Cumulative probability of live birth after three in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection cycles.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the probability of live birth after three available in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF/ICSI) cycles.


METHODS
Retrospective, observational study.


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
Nine hundred seventy-four couples who started their first conventional IVF or ICSI cycle between January 1996 and December 1997. A total of 1985 stimulated cycles were initiated.


METHODS
Analysis of the cumulative live birth rate using the life-table approach with and without taking dropouts into account.


METHODS
Cumulative live birth rate.


RESULTS
The overall cumulative live birth rate after three completed stimulated cycles (including freezing/thawing cycles) was 65.5% with an "optimistic" approach. For the "realistic" and "pessimistic" approaches the corresponding figures were 63.1% and 55.5%, respectively. Unexpectedly, 65% of couples not achieving a live birth interrupted the full treatment program of three cycles.


CONCLUSIONS
The cumulative live birth rate gives the couple a more accurate prognosis of achieving a live birth after IVF/ICSI than the statistics usually provided. With the "realistic" estimation, 63% of the couples achieved childbirth after three available conventional IVF or ICSI cycles. Further studies are required to investigate the high drop-out rate.
Olivius
Katarina
K
Center for Reproductive Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
Friden
Barbro
B
Lundin
Kersti
K
Bergh
Christina
C
D000328:Adult; D001723:Birth Rate; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007246:Infertility / Q000628:therapy*; D015993:Life Tables; D008297:Male; D010062:Ovulation Induction; D010352:Patient Dropouts; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020554:Sperm Injections, Intracytoplasmic; D013548:Sweden