What are success rates?
There is no uniform way to report success rates associated with fertility treatments for all clinics. Pregnancy following less invasive treatment options, such as ovulation induction, is not a reportable “success”. SART gathers and reports in vitro fertilization (IVF) success rate data for patients to measure fertility clinics’ expertise and the best treatment options. However, this information does not take into account that most fertility experts do not solely offer IVF.
For patients who undergo IVF, achieving pregnancy can be affected by many factors, including medical history, infertility diagnosis, and age. All of these factors can impact success rates both positively and negatively.
Common Misconceptions About Fertility Treatment Success Rates
All clinics treat patients equally. Some clinics recommend aggressive treatment to all patients. This often leads to more invasive and expensive care. Patients aren’t treated on an individual basis. Rather, they are led to believe IVF is the only option to conceive, when treatment specific for their diagnosis could be successful without resorting to the most costly option.
All clinics report the same information. Pregnancy rate calculations vary from clinic to clinic. Some clinics may turn away difficult cases to increase the practice’s pregnancy rates. While most clinics provide information on the majority of their IVF cycles, others may calculate their success rates based on 60% of their cycles. This is transparent, but difficult to interpret in the SART registry. It is possible to verify this by comparing the number of total cycles reported to the sum of all cycles used in calculating each pregnancy rate in the SART registry. Rates vary widely depending on the population the clinic serves.
The New York Times provides more insight into the problem of reporting success rates.
How RSCNJ Is Different
At RSCNJ, we will never select patients to increase our number of successful cycles. We welcome all aspiring parents, even when they are not the ideal candidates for success. Our top priority is, and will always be, to treat every patient individually, helping them build a family in the best way specific to their needs and desires.
Additionally, we will always go above and beyond to find the right treatment choice for each patient’s specific needs, from the most simple to the highest cutting-edge treatment modalities. And most importantly, we will always be transparent in reporting our success rates and answering any questions prior to choosing a path for treatment.
Patient Stories
