In Vitro Fertilization Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2022 - 2027)

Market Overview

The in vitro fertilization market is expected to register a CAGR of 9.8% over the forecast period (2022-2027).

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the studied market is expected to be significant because most countries around the world have adopted their strategies to reduce and eliminate coronavirus spread. COVID-19 pandemic triggered the worldwide suspension of in vitro fertilization treatment; this had a profound impact on women undergoing IVF procedures. For instance, in 2021 an article titled. “Infertility Management Disruption During the COVID-19 Outbreak in a Middle-Income Country: Patients’ Choices, Attitudes, and Concerns” reported that patients have faced uncertainty regarding the achievability of their long-term fertility goals amidst an atmosphere of general unpredictability for the duration and extent of disruption of their treatment, combined with the fear of infection. Therefore, it is necessary to highlight the need to address how infertility services can be maintained during such unprecedented times to seek treatment during an outbreak while minimizing the risk of contracting COVID-19 in the process. The decrease in IVF treatment observed in the United Kingdom was likely due to difficulty in accessing treatments such as clinic closures or delays in accessing tests or surgeries before starting treatment. Moreover, COVID-19 infection did not affect the patients' performance or ovarian reserve in their immediate subsequent IVF cycle, but it also resulted in a reduced proportion of top-quality embryos (QTEs). Thus, the impact of COVID-19 on IVF treatments between 2019 and 2020 varied across the United Kingdom was observed. Additionally, in 2022 Human Fertilization and embryology reported that the largest decreases in IVF treatment by nation were seen in Wales (-39%), followed by Scotland (-27%), and IVF cycles in England were reduced by the least of any nation (-19%).

However, the rising success rate of IVF technology, increasing awareness about IVF technology, and delayed onset of pregnancies are the main driving factors for this market. The increasing awareness of advanced in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques, and rising success rates of IVF, have stimulated the demand for in vitro fertilization techniques worldwide. For instance, in 2021, the National Perinatal and Statistics Unit reported that IVF success rates have improved significantly over the last 10 years, and the live birth rate per initiated IVF cycle in women using their eggs has increased by 18% overall, with even steeper improvements in older age groups. The overall live birth rate per embryo transfer has increased up to 28% in 2020. The improved success rates are due to many factors, including advancements in laboratory techniques and improvements in the overall management of couples experiencing infertility, such as lifestyle interventions, improved diagnostic capabilities, and in some cases surgery before IVF.

Another reason driving this market is rising cases of infertility. For instance, in 2022 according to the article titled, “In vitro Fertilization” StatsPearl publishing, reported that globally 10-12% of couples have difficulty in conceiving, and this number is gradually increasing in the coming years. IVF now accounts for 1.6% and 4.5% of all live births in the United States and Europe, respectively. Also, the same article quoted that approximately 25% to 35% of infertile women are found to have tuboperitoneal disease, with pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) being the most common cause of infertility, and poor semen quality in men is the sole cause of infertility in 20% of couples. Infertility affects approximately 1 in 8 couples in the United States. In the last three decades over 5 million children worldwide have been conceived via IVF technologies. Thus, the infertility-related problems among couples have stimulated the demand for in vitro fertilization techniques worldwide.

The proportion of women intentionally delaying pregnancies beyond the age of 35 has been increasing in the past few years. A delay in pregnancy commonly causes infertility. In many cases, delayed pregnancies result in pregnancy-related complications and an increased risk of infertility. For instance, in 2021 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that 10% of women (6.1 million) in the United States aged between 15-44 years have difficulty getting pregnant or staying pregnant each year. In addition, according to a study by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, men's sperm counts have decreased by more than half in the last 40 years. According to the United Nations World Fertility Report 2022, the average fertility of the world’s population stood at 2.3 births per woman over a lifetime in 2021, having fallen from about 5 births per woman in 1950. Global fertility is projected to decline further to 2.1 births per woman by 2050. One possible reason for decreasing infertility rates can be the increasing number of infertility-related disorders.

The growing awareness and advancements in IVF technology, the rising number of delayed pregnancies, and increasing infertility among couples are the reasons which have boosted the IVF market. However, the market's growth is expected to be limited over the forecast period due to the complications associated with IVF and the associated socio-ethical issues.

Scope of the Report

As per the scope of the report, in vitro fertilization is an assistive reproductive technology, which involves the process of fertilization by retrieving eggs from the woman's ovaries and fertilizing them with sperm outside the body, in a laboratory environment. The In Vitro Fertilization Market is Segmented by Product Type (Reagent and Instrument (Imaging Systems, Incubators, Cryosystems, IVF Cabinet, Ovum Aspiration Pump, Sperm Separation Systems, Micromanipulator Systems, and Other Instruments)), End User (Fertility Clinics, Hospitals, and Other End Users), and Geography (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East and Africa, and South America). The market report also covers the estimated market sizes and trends for 17 different countries across major regions, globally. The report offers the value (USD million) for all the above segments.

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Key Market Trends

The Sperm Separation Systems Segment is Estimated to Hold the Largest Share in Terms of Revenue over the Forecast Period

In most assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF) and artificial insemination, sperm separation systems are used. These systems are critical for assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) because they provide purified samples that can be used in subsequent procedures. These systems are crucial for ARTs as they provide purified samples for further procedures. Furthermore, the rising focus of companies on developing novel devices for use in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures conducted by fertility clinics and obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) practices is driving the market growth.

Sperm selection is crucial to assisted reproduction, influencing the success rate of the treatment cycle and offspring health. However, in the current clinical sperm selection practices, bypassing almost all the natural selection barriers is a major concern. Additionally, the market is being driven by companies increasing focus on developing novel devices for use in assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures performed by fertility clinics and obstetrician-gynecologist (OB/GYN) practices. For instance, in October 2020, Trivector Biomed LLP introduced ZyMōt Sperm Separation Device, a new-age ‘Lab-On-Chip’ IVF Solution in India. These separation devices are cutting-edge lab-on-a-chip technologies that use microfluidics and micro-filtration technology to efficiently isolate the healthiest, fastest-progressing sperm for the best possible results. With the male factor accounting for nearly half of all infertility cases, a novel method that eliminates many potentially harmful phases of sperm handling in the lab is a much-needed medical intervention in the IVF field.

The other technological advancement in sperm seperation segment is another reason to drive this market segment. For instance, in March 2022 Malta in an international collaboration, with a with Pera Labs’s commercialization advisors at the University City Science Center has announced the start of research and development of an AI-powered sperm and egg selection technology for fertility treatments. Pera Labs’s Malta operations has accelerated by the EUR 800,000 of financial support from Malta Enterprise, coupled with Pera Labs’s own financing.

The use of sperm syringes to select high-quality sperm is another reason to drive this market segment. For instance, in 2022 an article titled, “Sperm Syringe: 3D Sorting Platform for Assisted Reproduction” reported that a sperm syringe provides the maximum contact area between 1.5 mL of the semen sample and selection events thereby enabling a highly parallelized and rapid sorting mechanism. This retrieval efficiency provides a sufficient volume and number of high-quality sperm for droplet-based IVF and Intrauterine insemination (IUI) to more frequently avoid the more invasive Intra cytoplasmic sperm injections (ICSI) procedure. Additionally, as per the research article published in BioRXiV, 2020, a new microchamber-based microfluidics platform was studied to separate only the progressively motile sperm directly from a raw semen sample in a short period of approximately 10 minutes.

Therefore, due to the rapid advancements in technology and accuracy of the sperm selection procedures, the sperm separation systems segment, is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period.

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