Understanding what the numbers actually mean
Fertility statistics are easy to publish and hard to interpret. This page explains how IVF outcomes are measured, what our laboratory data shows, and why the honest answer to “what are my chances” always begins with your own evaluation.
Who we treat changes what the numbers mean
Before any statistic is useful, you need to know which patients it describes. A clinic that treats mostly straightforward cases and a clinic that treats mostly complex ones will report very different figures while doing equally good work. Life IVF has cared for patients since 2009, and a substantial share arrive after a diagnosis or a cycle elsewhere that did not go the way they hoped.
Our caseload skews toward harder diagnoses
These figures describe the diagnoses our patients present with, not their outcomes. They are here so you can judge every other number on this page in context.
Share of patients presenting with each factor, compared with national ART figures.
Sources: Life IVF internal diagnosis data, 2024. National figures: CDC National ART Summary Report, 2018 (diminished ovarian reserve 30.4%, ovulatory dysfunction 13.4%, uterine factor 6.0%). Diagnosis categories follow CDC/NASS definitions. Percentages exceed 100% because patients may present with more than one factor. National comparator year (2018) differs from Life IVF reporting year (2024); most recent published CDC national data at time of writing.
Why seven follicles is not seven embryos
The most common misunderstanding in IVF is assuming that what you start with is what you finish with. Every stage of the process loses some proportion of what came before, and that is normal biology rather than a sign something went wrong. Knowing the shape of that drop-off in advance is the difference between a difficult surprise and an expected step.
Illustrative example only, shown to explain the stages of the process. These figures are not Life IVF results, not an average, and not a prediction. Your own numbers depend on age, diagnosis, ovarian reserve, and protocol, and will be discussed with you directly.
Where a laboratory makes a difference
Two measures describe how well a laboratory converts eggs into usable embryos: how many mature eggs fertilize, and how many of those embryos reach the blastocyst stage. These are process measures rather than pregnancy outcomes, and they are among the few figures a clinic can report about its own work with precision.
Proportion of mature eggs that fertilize successfully.
Sources: Life IVF laboratory data, 2024, [n = cycles]. Benchmark: Vienna Consensus competency value for conventional IVF insemination, ESHRE Special Interest Group of Embryology and Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine, 2017 (~60%). Citation: Reprod Biomed Online 2017;35(5):494-510.
Proportion of fertilized eggs that develop to the blastocyst stage.
Sources — CONFIRM BEFORE PUBLISHING: Life IVF laboratory data, 2024, [n = cycles]. Benchmark: Vienna Consensus, ESHRE/Alpha 2017. TWO possible benchmarks depending on definition used for the 37% figure — confirm with embryology which applies: (a) blastocyst formation rate (any blastocyst, ungraded): competency ≥40%; or (b) good-quality blastocyst rate (graded): competency ≥30%. Do not publish until this is confirmed, since it changes whether Life IVF reads above or below benchmark.
Lower stimulation, lower risk
Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome is the most significant short-term complication of IVF stimulation. Our approach uses lower medication doses than conventional high-stimulation protocols, and our observed rate reflects that.
Observed rate among stimulation cycles.
Sources: Life IVF internal safety data, 2024, [n = cycles], all-grade OHSS (mild, moderate, and severe combined). National rate: American Society for Reproductive Medicine, “Prevention of Moderate and Severe Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome” practice guideline, 2023 — moderate-to-severe OHSS reported at 1–5% of IVF cycles; 1% (conservative end of range) shown here.
The same clinic looks different depending on what you divide by
Success rates are fractions, and the denominator changes the answer more than almost anything else. When you compare two clinics, confirm you are comparing the same measure.
Per cycle start
Counts everyone who begins stimulation, including cycles later cancelled. The most conservative measure and usually the lowest number.
Per retrieval
Counts patients who reached egg retrieval. Excludes cancelled cycles, so it reads higher than per cycle start.
Per transfer
Counts only patients who had an embryo to transfer. Excludes anyone who did not reach that stage, so it reads highest of the three.
Cumulative per retrieval
Counts all transfers arising from a single egg retrieval. Often the measure closest to the question patients are actually asking.
Age band matters
Outcomes vary sharply with age. A blended figure across all ages tells you very little about your own situation.
Ask for the denominator
Any clinic should be able to tell you exactly which patients a published figure includes. If that is unclear, the number cannot be compared.
Official reported outcomes
Verified outcome data for every SART member clinic in the United States, including ours, is published in the SART Clinic Summary Report. We encourage you to review it directly.
View the SART Clinic Summary Report
A comparison of clinic success rates may not be personally applicable because patient medical characteristics, treatment approaches, and entry criteria for ART may vary from clinic to clinic.
PGT-A DISCLAIMER — include only if any figure above is PGT-A derived: These results only include embryos that were biopsied and deemed suitable for transfer. It does not capture cycles that were canceled or resulted in embryos that were not suitable for transfer. Some patients had no embryos to transfer.
Figures on this page describe our patient population, laboratory process measures, and observed safety data. They are not predictions and not guarantees. Individual results vary based on age, diagnosis, and clinical circumstances. Any figure relevant to your care will be discussed with you during your evaluation.
The only number that matters is yours
A consultation gives you an assessment based on your own ovarian reserve, history, and diagnosis rather than a published average. Consultations are free at both our Irvine and Arcadia locations.