Statistics

The CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) publishes data on IVF success rates. The CDC only reports livebirth rates and that is why the data is usually 2 to 3 years old. The CDC Web site is accessible at  http://www.CDC.GOV/ART/.  In 1992, the US Congress passed the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act. This law requires the CDC to publish pregnancy success rates for ART infertility clinics in the .The CDC specifies in the report that many people considering IVF will want to use this report to find the "best" clinic. However, comparison between clinics must be made with caution. Many factors contribute to the success of an IVF procedure. Some factors are related to the experience of the IVF clinic and the quality of services, but other factors are related to the patients themselves, such as age and cause of the infertility. Some clinics may be more willing than others to accept patients with low chances of success and only specialize in some IVF treatments that attract particular types of patients with either better or worse prognoses. Some clinics may discourage patients with a poor prognosis or encourage them to use donor eggs, a practice that results in higher success rates among older women. Clinics that accept a higher percentage of women with multiple unsuccessful IVF cycles will have lower success rates. In contrast, clinics that offer IVF procedures to patients who might have become pregnant with less technically advanced treatment will have higher success rates. The number of embryos transferred affects the pregnancy rate and significantly varies from clinic to clinic. A higher number of embryos transferred may increase the pregnancy rate but also increases the likelihood of multiple gestations which in turn encreases the probability of premature birth and its related problems.