understanding success rates

[mahalo10]

I've been looking at success rates for IVF and keep coming back to the same question (and I am not seeing my doc for a couple weeks): if they say they have a 50% success rate, is that per embryo that is implanted? The clinic I am going to will do 2 max. Do I have a 50% chance on each one?

[LorrieS]

mahalo10 - No 50% chance overall that one will stick. Are you doing acupunture as well with your IVF treatment?

[Ghost]

I've been looking at success rates for IVF and keep coming back to the same question (and I am not seeing my doc for a couple weeks): if they say they have a 50% success rate, is that per embryo that is implanted? The clinic I am going to will do 2 max. Do I have a 50% chance on each one?

That's the "implantation rate". The implantation rate is a great measure of efficacy, but is less commonly reported to the public.

Implantation rate: The proportion of transferred embryos that result in a fetal heartbeat. Basically, the number of heartbeats divided by the number of embryos transferred.

More common are various pregnancy rates per cycle or per transfer.

Pregnancy rate: The proportion of cycles or transfers that resulted in a positive pregnancy test
Clinical pregnancy rate: The proportion of cycles or transfers that resulted in fetal heartbeats in the uterus
Ongoing pregnancy rate: The proportion of cycles or transfers that resulted in fetal heartbeats in the uterus at 10 weeks.

Live birth rate: The proportion of cycles or transfers that result in a live birth.

A high implantation rate allows a clinic to have a good success rate while transferring fewer embryos and perhaps reducing the risk of multiple pregnancy.

High pregnancy and live birth rates can be achieved by having a high implantation rate or just by transferring more embryos.

[Warren Dew]

The success rates you hear about are almost always per transfer, not per embryo. If you transfer three embryos and one takes, that counts as a full success, not 1/3 of a success.

[mahalo10]

OK, thanks for your help even though it wasn't what I was hopping to hear!

I was trying accupuncture last year. I've been reading baout it more. Maybe it is something I should do in conjunction with the IVF.