2004 National Summary Table | 2004 National Summary Accessible Table

A woman’s chances of having a pregnancy and a live birth by using ART are influenced by many factors, some of which (e.g., the woman’s age, the cause of infertility) are outside a clinic’s control. Because the national data set includes information on many of these factors, it can give potential ART users an idea of their average chances of success. Average chances, however, do not necessarily apply to a particular individual or couple. People considering ART should consult their physician to discuss all the factors that apply in their particular case.

The data for this national report come from the 411 fertility clinics in operation in 2004 that provided and verified data on the outcomes of all ART cycles started in their clinics. The 127,977 ART cycles performed at these reporting clinics in 2004 resulted in 36,760 live births (deliveries of one or more living infants) and 49,458 infants.

The national report consists of graphs and charts that use 2004 data to answer specific questions related to ART success rates. These figures are organized according to the type of ART procedure used. Some ART procedures use a woman’s own eggs, and others use donated eggs or embryos. (Although sperm used to create an embryo also may be either from a woman’s partner or from a sperm donor, information in this report is presented according to the source of the egg.) In some procedures, the embryos that develop are transferred back to the woman (fresh embryo transfer); in others, the embryos are frozen (cryopreserved) for transfer at a later date. This report includes data on frozen embryos that were thawed and transferred in 2004.

The national report has five sections:

• Section 1 (Figures 1 through 4) presents information from all ART procedures reported.
• Section 2 (Figures 5 through 37) presents information on the ART cycles that used only
  fresh embryos from nondonor eggs or, in a few cases, a mixture of fresh and frozen embryos from nondonor eggs (94,242 cycles resulting in 76,533 transfers).
• Section 3 (Figures 38 and 39) presents information on the ART cycles that used only frozen embryos from nondonor eggs (18,560 cycles resulting in 16,795 transfers).
• Section 4  (Figures 40 through 44) presents information on the ART cycles that used only donated eggs or embryos (15,175 cycles resulting in 13,722 transfers).
• Section 5 (Figures 45 through 56) presents trends in the number of ART procedures and success rates from 1996 through 2004.