IVF
Reading IVF Success Rates Without Being Misled
A fertility success percentage is meaningful only when you know what it measures. Pregnancy rates and live-birth rates answer different questions.
A fertility success percentage is meaningful only when you know what it measures. Pregnancy rates and live-birth rates answer different questions.
Start with the denominator
Ask whether a figure is calculated per started cycle, egg collection, embryo transfer procedure or embryo transferred. These groups are not identical. A rate calculated only after transfer may exclude people who did not reach that stage.
HFEA publishes several outcome measures, including pregnancy and birth rates. This illustrates why a single percentage should not be read as a personal forecast.
Ask who is represented
Find out the age range, treatment period and whether the figure includes donor eggs or other circumstances different from yours. Ask whether it is based on the clinic’s own recorded outcomes and whether those outcomes are independently reported or audited.
Small groups can produce unstable percentages. A comparison is more useful when the same outcome, population and time period are being compared.
Put the number into a decision
Ask the clinician to explain what is known about your situation and what cannot be predicted. Discuss the chance of reaching each stage as well as the chance of a baby after transfer.
If a package advertises a very high success rate, request the written definition, exclusions and conditions. Do not assume that a guarantee about another treatment cycle is a guarantee of a baby. Costs, safety, communication and follow-up also matter when choosing care. A good explanation leaves you better informed about uncertainty, rather than merely reassured by a large number.
Further reading and care
For an individual assessment with Dr. Aishwarya Parulekar Pai, contact the clinic and confirm the appointment location before travelling.
Related reading
ICSI Versus Conventional IVF: What Problem Is Being Addressed?