[Fertilization in vitro--success rates and registration]

There is great uncertainty and concern about the reliability of success rates in IVF. This is because of lack of agreement about what defines success and how this should be measured. Success should be reported on the basis of real birth rates measured against all stimulation cycles and all women accepted for treatment. This is because the purpose of IVF is to alleviate infertility, and couples (or women) who seek treatment will only consider live birth as a successful result. All clinics should be required to submit these results to a national registry in order to retain accreditation by the Ministry of Health. The purpose of the registry is to make information available to couples (or women) about their real chances of giving birth to a child. This will also make it possible to evaluate whether the economic resources are used efficiently, a requirement which may help to standardize the definition of success used in medical journals.