Fertility Clinic Success Rates

Fertility Clinic Success Rates

The 1992 Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to publish assisted reproductive technology (ART) success rates. The goal of the annual “Fertility Clinic Success Rates and National Summary" is to help potential users make informed decisions about Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). It is not recommended that patients use the information to choose a treatment center based solely on success rates.

Although various definitions have been used for ART, the CDC defines it as all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are handled. They do not include treatments in which only sperm are handled (i.e., intrauterine — or artificial — insemination), or treatment in which a woman takes medicine only to stimulate egg production without the intention of having eggs retrieved.

Success Rates

The current report presents data on the outcomes of all ART cycles started at 483 fertility clinics in operation in the U.S. in 2006. (Some clinics are omitted in the study because they failed to submit data or did not provide the proper verification that the tabulated success rates were correct.) The national report also includes graphs and charts that use data to answer specific questions related to ART success rates. These figures are organized according to the type of procedure used.

The 138,198 ART cycles performed at these reporting clinics in 2006 resulted in 41,343 live births (deliveries of one or more living infants) and 54,656 infants. Pooling the data from all reporting clinics provides an overall national picture that could not be obtained by examining data from an individual clinic.

The CDC estimates that ART accounts for slightly more than 1 percent of total U.S. births. A woman’s chances of having a successful pregnancy using ART are influenced by many factors, some of which are patient-related and outside a clinic’s control (e.g., the woman’s age, the cause of infertility). Because the national data set includes information on many of these factors, it gives potential ART users an idea of their average chances of success. Average chances, however, do not necessarily apply to a particular individual or couple. People considering ART should consult their physician to discuss all the factors that apply in their particular case.