If you have started researching IVF success rates, the numbers alone can feel overwhelming, and it helps to know what you are looking at before you try to make sense of them.
Behind every percentage on a report like this is a real person with their own story, their own diagnosis, and their own reasons for being here. Keep that in mind as you read the numbers ahead.
Success rates can offer real hope without offering guarantees, and understanding how to read them puts you in a stronger position to have an informed conversation with your own care team.
How SART and CDC Report IVF Outcomes
Every year, fertility clinics submit their outcomes to the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), which compiles and publishes the data in coordination with the CDC.
There is a built-in reporting lag of roughly two years between when a cycle happens and when its outcome appears in a Final published report, since SART tracks each cycle through its full course, including any frozen transfers, before finalizing the numbers.
Reading IVF Success Rates by Age
One of the most common points of confusion is the difference between live births per intended egg retrieval and live births per embryo transfer, since these use different denominators and get mixed up often.
Live births per intended egg retrieval counts every cycle that started with the intent to retrieve eggs, whether or not it reached transfer, which gives a fuller picture of a full treatment cycle. Live births per embryo transfer only counts cycles that made it all the way to transfer, which naturally produces a higher percentage since it excludes the cycles that did not get that far.
Age is the single most influential factor behind these numbers, simply because egg quantity and quality both decline over time. Naming that plainly, without any pressure attached, is part of being honest with you, and your own care team can tell you what it means for your specific situation.
SART reports also include a confidence range alongside each percentage, since these numbers come from a limited number of cycles each year, and a wider range simply reflects a smaller sample size at that specific age bracket.
Why Success Rates Vary Between Clinics
Success rates vary between clinics for many reasons that have little to do with the quality of care itself.
Patient population and case mix shape how these numbers turn out from one clinic to the next. Clinics that take on more complex diagnoses, higher-risk cases, or cases other clinics have turned away will often show different numbers than a clinic that sees a narrower range of cases, and that difference often reflects who a clinic chooses to treat, more than how well they treat them.
Longer-established clinics in particular tend to see more referred cases from other providers, since people with a harder diagnostic history often seek out a team with more years of experience behind them.
SART itself cautions against comparing clinics head to head for exactly this reason, since patient selection and treatment approach can shape a report as much as outcomes do.
InVia's Own SART Data
InVia has been part of the Chicago fertility community since 2002. We were here then, we are here now, and we plan to be here for the families who come after you too.
Over two decades in the Chicago fertility community means our team has spent that time refining how we care for people through exactly the kind of moment you are in right now.
Per InVia's 2023 Final SART data, the live birth rate per intended egg retrieval for people under 35 was 46.9 percent, with rates declining by age group as expected, consistent with the national pattern described above.
A comparison of clinic success rates may not be personally applicable because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches, and entry criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic.
As explained above, SART data carries a built-in reporting lag of roughly two years, which is why InVia's most current published data is from 2023.
You can view InVia's full SART Clinical Summary Report directly for the complete breakdown by age.
Let's Talk About What the Data Means for You
The data above is a starting point, and it can only tell you so much about your own specific situation. A consultation with InVia's team is where these numbers become personal, and we would love to sit down, walk through them with you, and help you explore what comes next.
Explore InVia's treatment options or schedule an appointment.
