IVF Success

Reproductive Partners and its preceding clinics have reported to the SART/CDC reporting system since its inception. In 2014 the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) completely re-designed their success rates report and require us to present our data only in their format. They say they did this to provide patients with outcomes that reflect changes in the way infertility is treated through IVF. In recent years, there has been increased emphasis on embryo cryopreservation, genetic testing, and single embryo transfer that was not adequately captured by the old reporting system. This report captures the treatment burden to the patient (the number of cycles) as well as the best outcome (delivery of a healthy child) by tracking outcomes over time for an individual, accounting for both fresh and frozen embryo transfers.

Because of advances in egg and embryo freezing and thawing technology, outcome from the initial cycle may not be realized until years later. Thus each annual success rate report is provided as Preliminary first. An additional year is provided to account for all remaining outcomes that should be included at which time the report is deemed Final and the following year is provided as Preliminary.

Because the type and age of patients treated may vary from program to program, the comparison of cycle statistics is complex. Couples should be aware of differences among programs as well as differences in specific characteristics when reviewing the data. Success rates reported to the SART Data Registry and CDC cannot be compared to programs that do not report since non-reporters may utilize formats designed to inflate their success rates. A comparison of clinic success rates may not be meaningful because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches, and entry criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic.