Over the course of 27 years, Shady Grove Fertility has helped bring 50,000 babies and counting into the world.
While not all of these babies were the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF), IVF is a very popular and effective fertility treatment. Many celebrities thank IVF for making their dream of parenthood come true—Chrissy Teigen, Kim Kardashian, Michelle Obama, and Mariah Carey, just to name a few.
And it’s not just celebrities. Maybe you have a friend, family member, or coworker who has used IVF to start or grow a family. As you see IVF procedures working for so many, you naturally begin to wonder, “Will IVF work for me?”
Let’s explore.
Because each case of infertility brings with it its own challenges, it’s important to remember that no two patients will have the same experience with IVF. Ultimately, the likelihood that IVF will work for you isn’t the same as the likelihood that IVF will work for your neighbor, your coworker, or even your sister.
Your success with IVF will depend on a number of factors unique to you. Fortunately though, at SGF, the resounding answer for the majority is “YES,” IVF does work for most patients, as IVF is a highly effective treatment whose success rates continue to improve steadily.
To reliably predict success, however, we need to take factors specific to each patient into consideration. Fortunately, at Shady Grove Fertility, we have a full-time research team analyzing our internal data and continually refining prediction techniques. In fact, we are one of the only fertility centers in the nation to have a dedicated research department. A key member of this department, Kate Devine, M.D., Director of Research who sees patients out of SGF’s Washington D.C., K Street office, walks us through our prediction methods and explores the reasons why you can trust the counsel our dependable doctors provide.
SGF Predicts Success with IVF Using a Customized Prediction Method
The prediction of success you receive from a Shady Grove Fertility doctor won’t be the same as one you would receive from another clinic. We use a customized predictive model, known as PRISM (Predictive Response to IVF Success Model).
Unlike methods used by many other fertility centers, PRISM analyzes success rates using factors specific to you, that are known to be independent predictors of IVF success.
Based on 15,000 treatment cycles from 10,000 SGF patients since 2009, PRISM leverages our own outcomes to determine probability, offering patients tremendous value and insight when making difficult treatment decisions. The use of internal data is critical because the probability of IVF success depends substantially on the specific IVF lab where the procedure was performed. Because the success rate of our lab will be different from the success rate at a lab down the street, our model relies on data gathered from prior patients who have gone through IVF in one of our labs. Most other labs use national data that is non-specific to any one lab’s protocols and technological capabilities.
“SGF prides itself on being transparent with patients by providing each patient with the most current information about treatment options along with the probability of a successful pregnancy associated with each option,” says Dr. Devine. “By providing personalized, evidence-based predictions to patients, we aim to help couples move through the IVF process with as much clarity as possible,” says Devine.
SGF Predicts Success with IVF Using Multi-factored Calculations
When you decide to begin treatment with us, your doctor will discuss your treatment options and the likelihood of a successful pregnancy associated with each. You’ll discuss this early on, as soon as you have completed all testing. Often, the discussion of treatment counseling and treatment success occurs on your second visit.
To prepare a customized prediction of success, your doctor will input your testing results into our predictive model. This predictor considers an assortment of factors that contribute to the likelihood of IVF success, including (but not limited to):
- Age of female patient
- Ovarian reserve
- Female body mass index (BMI)
- Semen analysis
- Characterization of the uterus
SGF Predicts Success with IVF and Answers Multiple Patient Questions
The question you’re probably most eager to get an answer to is, “What’s the likelihood I’ll take home a baby?”
But that’s not all PRISM will inform.
Our team uses the data provided by our prediction method to help you plan not only for this baby, but also for the next. In addition to uncovering your likelihood of pregnancy via IVF, predictions provided by this model will answer questions, such as:
- What’s the risk that we won’t be able to extract enough eggs to complete the cycle?
- How much medication will be necessary to stimulate egg development?
- How many eggs will we be able to retrieve?
- What percentage of my retrieved eggs will mature enough for use?
- How many surplus embryos will we have available to freeze, for future pregnancy attempts if we wish?
- What is my likelihood of a live birth?
SGF’s Predictive Model Allows for Continued Exploration
As technology changes and we gather even more current data, success rates will invariably change. As these rates change, so does PRISM. Our full-time research team allows us to regularly revisit and revise this tool to ensure that the data you are given today is reflective of the most up-to-date information available.
The use of internal data to create structured predictive models isn’t universal in the field of reproductive technology. While some fertility centers can provide individualized predictions like those you would receive from Shady Grove Fertility, most do not.
SGF’s Predictive Model Provides Answers and Offers Choices
The uncertainty you’re likely facing because of infertility can be overwhelming.
While we, unfortunately, can’t tell you that opting for a certain procedure will definitively result in you adding a baby to your family, we do prioritize giving you answers you can trust.
“No prediction method can offer a guarantee, and conditions—especially female age if she’s using her own eggs—affect outcomes significantly. The advantage to our patients is our vast experience having performed more than 65,000 ART cycles since our practice began in 1991; we can fine tune and personalize the treatment protocol with precision to maximize effectiveness,” adds Dr. Devine.
Visit us today for a customized plan to parenthood and a dependable prediction of success.
Regardless of the prediction you receive, it’s important to us that you know what to expect so you can make the most informed decisions as you map out your next steps.
Medical Contribution by: Kate Devine, M.D., of Shady Grove Fertility’s Washington, D.C., K Street Office
To learn more about IVF at Shady Grove Fertility or to schedule an appointment, please contact one of our New Patient Liaisons at 1-877-971-7755 or complete this simple form.
