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IVF Success Rates Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the most recent published success rates on SART two years old and on CDC three years old?
IVF success rates are based on live births and counted in the year the IVF cycle was started not the year of birth. For example, if a woman had a successful IVF cycle in December, SART gets the IVF success data from fertility clinics at the end of the following year, and counts that woman's baby as a successful IVF case for the previous year. Because of popular demand, SART started to publish this data on their website a few years ago. However, the SART data is not verified by any third party agency. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and other Government offices take about 12 months to verify, analyze and compile the data and publish the verified fertility success rates in the first quarter of the new year in the ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) section of the CDC's website. The CDC is three years old at the time it is published.
Why is it better to compare the life birth rates than pregnancy rates?
As an example, in 2005 there were 97,442 IVF cycles using fresh embryos across all age groups. Of those cycles, 34% got pregnant, but only 28% carried the baby to term and gave birth. That means, that the average national IVF success rate in 2005 was 28%. IVF doctors like to present you success rates based on successful pregnancies. That is based on a positive pregnancy test result in the first trimester. You as the patient should not care as much about pregnancy success rates as they can be misleading. You want a baby, so we recommend looking at the life birth rates.
Why do SART and CDC make it not easy to compare IVF success rates?
According to CDC, "not all of the information that a woman or a couple needs to decide which ... clinic ... is best for their treatment..." is reflected in a success rate and there are " many other factors". On this website, we show you the national average success rate and how each clinic compares to that average. We also show you direct comparisons to other clinics. It is one factor that may or may not help you in your decision process. SART and CDC give you the same information as this web site does, but they tell you at the same time not to compare the numbers. SART requires their member clinics to post a note on their website that "A comparison of clinic success rates may not be meaningful because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches and entrance criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic." They do vary, of course, but you still want to compare, right?