Most patients are very interested in the success rates that can be expected from procedures such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), in vitro fertilization (IVF), and donor egg IVF. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) maintains IVF statistics for “reporting clinics” in the United States. Unfortunately, the CDC data is usually reported two years after the clinic reports are submitted and they are working to improve the "turnaround time".

No success rate statistics for any procedure can be applied to a particular couple because of all the variables involved such as age, coexistence of male infertility, other treatments, etc. IVF success rates data must be read carefully to learn the many other "practice variables" that contribute to success rate calculations. For example, a practice with a large percentage of younger females undergoing IVF will most likely report higher success rates. The total IVF success rates for this clinic probably do not apply to women in their thirties. Fortunately, data is reported separated by age groups.

When a program reports IVF success rates of 45% per cycle this does not mean that 45% of couples who undergo IVF will take home a baby. This is an “average” and some couples will conceive in the first cycle whereas others will require three or more cycles. For example, in most infertility programs the 45% statistic means that if 100 couples undergo IVF, 45 will have a fetal heartbeat. A certain percentage of these women have a miscarriage during the first trimester, which lowers the “take home baby” rate.

Interestingly, University affiliated practices often treat patients that have failed therapy at other programs, including multiple cycles of gonadotropins (FSH) with IUI and IVF. These types of patients are much more difficult to treat and consequently success rates may be lower.

The cause(s) of your infertility also has a major influence on your success rates. Patients who have fallopian tube damage, and no other contributing factor, typically have IVF success rates in the 30-40% range. Other women who may be aged in their late thirties or early forties will most likely have lower success rates.

Also, success rates for procedures such as intrauterine insemination (IUI) are not tracked by the CDC and SART even though IUI is often a first line treatment procedure. In general, per cycle success rates with IUI in most programs are between 15-20%.

Donor egg IVF normally produces the highest success rates because eggs from young fertile women are used. Many programs report donor egg success rates in the 50% range.

Our physicians prefer to personally discuss success rates with each individual couple. They take into account factors such as the cause(s) of your infertility, FSH level, age, previous treatments, whether or not this is your first child, any history of miscarriage and many other factors. We feel this is the best means to provide an honest appraisal of your chances of taking home a baby.