Social and reproductive characteristics of the first 100 couples treated by in vitro fertilisation programme at National Women's Hospital, Auckland

Reproductive and social histories of the first 100 patients attending the in vitro fertilisation (IVF) programme at National Women's Hospital, Auckland, have been studied. The average age at first treatment was 31.6 (SD 3.9) for women, and 34.2 (4.6) for men. The couples had been married 7.6 (3.3) years and had experienced 6.7 (3.2) years infertility. It was a second marriage for 16. The husbands had on average a higher social classing than the population (class: number [population]--1:16 (7%), 2:18 (14%), 3:42 (28%), 4:19 (29%), 5:4 (14%), 6:1 (8%); but this bias diminished in the next 159 couples. Nine couples withdrew before their quota of cycles, 7 from stress. Tubal disease was the cause of infertility in 93, but in 69 its origin was untraceable. In 22 it could be attributed to pelvic inflammatory disease (eight associated with IUCDs and 2 with sexually transmitted disease) and in two to sterilisation. Although 59 women had a history of having conceived, only 34 were parous, and only 11 had a child of the current union.