According to the American Society For Reproductive Medicine, infertility affects 7.3 million American women and their partners, about 12 percent of the reproductive age population. Recent improvements in medication, microsurgery, and assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), make pregnancy possible for more than half of the couples who pursue treatment. There are more than 70,000 babies born in the United States as the result of ART, including more than 45,000 resulting from IVF.

One of the most confusing issues related to assisted reproductive technologies is understanding the success rates for a particular clinic or program. This confusion stems from the fact that success rates may vary depending on the reason for the infertility, the age of patients being treated, and the type of procedure being used.

Another area of potential confusion is the way the pregnancy rate is reported. For example pregnancy rates can be reported by cycle, by patient, or by the type of procedure, all of which give different results.

Because of these factors, comparison of different programs by using statistics alone is not recommended. A valuable source of information about ART success rates can be found on the Reproductive Health web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This site provides access to a set of reports, Assisted Reproductive Technology Report, the latest of which has information for 2007 (published December 2009).

The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) report provides an in-depth picture of the type, number, and outcome of ART cycles performed in U.S. fertility clinics. It also includes individual clinic tables that provide ART success rates and other information from each clinic. The report includes submitted and verified 2007 data and appendixes containing the results of data validation visits, technical notes, a glossary, and contact information for reporting and non-reporting clinics in the United States.

The data for this national report comes from the 483 fertility clinics in operation in 2007 that provided and verified data on the outcomes of all ART cycles started at their clinics. The 138,198 ART cycles performed at these reporting clinics in 2007 resulted in 41,343 live births (deliveries of one or more living infants) and 54,656 infants. Data provided by U.S. fertility clinics that use ART to treat infertility is a rich source of information about the factors that contribute to a successful ART treatment—the delivery of a live-born infant.

The report also contains a large amount of information that may be of interest to people undergoing infertility evaluation and treatment. Some of the questions addressed by the report include:

• How is the success of an ART procedure measured?
• What percentage of ART cycles results in a pregnancy?
• What percentage of pregnancies results in live births?
• Using ART, what is the risk of having a multiple-fetus pregnancy or multiple-infant birth?
• Do ART success rates differ among women of different ages?
• How does a woman's age affect her chances of progressing through the various stages of ART?
• What are the causes of infertility among couples who use ART?
• Does the cause of infertility affect the chances of success using ART?
• Are success rates different for women using ART for the first time and women who previously used ART but did not give birth?
• In general, is an ART cycle more likely to be successful if more embryos are transferred?
• What are the success rates for different types of ART procedures?
• What are the success rates for couples with male factor infertility when ICSI is used?
• Does the size of the clinic affect its success rate?

Many people considering ART will want to use this report to find the "best" clinic. However, comparisons between clinics must be made with caution. Many factors contribute to the success of an ART procedure. Some factors are related to the training and experience of the ART clinic and laboratory professionals and the quality of services they provide. Other factors are related to the patients themselves, such as their age and the cause of their infertility. Some clinics may be more willing than others to accept patients with low chances of success or may specialize in various ART treatments that attract particular types of patients.

If you have questions about your clinic’s statistics, you should talk to a member of the healthcare team who is providing your infertility evaluation and treatment.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: 2007 Assisted Reproductive Technology Report

Last modified on: 22 June 2010