Assisted reproductive technology in the United States: 2001 results generated from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine/Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology registry

Compared with 2000, the number of reporting clinics increased in 2001, as did the number of cycles of ART (8.0%), with an increased overall probability of success. The increase in number of cycles reported is largely attributable to the increase in the number of clinics combined with an increase in numbers of treatments at many higher-volume clinics. This increased reporting activity probably relates to the implementation of the federal Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act. SART continues to work to ease the burden of ART reporting but requires all SART member clinics to report their results and participate in an on-site validation process.The overall delivery rate per transfer increased from 31.0% in 2000 to 33.1% in 2001. This represents a 2.1% absolute increase and 6.8% relative increase. Combined with a 9.0% increase in transfers, this resulted in 4,191 additional deliveries, for a 16.5% increase. The dominant adverse effect of female age on outcomes was corroborated, whereas male-factor infertility now appears to have a limited effect on outcomes because of the availability of ICSI. The number of couples receiving embryos derived from oocyte and embryo donation continues to increase (increases of 7.5% for fresh donor oocyte cycles, 17.1% for cycles with thaw of cryopreserved embryos derived from donor oocytes, and 9.8% for cycles with thaw of cryopreserved donor embryos, respectively).

Comments

This activity report for the year 2001 is the sixth in which ART outcome reporting is compiled solely from patient- and cycle-specific data submitted by ART programs to SART, in cooperation with the CDC. The functions of data collection and validation are carried out under the auspices of the SART Executive Council and the CDC, with input from the SART Registry, Validation, Quality Assurance, and Research Committees, as well as the National Coalition for the Oversight of ART. Both ASRM and SART believe that the efforts of the SART Executive Council and SART committees, in both the data reporting and laboratory accreditation arenas, facilitate compliance by ART programs with the Federal Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act of 1992.