title: Assisted reproduction policies in Israel: a retrospective analysis of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze whether the results and effectiveness of the open-ended treatment with IVF in Israel justifies the policy of limitless nondonor IVF rounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  The research sample included 535 patients. The files of these patients were reviewed; data were extracted into a questionnaire, transferred into digital files, and analyzed with SPSS.
  
  
  METHODS
  IVF clinics.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred ten women who began IVF treatment in 2000 and 325 women who were in IVF treatment during 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  None.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective analysis of the success rates of live births resulting from cycles with IVF in women who started treatment in 2000, retrospective analysis of IVF results during 2010, and number of cycles in women who were in IVF treatment during 2010.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 2000 cohort, the rate of success with IVF was 54%. The success rate fell as the number of unsuccessful cycles and duration of infertility increased; age at the beginning of the treatment was influential. A similar pattern appeared in the group that was in treatment during 2010. The rate of success in the group that was in IVF treatment during 2010 was 16.6%; of the women in this group (2010, ongoing), 25% had already undergone more than five cycles and 12% of the women had already undergone more than seven cycles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although limited in scope, this study suggests that the policy of limitless nondonor IVF-ET cycles in Israel should be further examined and assessed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health System Management, Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Yezreel Valley, Israel. Electronic address: fridas@yvc.ac.il.
authors.forename: Frida
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Simonstein
authors.affiliation: Department of Health System Management, Max Stern Academic College of Emek Yezreel, Yezreel Valley, Israel.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mashiach-Eizenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Revel
authors.affiliation: Assisted Reproductive Medicine Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Poria Medical Center, Tiberias, Faculty of Medicine in Galilee, Bar-Ilan University, Safed, Israel.
authors.forename: Johnny S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Younis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004624:Embryo Transfer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007247:Infertility, Female / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D050498:Live Birth / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D019564:Unnecessary Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Assisted reproductive technologies; IVF; culture of perseverance; health care allocation; health policy