Probability of Success of an In Vitro Fertilization Program

Abstract

About 9 to 15% of couples have difficulty in conceiving a child, i.e., do not conceive within 12 months of attempting pregnancy (Boivin et al. 2007). In response to subfertility, assisted reproductive technology has developed over the last 30 years, resulting in in vitro fertilization (IVF) techniques (the first “test-tube baby” was born in 1978). Nowadays, more than 40,000 IVF cycles are performed each year in France and more than 63,000 in the USA (Adamson et al. 2006). Yet, how to quantify the success in assisted reproduction still remains a matter of debate. One could, for instance, rely on the number of pregnancies or deliveries per IVF cycle. However, an IVF program often consists of several successive IVF cycles. So, instead of considering each IVF cycle separately, one could rather rely on an evaluation of the whole program. IVF programs are emotionally and physically burdensome. Providing the patients with the most adequate and accurate measure of success is therefore an important issue that we propose to address in this chapter.