Does a clinics IVF Success Rates really matter?

A topic that we’d like to cover is success rates (🪄the magical numbers we all want to know). Each of our clients asks the question: ‘what is the success rate of my therapy at this clinic?’ 

First, I want you to feel confident and secure that Medistella* personally visits each of our partnering clinics to determine if they fit our high standards.

The clinics we partner with are all top-quality, they use the latest proven techniques, modern facilities, up-to-date equipment, and have a friendly, knowledgeable, and experienced team of doctors and coordinators.

Even though you see people fluctuate sometimes, the majority of them remain in the field. The clinics are controlled by the State Organizations that are the highest instance in charge of the quality. This is a very strict environment and any significant failures are detected immediately and taken care of. Because of this, they are all practicing the same therapies - individualized and tailored for your specific needs. Therefore, the success rate for our partnering clinics are all similar, and they do an outstanding job.

Unfortunately, there's no guarantee of success in the IVF world. 

Success Rates are a general number that does not include the personal medical history that goes into calculating an individual’s success percentage.  So, while it seems likely you will also have an X % chance to get pregnant at XY clinic, the truth is this number is not a true representation of YOUR possible success. Plus, the success rate from each clinic has factors that we don’t always know; such as the number of clients they serve; or the number of therapies (did they complete 500 clients; 500 cycles; or 50 - annually); or if their success rate is a positive pregnancy test vs a fetal heartbeat at 8 weeks vs live birth. The expression 'cumulative success rate' is also good to pay attention to.  

Let’s say that the number the clinic uses accounts for 25 % of YOUR success rate. This percentage represents the doctor's examination of your records and their recommendation for your therapy based on previous experience.

70 % of YOUR success rate comes from your medical persona: age (which is a large factor); AMH levels; FSH levels; prolactin levels; history of miscarriage; previous IVF fresh success/failure; previous IVF frozen success/failure; STDs; currently breastfeeding; uterine lining; tube blockage; male factor infertility (mobility/morphology); genetic or immunology factors; PCOS; Endometriosis; pre-existing medical challenges such as radiation treatment, diabetes, pre-menopause, etc; levels of progesterone and estrogen; and so forth.

Then, 5 % of YOUR success comes from how you respond to the medication protocol. A few women respond too well and overstimulate, most respond within a typical range, and the remaining have a response less than expected. There is not much information in advance to know how you will respond. But because the doctor prescribed it and knows your records then it’s assumed you will fall into the typical range (pending any unknown criteria).

Ultimately, your success will be similar at any of our amazing partnering clinics. We recommend the best clinic for you based on the criteria you’ve given us and their success with individuals fitting your needs. 

Before we wrap up our article, we mention here the glossary that can be useful: 

Pregnancy Rate: the percentage of positive pregnancy tests per number of embryo transfers.

Clinical Pregnancy Rate: a pregnancy that is confirmed by ultrasound detection of the gestational sac or fetal heartbeat per number of embryo transfers.

Live Birth Rate / Take-home Baby Rate: the number of deliveries resulted in a live born neonate per number of embryo transfers.

Cumulative rates: success rates (pregnancy/ clinical pregnancy/ live birth rates) determined by a single oocyte retrieval event, until a positive result is achieved or until all the produced embryos are utilized.

Fresh Embryo Transfer: the transfer of embryos in the IVF/ ICSI cycle, without them first being cryopreserved.

FET (Frozen Embryo Transfer): thawing and transferring embryos, in treatment following the IVF/ICSI cycle.

Last but not least, there's a difference in case you transfer one embryo vs two (which is pretty much the maximum allowed to be transferred). There are risks related to double embryo transfer and these are 1) risk of multiple pregnancy 2) how the mother deals with the multiple pregnancy. In extended age (40+) single embryo transfer is recommended very often. 

While we have the highest hopes for your success the first time and we desperately want to help you remain positive; we know knowledge is valuable to helping each client accept the possibility they may have to undergo multiple rounds or different types of therapy. And for our clients, Medistella* is here through each step to support you - advocate on your behalf - giving you detailed knowledge - and cheer you on for success! 

Contact us now to get started. 

Author: Andrea