Surrogacy can be an emotional time for you, your partner, and your surrogate. Generally speaking, surrogacy has a higher success rate than most other fertility treatments. However, many factors influence live birth rates. Here’s everything you wanted to know but were too scared to ask.
How Common is Surrogacy?
Surrogacy has become increasingly popular in recent years. Around 5,200 babies were born to gestational surrogates from 2004-2008 but, since then, this number has skyrocketed. Private clinics in cities across the country, such as the California Surrogacy Center, now specialize in surrogacy treatments for women who are unable to, or choose not to, give birth.
What are the Surrogacy Success Rates?
There aren’t many official statistics about surrogacy success rates in the United States. Plus, most statistics only date back to 2008, before the government started tracking surrogacy pregnancies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, however, have monitored surrogacy births over the last few years and published success rates on their website. Their most recent statistics cover more than 85,000 assistive reproductive technology (ART) cycles in the year 2016.
Just under 36 percent of women under the age of 25 became pregnant on an ART cycle, according to the research. This number dropped to 29.5 percent for women aged 35-37, 21.7 percent for women aged 38-40, and 9.8 percent for women over the age of 40. As you can see, younger women have a much higher chance of getting pregnant on an ART cycle.
The research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also reveals the likelihood of women having a term, normal birth weight and singleton live birth on an ART cycle. Twenty-one percent of women under the age of 35 were successful, according to the statistics. This number dropped to 15.8 percent for women aged 35-37, 10.4 percent for women aged 38-40, and 4.1 percent for women over the age of 40.
What Influences Surrogacy Success Rates?
Various factors influence surrogacy success rates, such as:
- The type of surrogacy treatment.
- The surrogate’s ability to carry a baby.
- The quality of the sperm being used.
IVF Success Rates
IVF is the most successful type of surrogacy treatment. Research shows that IVF has a 38.2 percent live birth rate in the U.S. In comparison, Europe has a much lower live birth rate —27.6 percent.
What About Age?
Research shows that the age of the surrogate can have an impact on pregnancy success rates. Surrogate mothers under the age of 35, for example, have a 60 percent pregnancy success rate, according to one study. This number is far higher than the research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but still suggests older surrogate mothers are less likely to give birth.
Surrogacy success rates in the U.S. are among the highest in the world. However, there are various factors that can influence live birth rates. If you want to discuss your options and find out whether surrogacy is a good choice for you and your partner, speak to a medical professional from the California Surrogacy Center. Alternatively, click here to find out more about becoming a surrogate mother.
