Free fertility treatment averts economic drain

The finding could have important policy implications in the EU where there is increasing concern over shrinking families.

A lifetime average of 2.1 live births per woman is needed to replace the EU’s population with adequate numbers of babies, according to experts.

But fertility rates in Europe have declined well below this figure in recent decades. The lowest “total fertility rate” (TFR) figure of 1.45 live births per woman was recorded in 2002, and in 2009 it stood at 1.59.

A low birth rate can have devastating effects on economies, leading to a large dependent elderly population and too few working age people creating wealth.

One factor that can help lift birth rates is state-funded fertility treatment, the new research suggests.

Scientists led by health economist Dr Mark Connolly, from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, assessed the reimbursement policies of 23 European countries.

Each was given an index score ranging from zero to 18, with higher numbers indicating a greater willingness by the state to pay for fertility treatment.

Countries with the most generous funding policies were Belgium, France and Slovenia, with scores between 14 and 18.

The UK, together with Russia and Ireland, had the least generous policies and scored less than three.

A “significant relationship” was seen between reimbursement levels and the annual contribution of assisted reproduction technology (ART) to national birth numbers. Greater access to free IVF (in-vitro fertilisation) led to fertility treatment making a bigger impact on national birth statistics.

“This finding has important policy implications for national authorities concerned about ageing populations and interested in policies for influencing national birth rates,” said Dr Connolly, who presented the results at the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Istanbul, Turkey.

“Although the influence on birth rates is small, the relationship is positive and provides an opportunity to compare with other policies implemented by local and national governments to influence birth rates.”

A striking example of the effect was seen in Denmark, where public funding cuts led to the introduction of a 50 per cent co-payment scheme for fertility treatment in 2011.