Reporting of fertility clinic success rates was mandated by the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act of 1992. The 1996 report indicates that a woman's age is one of the most important factors in determining whether she will have a live birth with ART using her own eggs. The overall success rate for live births among women using their own eggs begins to decline in their early thirties and declines more sharply from the mid-thirties onward. This report recorded no pregnancies after the age of 46, but the number of women who have received ART at this age is very small. Dr. Wilcox urges caution in comparing clinics.
Success rates depend on many factors besides the competency of the clinic.
Success largely depends on the age of the woman, the cause of infertility and previous births. The ART website is part of a new reproductive health website unveiled by CDC last week. The site also links to governmental and selected nongovernmental websites relating to reproductive health.