Many couples in Australia resort to the miracle of IVF to achieve their dream of having a baby. All hope for success after one or two cycles. Despite the well publicised successes, for many the reality is that repeated IVF cycles have to be undertaken. Disappointment, frustration and large medical bills can bring the dream to an end.

A recent large study gives us a picture of the cumulative success rates of IVF cycles (JAMA, Dec. 2015: vol 314. No.24). The bottom line is that persistence will be rewarded!

In the study, ‘one’ IVF cycle was defined as ‘one episode of ovarian stimulation, followed by the transfer of fresh and subsequently any frozen embryos obtained from that stimulation process’. There were almost 260,000 cycles in 160,000 women. The average age at first attempt was 35.

One IVF cycle resulted in a live baby for 33% of women under age 40 using their own eggs . The cumulative rate for 6 cycles was 68%. There were further live births up to 9 cycles.

For women 40-42 years old, 12% delivered a baby from the first cycle. The cumulative rate for 6 cycles was 32% and further successes occurred to the 9th cycle.

For women over 42 the results were abysmal. Only 4% achieved their dream of taking home a baby from the first cycle. The cumulative rate was also very poor. Very sad!

This study gives infertile couples realistic no-nonsense outcome stats for IVF.