Recently, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART) launched a new tool to help women considering IVF (in vitro fertilization combined with embryo transfer, or IVF) predict their success rates with IVF. The Web-based SART Patient Predictor tool collects data from more than 320,000 women who have undergone 500,000 IVF cycles to create an algorithm that allows potential patients to see their chances of having a live birth through IVF. The tool uses a series of basic data to arrive at a determination, including age, height, weight, previous pregnancy history, and any known diagnosis prescribed by a reproductive endocrinologist (or infertility specialist). Patient Predictor allows the affected person to estimate her chances of obtaining a child after 1, 2 or 3 IVF cycles. “For most people, just one try may not be enough.” says Dr. Jim Toner, SART president and a reproductive endocrinologist specializing in infertility at the Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine. He credits Patient Predictor with changing the process of doing studies for potential IVF patients, “People can see with this tool, do I have the stamina to last three times? About when will I be done?” People choose to do IVF for a variety of reasons, some of which are genetic issues, low sperm counts, blocked fallopian tubes, etc., and others are young professional women, Toner notes, adding that since most women’s fertility naturally decreases after age 35, the SART Patient Predictor gives them a new way to find out without anxiety. With new developments in egg freezing technology, “we don’t have to tell a 33-year-old woman that she has to find a husband right away or it’s a hassle.” He says. Instead, a woman can choose to freeze her eggs and delay conception, thus solving the problem. Toner lists the main bases used by the SART Patient Predicto tool’s prediction algorithm that you can look at if you want to measure your IVF success: i. Age Age is one of the most critical factors in measuring a woman’s suitability for IVF. On the one hand, for women who are under 35 or even 38 years old, the likelihood of getting pregnant using IVF is about 50/50, Toner says, contrary to a common perception that misinterprets IVF success rates at that age to be only 20-30 percent. On the other hand, some women in their 40s think IVF is effective, but in reality IVF may not be as easy as they think. They may have better results if they choose donor eggs. II. Weight While not all women who are underweight or overweight have difficulty conceiving, some of them do have some impact. According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), a BMI (Body Mass Index) of 18.5 or lower (underweight) may lead to irregular menstrual cycles and the cessation of ovulation. Also, women with a BMI indicating obesity may have irregular menstrual cycles and pro-ovulation. Therefore, women with a BMI of 29 or higher should see a doctor to check the hormonal status associated with ovulation. In addition, many weight-related problems may be associated with certain underlying conditions, such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), diabetes or thyroid disease – all of which can affect a woman’s fertility. It is also important to note that obese women have lower IVF success rates and higher miscarriage rates. Third, the number of embryos transferred Toner notes that while triplets and quadruplets are not generally obtained through IVF these days, twins are still common. Although parents think twins mean wearing the same clothes and using a double stroller, twin pregnancies and births actually carry considerable risk in some areas, such as quadruple the risk of cerebral palsy, speech delays, learning disabilities and more. How many embryos will be transferred in any given IVF cycle?Toner says he wishes Patient Predictor would show patients, “Just one at a time, and some times one is even better.” And, “It’s common that putting back one embryo at a time has a better chance of getting pregnant than putting back two embryos at a time.” IV. previous pregnancy history There is a type of woman who is able to get pregnant but always miscarries before the fetus is full term, and they are another type of infertility that has a higher IVF success rate than those women who never conceive. According to Resolve of the National Infertility Association, “infertility is defined as 2 or more consecutive miscarriages.” Resolve recommends that women who have undergone multiple miscarriages should visit a hospital to check hormone levels, the thickness and health of the uterine lining for underlying uterine structural abnormalities, potential chromosomal problems such as chromosomal aneuploidy, ectopic and inversions. All of these conditions will produce fewer embryos than those with intact and healthy chromosomes, and they can all lead to miscarriage, as well as serious infant health problems. V. Infertility Diagnosis There are many kinds of conditions that lead patients to consider IVF, and for most, they go to a fertility doctor for help. “They’ve tried to work it out on their own, but obviously none of them have worked,” Toner says. “In these cases, usually, if their initial diagnosis doesn’t reveal anything too obvious about the abnormality, we try simple means such as using Clomid (an ovulation-inducing drug) or artificial insemination.” IVF is often used for those who carry a genetic disorder, “so that we can screen the embryos and not put back the ones that have more hidden problems.” He said. For patients diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) or ovulation disorders and unable to conceive through minimally invasive surgery, IVF has a relatively high success rate because the procedure addresses the problem by obtaining an egg, producing an embryo, and then transferring it to an otherwise healthy uterus.