In vitro fertilization (IVF) was responsible for more than 1.5 percent of all births in the United States in 2012, showed a report released Monday.

The report from the US Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) said its 379 member clinics performed 165,172 cycles, or procedures involving IVF, in 2012.

These procedures resulted in the birth of 61,740 babies, an increase of more than 2,000 infants from 2011, it said.

"There were an estimated 3.9 million babies born in the US in 2012, thus IVF babies now constitute over 1.5 percent of all births," the SART said. "This is the largest number of cycles of babies and percentage of babies born through IVF ever reported."

Meanwhile, there were fewer embryos per cycle transferred and an increase in elective single embryo transfer, leading to a reduction in the number of twin and triplet births, said the report.

Multiple births can be risky for both mothers and children, according to the SART.