Understanding IVF Success Rates
A fertility center’s success rates are an important consideration when choosing where to go for your fertility treatment. Fertility centers across the country report their data to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) and the Centers for Disease Control. These organizations release data approximately one year after a treatment cycle begins, allowing ample time to capture live birth data. The most recent data available is from 2023.
The data used to determine success rates is complicated because so many factors are involved. To simplify things, we’ve included two important outcomes from 2023. These outcomes address the likelihood that an egg retrieval will result in usable embryos, and the likelihood that one of these embryos will result in the birth of a single child.
Your Duke Fertility Center physician can provide a more in-depth explanation of all data collected by SART.
Percent of Egg Retrievals Resulting in One or More Embryos Transferred or Frozen
An embryo is created when a sperm and an egg come together. Formation of an embryo is required to become pregnant. If you are going through IVF using your own eggs, you will undergo an egg retrieval to harvest as many eggs as possible. After your egg retrieval, an embryologist will inseminate your eggs with sperm, hopefully leading to the formation of one or more embryos. These embryos are then cultured in the lab for several days before they can be transferred into the uterus or frozen for future use. This chart shows the percentage of egg retrievals that resulted in one or more embryos being transferred into the uterus immediately or frozen for later use.
Percent of Egg Retrievals Resulting in One or More Embryos Transferred or Frozen
What does this mean? Based on the 2023 data, a 35-year-old who undergoes IVF at the Duke Fertility Center has a 91.5% chance of having at least one embryo to transfer or freeze.
Why is this important? The more embryos you have, the greater your chance of having a baby. If your egg retrieval and subsequent IVF cycle doesn’t result in any embryos, you may need to undergo another egg retrieval or consider other options, such as using donor eggs.
Live Births Per Intended Egg Retrieval (All Embryo Transfers)
An embryo is transferred with the hope that it will implant and lead to a successful pregnancy/delivery, otherwise known as a live birth. The data below shows the percentage of egg retrievals done in 2023 that resulted in the birth of one child, regardless of how many embryo transfers were performed. A live birth may have been achieved after the first embryo transfer, or it may have required more than one embryo transfer -- but all embryos came from the same egg retrieval.
Please note: While some clinics choose to transfer multiple embryos at once, Duke Fertility Center follows the American Society for Reproductive Medicine guidelines, which recommend the transfer of a single embryo at a time for most patients. This practice aims to reduce the risks associated with multiple gestation, raising the likelihood of having a healthy baby.
Percent of Egg Retrievals Resulting in a Singleton Live Birth
What does this mean? Based on the 2023 data, a 35-year-old who undergoes IVF at Duke Fertility Center has a 45.5% chance of that egg retrieval resulting in the birth of at least one child.
Why is this important? The goal of IVF is to have a child. Seeking care at a fertility clinic with higher-than-average success rates improves your chances of having a child.