How do I compare clinic success rates?
The short answer
Clinic success rates are real but easy to misread, because they depend heavily on which patients a clinic accepts. Compare rates for your age group and diagnosis, and ask about cancellation rates.
What to know
- National data by clinic is published and free to look at.
- A clinic that declines difficult cases will show better headline numbers.
- Live birth per cycle started is a fairer measure than per transfer.
- Ask what proportion of cycles are cancelled and why.
- Ask how they handle a cycle that isn't going well — that answer tells you a lot.
Read the full explanation
By data first, and by how they treat you second. Both matter.
The data
In the U.S., IVF clinics report outcomes to the CDC and to SART. Look up the clinic's live birth rate per retrieval or per transfer for your age group, and how many cycles they do a year. Be careful comparing clinics on raw numbers: a clinic that takes on harder cases can have lower rates and still be excellent. Use the data to ask questions, not to rank.
The conversation
Do they explain your situation in plain language? Do they answer your questions directly, including about costs and what happens if it doesn't work? Do they test both partners? Do they share success rates for people like you rather than clinic averages? Do you leave knowing what happens next?
The logistics
How monitoring is scheduled, who you talk to between visits, how quickly they respond, and whether their financial team will check your coverage before you commit. These decide what the experience is actually like.
Red flags
Pressure to start immediately, reluctance to share their outcomes, recommending IVF or add-ons before a basic evaluation is complete, and dismissing your questions.
What the guidance says
Not rated, deliberately. This is an administrative subject, not a clinical one, so there is no research to grade. Rules vary by plan and place — confirm what applies to you.
Questions for your doctor
Edit any of these before you add it — they're yours. Your list stays in this browser, and you can print a one-page sheet from it.
- How do your success rates break down for my age group and diagnosis?
- Can you share success rates for patients like me, rather than clinic averages?
- What proportion of your cycles are cancelled, and why?