Do you know that the largest group of fertility clinics in the United States doesn't want you to compare their IVF success rates? This organization, SART, actually restricts member clinics from comparing their own success rates to other clinics or even to the National Average.
There should be a variety of factors that go into making an educated decision concerning fertility treatment. Why would this powerful group want to keep such an important piece of data out of that equation?
Who is SART?
Dr. Geoffrey Sher just published an insightful blog post outlining some of the deficiencies in the current SART/CDC IVF success rate model. Specifically he mentions:
I just finished an excellent patient blog post entitled, How To Get SART Smart.
It is written by a, "28 year old married couple facing early Ovarian Failure and discussing our options of IVF or the possibility of Donor Eggs."
If medical professionals have any doubts about the patient's ability to understand success rate data and use this information as part of a larger treatment decision process, you should definitely give this a read. It is informative and covers many of the data manipulation techniques used by some clinics to boost their success rates.
IVF Statistic Manipulation and How to Discover it
Critics of using IVF success statistics like Live Birth Rate Per Transfer as a method of evaluating the quality of a fertility clinic say that statistics can be manipulated. There is no doubt that this is being done. But is the answer really to prohibit comparison? Isn't it more desirable to expose these manipulations and educate prospective patients on how they can be detected? Many medical professionals would say that most patients are not capable of making this kind of detailed analysis. Really, they say that.
After three years of running this site, we have fielded dozens of questions about IVF Success Rates. Here are some of the most popular ones. Have a question that isn't here? You can ask it in the comments section and we will do our best to get it answered.
Why are the most recent published success rates on SART two years old and on CDC three years old?
A few things you and your physician can do to improve IVF success.
There are a few factors you can influence in increasing your chances with IVF. Eat well, exercise, get enough sleep and reduce stress in your life among other things.
However, the most important factor to increase your IVF success is your decision in choosing a fertility clinic. Once you choose a fertility clinic, the outcome of your IVF treatment is mostly in the hands of the fertility doctor and his staff. They choose the IVF protocol, the medication with dosages and all the little details concerning timing, which you will follow exactly. That's why it is so important to look at IVF success rates! It can give you an indication of a fertility clinic's skill and expertise. So, be good to your body and wise in your decision of your IVF doctor!
Which IVF success rate data is more accurate?
When looking at IVF success rates, you have two data sources available in the US.
1. SART: The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology reports the most recent IVF success rates of their member fertility clinics. Their annual report is entitled "IVF Success Rate Reports" and is available at http://www.sart.org. Fertility clinics who are current SART members are required to follow SART guidelines, which includes the reporting of IVF success rates. However, not every clinic is a member and not every member submits their data to SART. The SART data is therefore not as complete.
Based on live birth rate as reported by the CDC
The Center for Disease Control does some extensive analysis each year to compile the data submitted by all practicing fertility clinics in the United States.
The latest report from 2008 shows that there were 475 reporting fertility clinics performing IVF treatment that year.
These 475 clinics reported a total of 148,055 IVF cycles. These cycles resulted in 61,426 infants being born!
Percentage of fresh, non-donor cycles resulting in live birth in 2008:
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Younger than 35
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35-37
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38-40
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41-42
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41%
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31%
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22%
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5%
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How to make sense of the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Report.
The statistics provided in a fertility clinic's IVF success rate report can tell you a lot about that practice. Here are a few helpful tips on what to look for and what it may mean to you.
First you may want to verify that a fertility clinic is doing a good number of IVF cycles a year. You want a clinic that is proficient and experienced in the art of IVF. 120 total IVF cycles or more in one year is a good number. That means that they average more than 2 cycles a week, which gives you an indication that they routinely perform IVF procedures.
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