Success Rates

Egg Donation

Optimal success rates depend on three main factors: age of the donor, the health of the recipient's uterus and the number of fertilized eggs (embryos) transferred to the recipient's uterus. The results are best for donors less than 33 years of age. In fact there is some evidence that the younger the donor is the better the chances of success. Usually the recipient's uterus is found to be healthy or can be restored to normal but, on occasion, a problem may preclude success. The medical program we work with usually recommends placing only two or three good quality embryos into a recipient's uterus at the time of transfer. Two embryo transfers produce an approximate 45% chance of a successful pregnancy while three embryo transfers succeed close to 60% of the time. Three embryo transfers carry a greater risk of twins and also open the door to triplet pregnancies, which is why about one third of recipients elect the lesser number for transfer. The age of the recipient is not a big factor with egg donation success rates, at least not until age 50 and beyond. [Learn more about egg donation.]

Frozen Embryo Transfers

With egg donation, two or more extra good quality embryos remain after the transfer in about 70% of cases. These can be frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored for months or years. About 75% of embryos survive the freezing and thaw procedures and can be transferred later on. An embryo that comes through the thaw process intact will have just as good a chance of establishing a viable pregnancy as a "fresh" or unfrozen one. Therefore success rates with frozen embryo transfer cycles are very good, ranging from 30-50% per try, depending on the number of embryos available for thawing. Pregnancies established with previously frozen embryos are just as likely as fresh embryo transfers to produce successful pregnancies and healthy babies. [Learn more about frozen embryo transfers.]

Gestational Surrogacy

Here the same factors determine success rates as with egg donation except that under optimal circumstances this process yields the highest pregnancy rates ever produced with the in vitro fertilization process: a 70% chance of successful pregnancy per try. By "optimal" circumstances we mean the surrogate is healthy, less than 40 years old, has delivered at least one baby before and the age of the woman providing the eggs is 32 years old or younger. [Learn more about gestational surrogacy.]

In Vitro Fertilization

The results of "conventional" in vitro fertilization (IVF) are heavily dependent on the female partner's age. They range from a 45% chance of birth per IVF cycle for women less than age 35 (and who have a normal egg supply) to 1% per cycle (at best) for women aged 45 or older. In between are a 30-35% per try success rate for women between 35 and 39 and 25% per try for ages 40-44. These figures assume a normal uterus and an egg supply normal for age. [Learn more about in vitro fertilization.]