The number 15 may be the key to helping women get the best result from undergoing test-tube treatment to get pregnant, researchers revealed yesterday.
A new study says doctors need to extract 15 eggs from a woman for the best chance of success.
The British researchers say there is "a strong relationship" between the number of eggs and the success of treatment. Less than 15 is too few and more than 20 is too many.
Dr Arri Coomarasamy, of Birmingham University analysed the results of some 400,00 courses of treatment over 17 years to reach his conclusions.
The number is linked to the treatment used to stimulate a woman to produce eggs during treatment. More than 20 eggs is linked to over-treatment and a problem called ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome – OHSS.
The findings do not take account of the possible benefits of freezing eggs. The researchers say they hope to tackle this in the future with help from the UK Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.
Writing in the journal Human Reproduction, he says: "Mild stimulation protocols aim to retrieve less than six to eight eggs; a standard stimulation should aim for 10-15 eggs, and we believe this is what is associated with the best IVF outcomes; when the egg number exceeds 20, the risk of OHSS becomes high."
The doctors have now produced a chart, called a nonogram, to help women and their doctors choose the best treatment.
Association between the number of eggs and live birth in IVF treatment: an analysis of 400 135 treatment cycles. Sesh Kamal Sunkara, Vivian Rittenberg, Nick Raine-Fenning, Siladitya Bhattacharya, Javier Zamora, Arri Coomarasamy. Human Reproduction journal. doi:10.1093/humrep/der106
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