Hello

We are considering whether to go for IVF and have been given a 30% success rate for each IVF cycle. What does anyone think of this? Is this low/high? I have heard you can shop around IVF clinics and some have much better rates of success than others?

Any info would be appreciated :)

TB :wave:

I think you can go to different clinics and see different statistics, and I wondered about that too. Thinking, maybe the better statistics, the better the clinic, their staff, and so on. But, now, I'm not so sure. I think because every couple is different and comes in with all different kinds of fertility issues, that's what changes the stats.

I've read on here that some people have had like a 70% chance with IVF and my RE told me I only have like 50%-60%, and I think that's because of my Husband's sperm. But again, these "percents" are only an opinion of a doctor, who may be saying those stats for different reasons. How can they really know unless they actually try one first? The nurse who recently took all my blood, or at least it felt like that, on my first round, said she has done 4 IVFs and has come to realize there are "other issues." Now who knows what her doc might have said her odds were.

Sometimes, I think they may shoot lower with the percents b/c they want to be realistic and if it works out successfully, the patient may be happier with their service or clinic, thinking that they must have done a really good job. Or, maybe some docs shoot higher on the percents b/c they want patients to have faith in them and not go anywhere else. I guess, when you think about it, there is no way of knowing how they come up with these stats, it could be based on past studies, be an expert opinion, or be biased for other reasons.

Sorry this is so long, but things like this get my mind whirling. ;) Anyway, I wanted to leave you off with this note. I read that on a natural cycle, when everything is perfect, there is only a 20% chance of becoming pregnant. You have already beaten those odds with an IVF. And, in this book I recently bought, (in vitro fertilization, the A.R.T. of Making Babies) it says, "At most reputable IVF centers, the chance of a woman becoming pregnant with IVF is much greater than that of a fertile woman conceiving (without treatment) in any given month of trying." But then it also says, "Nevertheless, the couple should understand that IVF is not everything to everyone and that some women never get pregnant through IVF, no matter how many times they try." ~So again, the stats are always going to be varied.

Good luck with what you decide! :angel:

You might want to consider doing acupuncture along with IVF. There was a study that indicated women receiving acupuncture along with IVF had much higher success rates than women who just did IVF alone. Do a search and see if you can find out more about it. Best of luck to you.

I think it's almost useless to ask for success rates because a) you can't understand what the stats mean unless you know how they're counted. B) Your personal situation is very specific. You could be a great egg producer but then lose pregnancies due to an autoimmune problem or something that nobody tests for in advance. Or you

In general it's around a 30% chance of pregnancy and if successful a 25% chance of twins. But that's just a benchmark.

So I would not clinic-shop for statistics. I would clinic-shop for how you get treated, what protocols they use, how much due dilligence they'll do beforehand, etc.

And after you talk to a clinic, feel free to post here and see what other patients think about what you're being told.

Also, I am sure some clinics make there success rates sound higher than they really are, so we try using them. Anyway, as I said to my dh when he asked about the odds of success, I don't care if there is a 95% success rate cause this is too personal. What if you are in the 5 % that didn't get pregnant...
In general, IVF has the best odds of pregnancy...
suzanne

wise words ladies....... :)