Assisted Reproductive Technology in Iran: The First National Report on Centers, 2011

BACKGROUND: Due to the worldwide increase in infertility, it is both necessary and important to have assisted reproductive technology (ART) registries. In Iran, donation and surrogacy programs are approved by decrees from religious scholars. ART has been used since 1984 in Iran and the first Iranian infant conceived by gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) was born in 1989. This report, however, is the first national report on Iranian ART centers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study, conducted under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Health, presented a summary of the numbers and percentages of centers that provided infertility services in Iran, as well as the status of ART in Iran during 2011. RESULTS: A total of 52 centers reported treatment cycles and performed approximately 29000 intrauterine insemination (IUI), in addition to 35000 in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. CONCLUSION: Iran has considerable potential to provide IVF services for both Iranians as well as other nationalities throughout the region. This proves the need for a national center that will implement a registry system.