IVF success rates – the big picture

The chances of a successful pregnancy via IVF varies widely based on the general health and the age of the woman. Other factors that determine success rates include the quality of the eggs and sperm, the duration of the infertility, the health of the uterus, and the medical expertise.

What to consider when you compare success rates?

IVF programs generally publish their pregnancy rates. These statistics, however, depend strongly on the type of patients selected, so comparisons between clinics are difficult. Furthermore, the pregnancy rates are calculated as a percentage of embryo transferred, and not as a percentage per cycles started. Therefore, women who start the IVF process but do not reach the embryo transfer stage are not included in these statistics. Another consideration is that IVF centers usually do not publish miscarriage rates which are estimated to be much higher, than with normal pregnancies.

The IVF Support Center’s aim is to increase the success rates in all IVF centers in Perth. Therefore, our success is an integrated part of the increasing success rates of the IVF centers. Our aim, however, is more than that. We regard an IVF process successful only if it results in the birth of a healthy baby. Therefore, early pregnancy support has become an integrated part of our program.

To date, the Centre has carried out a 2 year pilot study which commenced in June 2006 on women aged between 30 and 46 yeas of age who joined our Acupuncture IVF Support program. Most of these women had previously one or more unsuccessful IVF cycles. After a thorough analysis of the results of our pilot study we concluded that acupuncture with the additional nutritional and emotional support may more than double the success rates of IVF, especially when women select our IVF Support program in conjunction with their first IVF attempt, rather than leaving the Support program as a last resort.