In-Vitro Fertilization

Originally Released: February 5, 2001
Contact: Gwen Fariss Newman: gnewman@umm.edu, 410-328-8919
Ellen Beth Levitt: eblevitt@umm.edu, 410-328-8919

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND MEDICAL CENTER'S PROGRAM FOR IN-VITRO FERTILIZATION HAS HIGHEST SUCCESS RATE IN STATE

For the second year in a row, the University of Maryland Medical Center's in-vitro fertilization program has achieved the highest success rate in the state. That is based on a recent study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology and RESOLVE, The National Infertility Association.

Combining data from all age groups, the University of Maryland's rate of 33.9 births for every 100 in-vitro fertilization (IVF) transfers surpassed the rates of seven other programs in the Baltimore/Washington region. The national average is 30.8 births for every 100 IVF transfers.

"It's gratifying to see that the technology and techniques that we offer our patients have proven so successful and on a consistent basis," says Howard McClamrock, M.D., who heads the University of Maryland Center for Assisted Reproductive Technology and is an associate professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

The center, which opened in 1988, is one of eight programs from Maryland included in the study, which analyzes 1998 data from 360 centers nationwide. The CDC report, required by law, is intended to be a tool that consumers can use in researching the potential of reproductive assistance services and the various clinics offering those services.

"For a family who's tried unsuccessfully to have a child, the CDC report provides objective data that can be useful in educating them to the potential treatment options and which clinics offer these services," says Dr. McClamrock.

The report also is posted on the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/drh/art.htm

The University of Maryland's Center for Reproductive Technology offers a more personalized approach than many other programs. "We are not one of the biggest programs in the region, but we are proud to be at the top in terms of live births," says Dr. McClamrock.

"We already knew that we had the highest quality expertise and technology," adds Hugh Mighty, M.D., head of the department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and chief of OBGYN at the University of Maryland Medical Center. "These statistics confirm that we are doing an excellent job in giving our patients the best possible chance for having a baby."

Assisted reproductive technology includes all fertility treatments in which both egg and sperm are handled and, in general, involves surgically removing eggs from a woman's ovaries, combining them with sperm in a laboratory setting, and then returning them to the woman's body or donating them to another woman. This report does not evaluate treatments in which only the sperm are handled (ie. artificial insemination or intrauterine insemination) or procedures in which a woman takes drugs only to stimulate egg production without the intent of having the eggs retrieved for treatment.

For many who wish to start a family, the dream of having a child is not easily recognized due to a variety of factors including tubal obstructions, endometriosis and/or problems with with a partner's sperm. For example:

About 15 percent of women of childbearing age in the U.S. have sought medical help for infertility since such services became available in 1981.
Of the approximately 60 million women of reproductive age in 1995, about 1.2 million, or 2 percent, had had an infertility-related medical appointment within the previous year. An additional 13 percent had received infertility services at some time in their lives. (Infertility services include medical tests to diagnose infertility, medical advice and treatments to help a women become pregnant, and services other than routine prenatal care to prevent miscarriages.)
In 1995, 7 percent of married couples in which the woman was of reproductive age (2.1 million couples) reported they had not used contraception for 12 months and the woman had not become pregnant.

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This page was last updated on: April 21, 2011.