Women in their 30s and 40s who undergo multiple infertility treatments may be nearly as likely to deliver a baby as women who conceive naturally, according to new research that provides men and women with a more realistic view of their chances of becoming parents.
Until now, the success of in vitro fertilization and other assisted reproductive technology (ART) was based on live births following a single course of treatment, called a cycle. However, researchers for the first time have calculated cumulative success rates for women undergoing several treatment cycles. Among nearly 250,000 U.S. women treated with ART in 2004-2009, 57 percent achieved a live birth, they reported. In addition, 30 percent of all ART cycles were successful, they found.
“This study shows that if you keep at it …your chances of becoming pregnant continue to rise with continuing treatment,” said lead researcher Barbara Luke, a professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine in Lansing. “The takeaway message from this is you may need to look at infertility treatment over a course of cycles.”
