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15 eggs - the key to a successful delivery after IVF
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
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A team of researchers from the University of Birmingham have carefully analysed statistics from the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) on 400,135 IVF attempts carried out in the UK between 1991 and 2008.
Scientists have concluded that the optimal number of eggs to be removed from a woman during one menstrual cycle for in vitro fertilization is, on average, 15. The criterion for optimality was the probability of successful birth, not successful embryo implantation, as previous studies with smaller samples insisted on.
The chance of having a live birth as a result of IVF slowly declines if 15 to 20 eggs are removed from a woman, and falls if more than 20 eggs are removed in one menstrual cycle. It is assumed that the study and its main result - a nomogram showing the relationship between the woman's age, the number of eggs removed and the chance of a successful birth - have great practical medical value. The fact is that the average number of eggs removed in one menstrual cycle from British women for IVF was 9. Perhaps many doctors will reconsider their views on the limits of permissible drug stimulation of donor ovaries.
IVF (in vitro fertilization) involves fertilizing eggs with sperm in a laboratory and then implanting several early-stage embryos into the uterus. Because the procedure is complex and expensive, some embryos are frozen for repeated implantation attempts. The study, conducted by the University of Birmingham team, does not include a breakdown of data for “fresh” and thawed embryos. In addition, while the scientists are credited with a large sample size, one should not forget that medical technology has developed over the past 17 years, which inevitably affects the relevance of the data.
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