Fertility Guides
Plain-language guides to help you understand IVF data and make informed decisions about fertility care.
These guides translate the CDC National ART Surveillance System (NASS) dataset, which tracks more than 440,000 assisted-reproductive-technology cycles a year across roughly 450 US clinics, into plain language. According to the CDC, a published success rate means little without understanding the age band it covers, the cycle volume behind it, and what the figure does and does not include. Each guide below walks through one piece of that picture, from reading clinic success rates to estimating IVF costs and weighing donor-egg options, and every claim is grounded in the public federal data and our methodology.
Understanding IVF Success Rates
Learn how CDC reports IVF success rates, what the percentages mean, and why age group matters most when comparing clinics.
How to Choose a Fertility Clinic
A practical guide to evaluating IVF clinics beyond success rates, including questions to ask, red flags to avoid, and factors that matter most.
How Much Does IVF Cost? A Data-Driven Guide
A comprehensive breakdown of IVF costs, cycle fees, medications, genetic testing, frozen transfers, insurance coverage, and strategies to manage the financial burden.
Age and IVF Success: What the CDC Data Shows
How age affects IVF outcomes, national success rates by age group, the biology behind the decline, and what the data means for treatment decisions.
Beyond Success Rates: Other Metrics That Matter
Single embryo transfer rates, clinic volume, freeze-thaw survival, and other metrics that reveal true clinic quality beyond the headline success rate.
Donor Egg IVF: What the Data Shows
How donor egg IVF works, success rates compared to own-egg cycles, and how to evaluate clinics for donor egg programs.
Fertility Preservation: Egg Freezing and Embryo Freezing
How egg and embryo freezing work, what outcomes look like by age, and the practical considerations most guides skip.
Disclaimer: These guides are for informational purposes only. They do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified reproductive endocrinologist for personalized guidance about fertility treatment.
Methodology
Our guides are based on publicly available data from authoritative government sources. All statistics, ratings, and figures cited in these guides are drawn directly from official datasets and publications, with sources clearly referenced throughout.
We aim to present complex government data in plain language that is accessible to general audiences. When methodologies differ between data sources or change over time, we note these variations inline. Our editorial process includes regular reviews to ensure accuracy and timeliness of the information presented.
Every figure on PlainFertility is rendered directly from CDC National ART Surveillance System source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on CDC National ART Surveillance System source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.