Art procedures can result in successful outcomes for many infertile couples. To get a better understanding of how success rates for ART procedures are determined, it is important to talk to your physician. You should discuss with your physician the factors that influence the success of ART and how these rates are defined.
Success rates for ART procedures are significantly influenced by:
- Cause of infertility
- Woman's age
- Response to ovarian stimulation
- Number of embryos or zygotes transferred
- Transfer and use of cryopreserved embryos
- Population used to calculate the success rate
- Sperm quality
Summary of commonly used ART procedures for various patient types:
| IVF | GIFT | ZIFT | ICSI | Oocyte donation (with healthy sperm) |
| Women with 1 or 2 unobstructed fallopian tubes | X | X | X |  | |
| Women over 40 years of age with unobstructed fallopian tubes | | X | | | X |
| Women with severe tubal disease | X | | | | |
| Men with healthy sperm | X | X | X | | X |
| Male factor infertility | X | | X | X | |
| Unexplained infertility | X | X | X | | |
| Women with absent ovarian function | | | | | X |
Given the number of variable affecting success rates and the potential for confusion, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recognized that certain guidelines were needed. The ASRM publishes a clinic-specific ART report every two years. Patients may order this report from ASRM for a fee of $20.00. The data is compiled from registered clinics and provides the following information:
- Number of ovarian stimulation cycles started
- Number of oocyte retrievals attempted
- Number of women who became pregnant
- Number of women who delivered live babies
Clinics are also responsible for obtaining informed consent from patients. The informed consent must delineate the following:
- Program's own experience with specific procedures
- Number of times the clinic has performed specific procedures
- Length of time the clinic has been performing specific procedures
- Previous and current success rates for specific procedures
This information can be quite confusing, so do not be concerned if you are puzzled. It may be helpful for you to write down your questions or concerns. Your health-care provider or clinic staff will welcome open discussion with you.