WFU Center for Reproductive Medicine
Success Rates
2005 IVF-ET success rates for our program are presented in the figure below. These figures are presented to give a very approximate estimate of the success rate that a patient can expect in our program. Multiple factors influence the success rate of IVF-ET. Included in these factors are
- The cause of infertility
- Adequate numbers of normally responding eggs (adequate ovarian reserve)
- The quality and numbers of embryos
- A normal uterine environment
- Age
As is reflected in the graph showing our success rates, age is the most important factor with success rates being much higher in younger women.
Success data for IVF centers is published regularly by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). While we encourage you to learn about your condition and treatments, comparison of IVF center's data should be viewed with caution. The philosophies and practices of different IVF centers can significantly affect a program's reported success rates. Examples of how this occurs are as follows:
- When there is a low response to stimulation, clinics can inflate their pregnancy rate per egg retrieval and per embryo transfer by liberal cancellation of cycles prior to retrieval.
- Clinics that allow poor responder patients to proceed with retrieval and transfer may have lower success rates.
- Clinics that treat a large number of difficult patients such as ones with prior IVF failure will have lower pregnancy rates.
- Clinics that transfer more embryos will have higher pregnancy rates, but also have a higher incidence of multiple gestation.
- Clinics that utilize IVF-ET early in the course of therapy rather than first attempting less expensive options will inflate their pregnancy rates due to including patients whom would have gotten pregnant without IVF-ET.
The physicians and staff at the WFU Center for Reproductive Medicine always welcome questions and discussion about your condition and treatment. Please feel to ask any questions during your visits or to call or e-mail the Center with questions between visits
For more information about infertility medicine, you can visit the following site:
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
Resolve: The National Infertility Association
- 147 cycle starts
- 141 retrievals
- 139 transfers
- 54 delivered and ongoing pregnancies