Assisted Reproductive Technology Surveillance: A Public Health Perspective

Assisted Reproductive Technology ART

Artificial reproduction methods that d individuals experiencing infertility are known as assisted reproductive technology ART. This encompasses any fertility treatments involving the manipulation of eggs or embryos. In general, ART procedures include the surgical extraction of eggs from a woman's ovaries, their combination with sperm in a laboratory setting, and subsequent return to either her body or another woman's. However, these treatments do not cover those wherein only sperm are handled like intrauterine insemination or instances where a woman merely takes fertility drugs without planning for egg retrieval.

More than Two Decades of ART Surveillance

ART can significantly alleviate the emotional strn on individuals and families struggling with infertility; however, it also poses challenges to public health due to the heightened risk of multiple pregnancies, preterm birth, and low birthweight associated with these technologies. The surveillance of reproductive techniques impacting conception, such as contraception and ART, has now become a crucial activity for public health authorities.

The Division of Reproductive Health within CDC has been involved in women's health surveillance, adolescent reproductive health research, safe motherhood initiatives, among others since its inception. In response to legislative mandates, the Center began working to strengthen existing data collection efforts initiated by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine ASRM and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology SART, while also developing a national system med at monitoring ART usage and outcomes.

In 1997, CDC submitted its first annual report on Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates: National Summary and Fertility Clinic Reports. This report received significant attention from various audiences including prospective patients or their families, policymakers, researchers, healthcare professionals, maternal health practitioners, state and local public health authorities seeking insights into ART outcomes among infants born through these technologies. In 2002, CDC published its first ART surveillance report documenting ART use and outcomes by states, which continues to be featured as a supplement in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report MMWR.

Expanding Research on ART Outcomes

The National ART Surveillance System NASS does not encompass long-term outcomes of ART. Collecting this information necessitates linking NASS data with other surveillance systems or registries like vital records, hospital discharge data, birth defects registries, cancer registries, among others. Since 2001, CDC has collaborated with health departments in three statesMassachusetts and later Michigan and Floridato combine NASS information with these state-based databases through a project named States Monitoring ART SMART Collaborative. This project provides an unprecedented opportunity for federal and state public health agencies to collaborate on state-level surveillance of ART, infertility issues, and related concerns.

Related Resources

• Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology SART

• American Society for Reproductive Medicine ASRM

• Path 2 Parenthood

• RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association

• Livestrong Fertility

• Urology Care Foundation

• U.S. Department of Health and Services’ National Library of Medicine

For more information:

1. CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health

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3. External Links

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5. No Fear Act

6. Freedom of Information Act FOIA

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8. Office of Inspector General OIG

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Last Reviewed: October 8, 2019

Source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Reproductive Health
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