IVF success rate 'variable

There are wide variations in success rates for treating infertility across the UK, with chances of achieving a live birth from a treatment cycle at IVF clinics ranging from 50% to 10%, according to figures published today.

However, the percentage of IVF treatment cycles which result in a birth is rising, according to the human fertilisation and embryology authority, which said between April 2000 and March 2001, 21.8% of IVF treatment cycles resulted in a birth, compared with 19.5% in 1998-99.

It also emerged that a growing proportion of women starting in vitro fertilisation treatment are aged 38 or older.

For women under 38, the success rate in 2000-01 was 25.1%, compared with a success rate of 22.1% in 1998-99.

In 1998-99, 22% of IVF cycles involved women aged above 38, whereas in 2000-01 the proportion was 25%.

HFEA chairwoman Suzi Leather said although patients are anxious to compare the most up-to-date success rates of licensed centres, it was important that the data was not seen as the basis for "league tables".

She said: "Some clinics appear to have lower success results because they treat particularly difficult cases where the chance of pregnancy is low.

"If you are trying to decide which clinic is best for you, you need to ask what their success rate is for couples about your age with problems similar to you."

The HFEA data includes combined success rates for both IVF, which is when the egg and sperm are placed together in a dish or test tube, and for intra cytoplastmic sperm injection, which is when a single sperm is injected into an egg.

The clinic achieving the highest success rate for these two methods in 2000-01 was the Assisted Reproduction and Gynaecology Centre in London. Its live birth rate for women under 38 was 46.7% and was 39.9% for women of all ages.

The second highest rate was at University College hospital in London with rates of 45.4% for under 38-year-olds and 39.1% for those of all ages.

The HFEA also today published figures for clinics offering donor insemination, which is when donated sperm is implanted into the woman.

In 2000-01 the Isis fertility centre in Colchester achieved the highest live birth rates per treatment cycle for donor insemination.

It achieved success rates of 31.3% for women under 38 and 33.3% for women of all ages. Today's figures are only provisional as they have not yet been audited, but the HFEA said it was reasonably confident they were accurate.