Fertility Clinic Success Rates: How to Interpret Statistics

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

The Definition of ART

Although various definitions have been used for ART, the CDC defines it as all fertility treatments in which both eggs and sperm are handled.

The CDC does not include treatments in which only sperm are handled (i.e., intrauterine — or artificial — insemination, IUI), or treatment in which a woman takes fertility drugs to stimulate egg production without the intention of having eggs retrieved.

The 2009 National ART Report

The current ART Success Rates report presents data on the outcomes of all ART cycles started at 441 fertility clinics in operation in the United States in 2009. (Some fertility clinics are omitted because they failed to submit data or did not provide the proper verification that the tabulated success rates were correct.) There were 117,215 ART cycles (including non-donor and donor eggs) performed at these reporting fertility clinics in 2009, with the following percentages resulting in live births:

Fresh Embryos from Non-Donor Eggs

• Under 35: 41.2 percent
• Age 35-37: 31.6 percent
• Age 38-40: 22.3 percent
• Age 41-42: 12.4 percent
• Age 43-44: 4.9 percent

Frozen Embryos from Non-Donor Eggs

• Under 35: 35.2 percent
• Age 35-37: 30.4 percent
• Age 38-40: 25.9 percent
• Age 41-42: 21.9 percent
• Age 43-44: 15.1 percent

Fresh Embryos from Donor Eggs

• All Ages Combined: 55.1 percent

Frozen Embryos from Donor Eggs

• All Ages Combined: 34 percent

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.

Many Factors Influence ART Success

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 fertility treatment are influenced by many factors, some of which are patient-related and outside a fertility clinic’s control (e.g., the woman’s age or the cause of infertility).

Because the national data set includes information on many of these factors, it gives women who are considering fertility treatment 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 fertility doctor to discuss all the factors that apply in their particular case.