Study: 1 in 5 Women Conceive Naturally After Using Fertility Treatment

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The Facts

  • According to a study by researchers at University College London (UCL) published in the journal Human Reproduction, one in five women who sought assisted conception for their first child were able to become pregnant naturally within three years.

  • Analysis of 11 studies of over 5K women around the world between 1980 and 2021 showed that, despite rates of conception after fertility treatment, the vast majority of the study participants had subfertility, where conceiving takes longer than typically expected.

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The Spin

Narrative A

While this news doesn't mean that everyone struggling with fertility issues should abruptly go out and start IVF, it does show that the evidence such procedures do not lessen a woman's chances of natural pregnancy was there all along. In light of this study, scientists and doctors should push harder to provide cheaper access to IVF.

OUP Academic

Narrative B

While this is positive news, it risks distracting from the fact that the medical field seems to have given up on the underlying causes of infertility, as well as the overall health impacts of infertility and assisted reproductive technology. Health issues such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis affect both fertility and quality of life, yet the medical establishment has neglected them. For the sake of improving women's lives, we should not only be looking to solve infertility, but to better understand and treat the complexities relating to female fertility.

Natural Womanhood

Metaculus Prediction