Contraception after having a baby by In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

April 20, 2021

The use of the fertility treatment known as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), in which an egg is removed from the woman’s ovaries and fertilised with sperm in a laboratory, is consistently and dramatically increasing in the UK and other developed countries. 1-5% of babies born in the developed world are now conceived using this technology.

The evidence on how common it is to conceive spontaneously after having a baby using IVF varies widely according to population, cause of subfertility and length of follow-up but one recent large UK study estimated this as one in seven over five years. This study did not include consideration of contraception use or the plannedness of the subsequent pregnancy. Women also increasingly use IVF for other reasons than fertility problems, including women in same sex relationships, single women, surrogates and those looking to screen for certain serious genetic conditions. 

Researchers at the Institute for Women’s Health, University College London are now looking to better understand the contraceptive needs of women after they have had a pregnancy conceived using IVF.

If you have had a baby by IVF in the UK in the last two years, you are invited to participate in a short anonymous survey regarding your contraception use since having a baby.

The survey aims to find out if and when women choose contraception after having a baby and whether contraception choices after having a baby are influenced by how a pregnancy is conceived. It’s hoped the results will help women, including those who have had fertility treatment, to plan and space their future pregnancies optimally and prevent unplanned and rapid-repeat pregnancies.

Here is the link to the survey and full downloadable participant information sheet: A survey of contraception use after having a baby

Please feel free to share with women you know who may also be able to help.