75% say motherhood is an important life goal yet 34% had their first child later than desired
More than 72% of U.S women who have experienced infertility do consult a doctor about it – yet only 17% of them undergo IVF
BERNARDS, N.J., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — According to findings of a new study presented by Everleap Fertility, a North American leader in fertility care and part of IVI Institute, the global leader in reproductive medicine, American women overwhelmingly want to become mothers — but the data also reveals a clear gap between the families women want and the families they ultimately have.
“This research gives us a clearer picture of what women in the United States think about fertility, parenthood, and the barriers and uncertainty they face on the path to parenthood,” said Lynn Mason, CEO of Everleap Fertility. “Too many women are wanting to build a family but lacking the information, guidance, or support they need to understand their own fertility and family building options. These findings reinforce our commitment at Everleap Fertility to bring fertility care to people earlier, provide greater clarity on paths to family building, advocate for access to care, and make each patient’s journey more personalized and understandable.”
Women want children – but there is a gap between intention and reality
The data from the inaugural IVI Institute Fertility Barometer bring new insights to the national conversation about fertility and reproductive care, highlighting that the desire to become a parent in the U.S. remains strong. For example, 83% of women surveyed are already mothers or want children, and 75% say becoming a mother is a priority for them.
Despite this strong aspiration, the path to parenthood is increasingly delayed, with many women starting their families later than they hoped. Among women who reported a target age for starting a family, 34% had their first child later than desired and ended up having about one fewer child on average than they intended.
This fertility gap is shaped less by changing aspirations than by the circumstances and barriers that result in women delaying starting a family. Most commonly, women cite finding the right partner and personal maturity as the factors that made it the right time to have children.
Infertility touches the lives of more than one in five women in the United States
In addition to women delaying their path to parenthood due to outside circumstances, infertility is also a barrier to family-building. Approximately 21% have experienced infertility at some point in their lives, and 6% are experiencing it today. That means 14.3 million women in the United States have experienced infertility, and a full 4.3 million are going through it right now. Infertility challenges also carry a heavy emotional toll with 63% of women who have experienced infertility rating its negative impact on their lives at 7 out of 10 or higher.
A significant fertility barrier: Uncertainty
The Fertility Barometer shows that while women are increasingly engaging with healthcare professionals around fertility, many still lack confidence in navigating their options. More than 75% of American women who have experienced infertility do consult a doctor about it – yet only 17% of them undergo IVF. Most cite factors like a lack of confidence in success and emotional stress as substantial reasons deterring them from taking the next step, alongside financial concerns – meaning navigating fertility treatment is as much about trust and information as it is about cost.
“Everleap Fertility’s responsibility is to bring clarity to an incredibly complex and personal experience, while giving patients access to the clinical expertise and scientific advances that can help them move forward with confidence,” said Mason. “Each woman deserves a trusted fertility partner who can help them understand their choices, the current science, and feel confident and supported about the path ahead. Our focus is making sure patients receive that clarity and support at every step, from the first conversation through every decision of their treatment cycle.”
Increasing education around fertility treatment could help more people build families
The findings underscore that access to fertility care is about more than whether treatment is available. For many women, the challenge begins much earlier, in understanding their fertility, knowing when to seek help, finding trustworthy information, and determining which options may be right for them.
For women facing fertility challenges, connecting them with trusted care and information is what can help them close the distance to achieving the families they envision – while making a significant impact on birth rates around the world.
A global leader in fertility care
The launch of the Fertility Barometer comes as IVI RMA North America has evolved its brand identity to Everleap Fertility, bringing together Boston IVF, RMA, Conceptions, and six other leading U.S. fertility practices. This marks a new chapter for the organization as part of IVI Institute — formerly known as IVI RMA Global — which spans more than 200 clinics across 15 countries and nearly 40 years of experience in reproductive medicine. Patients across the U.S. can connect the strength and experience of Everleap Fertility with the broader resources, research and innovation of IVI Institute, while maintaining the local care and relationships that patients have come to know and trust.
To learn more about the Fertility Barometer’s findings, visit fertilitybarometer.iviinstitute.com.
About Everleap Fertility
Built on the legacy of RMA, Boston IVF, Conceptions, and six other leading North American fertility practices, Everleap Fertility brings together physicians and embryologists across 65+ locations in the U.S., including 25 IVF laboratories focused on the next leap forward in reproductive medicine. Together, we have helped hundreds of thousands of patients build families for more than 40 years. As part of IVI Institute, Everleap Fertility contributes to a global community working together to advance the field and bring progress in reproductive medicine into patient care. For more information, visit everleapfertility.com.
About IVI Institute
IVI Institute is the global leader in reproductive medicine, bringing together world-class fertility clinics and expertise to advance the future of fertility care around the world. With 100+ babies born every day across more than 200 locations in 15 countries – including IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, LIVIO, Create Fertility, and TRIO clinics, among other brands – IVI Institute accelerates innovation, expands knowledge, and improves outcomes for patients around the world through groundbreaking research, collaboration, and rigorous clinical standards. Learn more at www.iviinstitute.com.
About the IVI Institute Fertility Barometer
Fertility is an urgent social and public health issue, yet it is still discussed with little evidence on what people themselves think, want, and fear. The IVI Institute Fertility Barometer was created to close that gap. IVI Institute surveyed a representative sample of 24,074 women aged 19 to 49 in nine countries: Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Portugal, UAE, the U.K., and the U.S., from May 16 to July 3, 2026. The survey was administered online using Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI). Results were weighted by region, age, and education level, except in the UAE, where weights were applied by emirate and age. The margin of error is ±0.63 percentage points at a 95% confidence level (p=q=50%), with larger margins among subgroups. IVI Institute and GfK, a NielsenIQ company, partnered on this research to understand how women think about fertility, parenthood, and family formation, and the barriers that shape reproductive decisions today. The research was conducted in collaboration with the member brands of IVI Institute: IVI Fertility, Everleap Fertility, ART Fertility, Genera, Create Fertility, LIVIO, and TRIO.
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SOURCE IVI Institute
