ART Success Rates Interpretation
Consumers can find fertility clinic success rates and clinic profiles at www.cdc.gov/art/artdata/index.html.
The information in this section is provided to help consumers navigate and understand the information presented online, explore clinic services, see the types of patients each clinic treats, and understand fertility clinic success rates based on the latest data from the National ART Surveillance System. To view pooled data from all US reporting clinics, select the link above or below the map on the main page. Pooled data from all reporting clinics provide a national summary of patient and cycle characteristics and ART success rates from all reporting clinics in the United States.
Since ART success depends on whether patients are using their own eggs or donor eggs, the navigation tab for Success Rates presents information separately for these two groups. Using a drop-down menu, you can select a success rate of interest. In addition, you can view success rates for patients with a specific diagnosis by using a filter function on the left. By selecting the Show National Data box, the success rates from an individual fertility clinic can be compared with national data.
An ART cycle starts when a woman begins taking fertility drugs or having her ovaries monitored for follicle production with the intent to retrieve eggs (intended retrieval). If eggs are produced, the cycle progresses to egg retrieval, in which at least one egg is retrieved (actual retrieval). Retrieved eggs are either combined with sperm to create embryos or frozen for future use (egg cryopreservation). If fertilization is successful, at least one embryo may be selected for transfer. The embryos may be transferred to the patient or to a gestational carrier (embryo transfer). Other embryos can be frozen for future use (embryo cryopreservation). If embryo transfer results in implantation, the cycle may progress to clinical pregnancy and, possibly, a live-birth delivery.
Many people considering ART will want to use the information presented online in ART Fertility Clinic Success Rates to find the “best” clinic. However, comparisons between clinics must be made with caution. Many factors contribute to the success of an ART procedure. Some factors are related to the training and experience of the fertility clinic and laboratory professionals and the quality of services they provide. Other factors are related to the patients themselves, such as their age, the quality of their eggs and sperm, the cause of their infertility, and genetic factors. Some clinics may be more willing than others to accept patients with low chances of success or may specialize in ART treatments that attract particular types of patients.
We encourage consumers considering ART to contact clinics to discuss their specific medical situations and their potential for success using ART. Because clinics did not have the opportunity to provide narratives to explain their data, such conversations could provide additional information to help consumers decide whether to use ART.
Although ART offers important options for the treatment of infertility, the decision to use ART involves many factors in addition to success rates. Therefore, consumers should carefully examine all related financial, psychological, and medical issues before beginning treatment. They also may want to consider the location of the clinic, the counseling and support services available, and the rapport that staff members have with their patients.
Other important factors to consider when using success rates to assess a clinic, include the following:
ART statistics are from cycles performed more than 1 ago
Before success rates can be calculated, ART treatments need to be completed; successful cycles need to be followed up to determine whether a birth occurred; data need to be collected, reported, cleaned, and analyzed; and the ART reports need to be prepared for publication. While the calculation of non-cumulative yearly success rates for patients using donor eggs or embryos only requires information on transfers performed in 2019, the calculation of cumulative success rates for patients using their own eggs uses egg retrievals performed in 2018. Many factors that contribute to a clinic’s success rates may have changed in the years since the cycles included in the data were performed. Personnel may be different and equipment and training may or may not have been updated. As a result, the success rates may not necessarily represent current rates.
Success rates may vary
A clinic’s success rates may vary from year to year, even if all determining factors remain the same. The more cycles that a clinic carries out, the less the rate is likely to vary. Conversely, clinics that perform fewer cycles are likely to have more variability in success rates from year to year. As an extreme example, if a clinic reports only one ART cycle in a given category, as is sometimes the case in the data presented here, the clinic’s success rate in that category would be either 0% or 100%.
Some clinics see more than the average number of patients with difficult infertility problems
Some clinics offer ART to most potential patients, even those who have a low probability of success. Others discourage such patients or encourage them to use donor eggs, a practice that results in higher success rates among older patients. Clinics that accept a higher percentage of patients who previously have had multiple unsuccessful ART cycles will generally have lower success rates. In contrast, clinics that offer ART procedures to patients who might have become pregnant with less technologically advanced treatment will generally have higher success rates. CDC does not collect information on clinic-specific patient selection practices.
The number of embryos transferred varies from clinic to clinic
ASRM and SART discourage the transfer of a large number of embryos because of the increased likelihood of multiple-fetus pregnancies. Multiple-fetus pregnancies, in turn, increase the probability of premature births and related health problems.
This navigation tab highlights fertility clinic success rates of patients who used their own eggs. Since ART success depends on whether patients are using ART for the first time or had prior ART cycles, a drop down menu allows users to examine success rates for all “Patients using their own eggs” or for “Patients with no prior ART using their own eggs”. This section excludes cycles that were considered research—that is, cycles performed to evaluate new procedures.
The success rates are shown per intended retrieval, per actual retrieval, and per transfer. In addition, the average number of transfers per intended retrieval and the average number of intended retrievals per live-birth delivery are shown. Success rates for patients using their own eggs are reported as cumulative success rates. Cumulative success rates take into account egg or embryo transfers that occur within 1 year after an egg retrieval. Calculation of cumulative success rates requires data from two reporting years for patients using their own eggs: 2018 for egg retrieval cycles, and 2018 and 2019 to look at resulting transfer cycles that occurred during those years and outcomes from those transfer cycles. The details of the calculation for each success rate selected from the drop-down choices are described below.
Information for patients with no prior ART using their own eggs provides the success rates for first-time ART users who intended to use their own eggs (new patients). These patients were reported to have no previous ART stimulations or previously frozen ART cycles. CDC reported cumulative success rates for patients with no prior ART cycles after their first intended retrieval, first or second intended retrieval, and after all intended retrievals that occurred in 2018. If the first intended retrieval did not result in a live-birth delivery, the patients may have initiated additional cycles. Therefore, the success rate for multiple retrievals was calculated.
This navigation tab provides data on success rates for ART cycles that involve the transfer of embryos created from donor eggs or embryos. Intended female parents who have premature ovarian failure (early menopause), whose ovaries have been removed, or who have a genetic concern about using their own eggs may consider using eggs that are donated by a woman without these conditions. Embryos may also be donated by patients who previously used ART. Embryos may be transferred to the intended parent or to a gestational carrier.
Success rates presented in this section are non-cumulative. They are based on donor cycles started in 2019 that had embryo transfers, regardless of when the donor eggs were retrieved. This section also includes cycles in which intended parents transferred donated embryos in 2019. This section excludes cycles that were considered research—that is, cycles performed to evaluate new procedures.
Success rates in this section are not presented by age group because previous data show that an intended parent’s age does not substantially affect success when using donor eggs or embryos. The success rates are presented by types of embryos and eggs used in the transfer.
Fresh embryos, frozen eggs
This group of ART cycles involves fresh embryos created from fresh donor eggs. The eggs were retrieved from a donor and fertilized during the current cycle. Neither the donated eggs nor any resulting embryos were ever frozen prior to transfer.
Frozen embryos
This group of ART cycles involves frozen embryos created from fresh or frozen donor eggs. In the case of fresh donor eggs, the eggs were retrieved from a donor during a previous cycle and immediately fertilized, and then the resulting embryos were frozen for future use. In the case of frozen donor eggs, the eggs were retrieved from a donor during a previous cycle, frozen, thawed, and fertilized, and then the resulting embryos were frozen for future use. For both fresh and frozen donor eggs, the frozen embryos were thawed in 2019 for transfer.
Donated embryos
This group of ART cycles involves donated embryos for transfer in 2019—that is, embryos donated from another patient or couple after their own ART treatment. The embryos can be fresh or frozen.
The details of the calculation for each success rate selected from the drop-down choices are described below.
The Clinic Data Summary navigation tab provides a full snapshot of clinic services and profile, patient characteristics, and ART success rates. It is worth noting that patient medical characteristics, such as age, diagnosis, and ovarian reserve, affect ART treatment’s success. Comparison of success rates across clinics may not be meaningful because of differences in patient populations and ART treatment methods. The success rates displayed on this page do not reflect any one patient’s chance of success. Patients should consult with a doctor to understand their chance of success based on their own characteristics.