IVF procedures on the rise in Shanghai

The number of in vitro fertilization procedures performed in Shanghai is rising by about 10 to 15 percent annually and reached around 50,000 last year, according to a leading fertility expert.

Fueled by factors including the second-child policy taking effect last year, more women desire to have another child, but have passed their peak reproduction age and must resort to medical help, said Sun Yun, clinical director of Shanghai Renji Hospital's Center for Reproductive Medicine.

The center was visited by patients with infertility problems about 250,000 times last year, Sun said, adding that many were women born in the 1970s.