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IVF Success — Medicine vs Marketing
Evidence-based · Patient-friendly

IVF Success: Medicine vs Marketing

How to read clinic claims: pregnancy vs live birth, own vs donor eggs, and fresh vs frozen (FET). Transparency matters — here’s what to ask and why.

IVF success rates live birth rate clinic transparency NRAR (Czech Registry) FET & IUI outcomes donor vs own eggs
A common myth: “Success” = pregnancy. In patient care, success means a live birth.

1 Clinics should clearly disclose

  • Biochemical pregnancy (hCG test)
  • Clinical pregnancy (heartbeat)
  • Live birth rate — per cycle and per transfer
  • Breakdown: own eggs vs donor eggs
  • Fresh vs frozen embryo transfer (FET)
  • Intrauterine insemination (IUI) outcomes reported separately

2 Avoid vague or exaggerated claims

  • “Our success rate is 90%.” → Ask: success defined how? (pregnancy or live birth?)
  • “Best in the region.” → Ask for independent source and comparison method.
  • “Up to …%.” → Request age breakdown and denominator (intention-to-treat).
  • “Guaranteed results.” → No ethical clinic guarantees pregnancy or birth.
“90% of our patients get pregnant.”
How good marketing can mislead patients
  • Is “success” a positive test, clinical pregnancy, or a live birth?
  • Which patients are counted — donor eggs only? Which age groups?
  • Per transfer or per cycle (includes cancellations/no transfer)?

3 Why the live birth rate matters most

  • Pregnancy is not the endpoint; a healthy birth is.
  • Per cycle is more transparent than per transfer (it includes cancelled or no-transfer cycles).
  • Compare like-for-like: age, own vs donor eggs, fresh vs FET, and clinic population.

4 Real-world outcomes (Czech National Registry)

1 IVF cycle with own eggs — pregnancy vs live birth:

Age group Pregnancy Live birth
< 34 27.9% 18.8%
35–39 19.9% 12.6%
40+ 7.6% 3.1%

Source: National Registry of Assisted Reproduction (NRAR), Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (ÚZIS ČR). Year-to-year figures vary; check the latest report.

SOURCES
  1. Wilkinson, J. et al. (2017). IVF success advertising by clinics may be misleading. BMJ Open, 7(1).
  2. Rienzi, L. et al. (2021). Measuring IVF success is complex and requires an interdisciplinary approach. RBMO, 43(5), 775–778.
  3. Committee of Advertising Practice (2021). Guidance on accuracy in advertising fertility treatment. Advertising Standards Authority.
  4. Institute of Health Information and Statistics of the Czech Republic (ÚZIS ČR). Assisted Reproduction in the Czech Republic 2020.

🌐 www.aboutivf.com · Evidence-based IVF resources
This material is for information only — always consult your doctor before making decisions.