe?

ABSTRACT

AIM: To explore the relationships between total fertility rate (TFR), utilization of assisted reproduction technology (ART), and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Europe. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Analysis of total ART cycles obtained from the latest European IVF-Monitoring Consortium (EIM) report for 2016. TFR, GDP and population size for that year were found in relevant World Bank data documents. In addition, this study compared two subgroups in Europe developed economies and economies in transition, as defined by the UN. Pearson Correlations were calculated using Sigmaplot for utilization, GDP and TFR. RESULTS: Forty countries were included in the 2016 EIM report. The mean utilization rate was 1,391 cycles per million population (C/M) (range = 162-3156) and mean TFR was 1.61 (range = 1.26-2.73). Mean GDP was $35,072 per capita (range = $10,610-$110,650). There was no correlation between TFR and utilization or GDP, however there was a significant positive correlation between GDP and utilization (correlation coefficient = 0.428; p = 0.00661). In the developed economies (n = 28) GDP and utilization were roughly 3-times higher than in the economies in transition (n = 11) ($42,710 vs $15,630; 1,674 vs 671), with a slightly lower TFR (1.58 vs 1.67). In the developed economies there was no correlation between GDP, TFR, and utilization, while in the economies in transition, the only significant correlation was GDP vs TFR (r = 0.69; p = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong correlation across Europe between GDP and utilization of ART. This correlation does not exist within the developed economies. In Europe the utilization of ART treatment is dependent on national wealth and not on the TFR in the country.