What are my chances of success?

Clearly, not all couples have an equal chance of achieving pregnancy. The most important factors currently known to influence success rates are as follows:

1. The age of the female partner is the most important factor. The older the female partner the less the chances of success. Unfortunately, as shown in the graph below, pregnancy rates are very low for women past their fortieth birthday.

This graph, compiled from Westmead Fertility Centre data since 1994, shows livebirth rate per egg collection cycle declines according to the age of the female partner. It is notable that livebirth rates after 43 years are less than one percent.

2. Where the woman has been pregnant before, chances of success are increased, particularly if the woman has conceived through assisted reproduction.

3. The success rate is slightly lower if the couple have already been through a large number of unsuccessful cycles.

Estimated chances of success

* Please note, in accordance with nationwide published data, Westmead Fertility Centre has had no ongoing pregnancies in patients greater than or equal to 45 years.

What do these figures mean?

It is important to remember that under natural circumstances (without assisted reproduction); the chance of any couple achieving pregnancy after trying for one month is only about 25%. However, if a couple who have no fertility problems keep on trying, the cumulative chance of pregnancy increases to about 85% after 12 months. Similarly, with IVF, the overall chance of achieving a pregnancy increases with the number of treatment cycles completed. Information compiled from experience since IVF began in Australia shows the chance of a healthy birth increases to over 60% after six completed cycles of treatment. The chance of success is similar in repeated treatment cycles and many couples eventually achieve a successful pregnancy in another attempt.