Will we get a baby?

All couples with fertility problems want to know their chance of success with infertility treatments. This can be difficult to answer, because it depends on what is meant by ‘success’. Does this mean achieving a pregnancy or having a live born baby, and should it take account of the possibility that some forms of treatment may need to be abandoned if they are not going well?
The chance of success also depends on the time-span involved and on how many cycles of treatment are undertaken. A 30 per cent chance of pregnancy within two or three months might be very acceptable, whereas a 30 per cent chance within two or three years would not be. There may be a number of different treatments for a couple to consider and the chance of success for each should be compared with their chance of conceiving naturally, as most couples have low fertility rather than sterility.

The experience and skill of the doctors, nurses and scientists involved in providing a fertility treatment will influence the chance of success. There can also be wide variations between different clinics. Is your chance of success based on the results in the clinic you are attending, on published results from other clinics or on nationally collected results?

Most importantly, a couple’s chance of success will depend on their unique situation. Factors to consider include: their ages (particularly the woman’s age); the cause of their low fertility; how carefully and thoroughly they have been investigated; whether there is more than one cause for their low fertility; the length of time that they have been trying for a pregnancy; whether they have successfully conceived in the past; their general health; and lifestyle factors such as smoking and stress. Any couple considering fertility treatment needs to know that the information that they are given about their chance of success is realistic and takes account of all these factors.