IVF success rates are a tricky subject as they will vary widely depending on your individual circumstances (age, fertility issue etc.). Most clinics will quote a success rate. However, be careful when comparing these success rates as they can be calculated in different ways. The most meaningful number is the one that compares the number of life births to the number of IVF cycles started. Still, some clinics instead use the number of births per completed embryo transfer (which does not include those IVF cycles in which no viable eggs were recovered or no healthy embryos developed) or even the number of pregnancies related to the IVF-cycles. In the last case, the resulting pregnancy might still have ended in miscarriage.
Success rates depend to a large extent on the age of the woman as egg quality generally declines with age. The success rate is also dependent on what the underlying fertility problem is. If blocked fallopian tubes are the only problem, performing IVF will largely eliminate the problem and the pregnancy rate should be close to the normal one. Also, a decreased number of sperm and/or sperm with limited motility do not pose a huge problem if IVF (maybe in combination with ICSI) is performed. If, on the other hand, the cause for infertility is unknown or if there are several problems at the same time (for example low sperm quality and blocked fallopian tubes) the chances for a successful pregnancy decrease.
According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the official licensing organ for UK fertility clinics, overall success rates when using IVF decrease from around 31% for women under the age of 35 to about 11% for women between 40 and 42. HFEA also publishes “life birth rates” for all licensed clinics. These rates however can only be a guide to a clinic’s performance. They do NOT predict success rates for an individual couple. No actual predictions can be made; however, talking to your doctor may help you to get an idea of what the likelihood of success in your case may be.
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