SART CORS IVF registry: looking to the past to shape future perspectives

The SART CORS database is an informative source of IVF clinic-specific linked data that provides cumulative live birth rates from medically assisted reproduction in the United States (US). These data are used to develop best practice guidelines, for research, quality assurance, and post-market surveillance of assisted reproductive technologies. Here, we sought to investigate the key areas of current research focus (higher-order categories), discover gaps or underserved areas of ART research, and examine the potential application and impact of newer ART adjuvants, future data collection, and analysis needs.

We conducted a systematic review (PRISMA guidelines) to quantify unique output metrics of the SART CORS database. Included were SART member reporting clinics: full-length publications from 2004 to 2021 and conference abstracts from 2015 to 2021, the two key timepoints when the SART CORS database underwent transformative shifts in data collection.

We found 206 abstracts presented from 2015 to 2021, 189 full-length peer-reviewed publications since 2004, with 654 unique authors listed on these publications. A total of 19 publications have been highly impactful, garnering over 100 citations at the time of writing. Several higher-order categories, such as endometriosis and tubal infertility, have few publications. The conversion of conference abstracts to full-length papers ranged from 15 to 35% from 2015 to 2021.

A substantial body of literature has been generated by analyzing the SART CORS database. Full-length publications have increased year over year. Some topic areas, such as endometriosis and tubal infertility, may be underrepresented. Conversion of conference abstracts to full-length publications has been low, indicating that more organizational support may be needed to ensure that research is methodologically sound and researchers supported to reach full publication status.