# Depressing Article in Body & Soul Section of The Times 19th July 2008



## SarahPooh (Nov 7, 2006)

On the front page of The Times Body & Soul Supplement on Saturday was a great big picture of an egg surrounded by sperm and a headline that said something like "What Happens When IVF Fails" - I read it and found it very upsetting because it repeatedly said/implied that there is only a 25% success rate with IVF and I definitely got the impression that each couple/woman undergoing IVF only has a 25% chance of IVF EVER working for them.  Have I got it wrong, because I have always thought there is an average success rate of 25% per CYCLE not per person and that takes into account everyone whatever their age/fertility problem etc?  Surely it's not still only a 25% chance of success if you have, say, 5 cycles and are producing 2 grade 1 embryos?  I feel really upset by this article, it is really NOT what I needed to see at the moment (on the 2WW of my third IVF/ICSI cycle)


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## Caz (Jul 21, 2002)

Sarah 

Yes I think it's a misleading headline and a very depressing article and possibly even irresponsible reporting (can't comment having not seen it in full). 
As far as I know the national PER CYCLE rate for IVF is 25%. This figure is taken from the HFEA clinic statistics for live births and, due to the way it is reported it's up to 3 years out of date (in fact, on their website the latest data is from 2005 which is shockingly out of date if you ask me!  ) Then there is variation depending on your clinic's own success rates and your own specific case, quality of your embryos and the environment (i.e. your uterus) in which they will grow so, individually, your own possible success rate could be much higher - for instance, my clinic once quoted an average (across all relevant patients) 75% pregnancy rate with fresh blastocyst transfers!  

I remember when we were first embarking on the process of IVF I read some statstics about assisted conception that said that 75% of couples who embark upon treatment will end up with a baby. That applies when you start looking at a course of treatments rather than as a one off cycle. So, if you think of IVF as something you may have to have a few goes at to start with, you stand a really good chance (3 out of 4) of hitting the jackpot in the end. Of course your per cycle rate doesn't change but if you think of it as at least a 1 in 4 chance sounds a much more positive way to think of it than only 25%. 

If it helps, I moderate on cycle buddies and I have been keeping statistics for pregnancy rates over the course of a year or so and the pregnancy rate on the last group I calculated (April/May - I am a bit behind) was a staggering 54%. They've been hovering around the 30-40% mark for about a year now. Obviously pregnancy rates and live birth rates are not the same (sorry, I know that's not a particularly happy thought or nice way to put it but really can't think of a more delicate turn of phrase) and the data is not clinically robust enough to stand close scrutiny but, even as a very small sample it's much more encouraging to see statistics like that than ones that seem to suggest you are doomed to failure.

I believe any article that is focussing on the negative experiences of people who have undergone and failed via assisted conception, is going to play up the downside of it to a greater degree, particulraly as it is the "tragedy" of the human story which will make the article interesting reading. That is not to belittle those who have contributed to it or who find themseleves in that place at the end of the fertility treadmill with no baby to show but, bear in mind there really is no such thing as completely non-sensationalist journalism.

I suggest you avoid all negative influence for the remainder of your 2ww and focus on spreading  to your little ones on the inside. 

Loads of luck! 

C~x


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## SarahPooh (Nov 7, 2006)

Dear Caz,

Thank you very much for your wise words - you have made me feel a LOT better.  Thank you very much again - I am thinking about being PUPO as little as possible and just concentrating on enjoying my two weeks off work, staying happy and relaxed!

Many thanks again 

SarahP xxx


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