Pregnancy Rates

Assisted reproductive techniques such as IVF offer the chance of producing a viable pregnancy in otherwise hopeless cases of infertility. More often than not, efforts are rewarded by the desired outcome if couples persist in their attempts at IVF. Fertile couples have only a 20-25% chance of achieving a lasting pregnancy in any one month cycle. This means that about one out of every three to four fertile couples "succeeds" each month.

A couple's chances of "success" are linked not only to the conditions and the abilities of their IVF clinic, but also to their specific infertility causes, diagnosis and age. Overall statistics for any given program reflect the rate of pregnancy for all couples who have undergone treatment at the program, including those with especially limited prognoses, advanced age, or minimal sperm quality. Many couples, especially younger couples, will have a much higher chance of pregnancy than the overall statistics.

The worldwide experience of human IVF and embryo transfer indicates that the chance of a live birth resulting from a single attempt is in the range of 12-29%. In other words, no more than one to two couples out of a group of ten couples attempting one treatment cycle will be rewarded with a birth of an infant nine months later. However, these statistics include programs with different methods of stimulation and laboratory techniques.
The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (SART/ASRM) publishes data it collects from some 360 fertility clinics across the nation. The most recent published results (for 1998) indicate a delivery rate following IVF and embryo transfer of 29.1%.