Abstract
Childbearing postponement is one of the main reasons for the increasing use of assisted reproductive technology (ART) and conversely, the latter may be one of the factors contributing to the rise in female childbearing age. The research goal of this article is to evaluate the demographic importance of ART increased use and to examine its impact on both the fertility rate and birth timing.
It is based on comparative analysis of demographic and ART data collected by the European IVF-monitoring (EIM) Consortium for the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). It was found that most countries with a higher total fertility rate (TFR) also registered a higher number of treatment cycles per 1 million women of reproductive age.
Furthermore, despite the positive relationship between the postponement rate and the demand for ART among women aged 35 and older, the highest share of children born after ART was not found in countries characterized by a "delayed" fertility schedule. Instead, the highest proportion of ART births was found in countries with fertility schedules concentrated on women aged between 25 and 34.
Accordingly, the effective use of ART can be expected in populations with a less advanced postponement rate.