New Online Calculator Tries To Predict The Chances Of Having A Baby After IVF

First Posted: Nov 26, 2016 04:20 AM EST
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A new calculator can help couples find out their chances of having a baby with in vitro fertilization (IVF) before they start treatment.

Available online, the calculator considers specific characteristics of the couple to predict the chances over multiple cycles of IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

In the past, doctors have been reluctant to estimate a couple's chances of having a baby before they complete at least one cycle of IVF. With the new pre-treatment calculator, however, women can get an estimate of their odds before the treatment.

The newly released online calculator, as announced in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), will help shape the couples' expectations, giving them the chance to plan for the treatments emotionally and financially.

The online tool was based on the data from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which collects information on all licensed fertility treatments in the United Kingdom, Nursing in Practice reports.

To land to the findings, the researchers studied the data from more than 110,000 women. These women used their own eggs and their partners' sperm cells in over 180,000 complete cycles of IVF or ICSI between 1999 and 2008.

The results show that 29 percent of the women had a baby after one cycle and 43 percent had a baby after six complete cycles.

They looked at several factors associated with the chances of a successful live birth like maternal age, underlying reasons for treatment and the number of eggs collected. With all these information and models, they created an online tool available at the University of Aberdeen website.

"I don't think women would want to undergo their first cycle of IVF just to determine their chances in future cycles - I think their aim would be to have a baby in that first attempt," Dr. David McLernon, lead author of the study at the University of Aberdeen, told Fox News.

He added that the new pre-treatment calculator will help women get an estimate of their chances before the first cycle of IVF. The doctors can also adjust the calculator based on the results of the first cycle.

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