As the founder of Illume Fertility, I’ve followed national IVF outcome data closely for decades. SART’s newest report matters not only because it set a record, but because it shows how fertility treatment is evolving and what that means for patients considering care today.
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For the first time in American history, more than 100,000 babies were born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a single year.
According to data released in March 2026 by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), a total of 100,158 IVF babies were born in the United States in 2024, across 449,772 reported treatment cycles at 364 fertility clinics nationwide. [1]
Behind every one of those births is a person or couple who faced uncertainty, made difficult decisions, and ultimately took a chance on treatment. If you're in that position right now, reading about a milestone like this one might feel both encouraging and overwhelming.
What does it actually mean for you? Here's what the latest IVF statistics show and how to use this data to inform your next step to parenthood.
Note: The 2024 data referenced throughout this article represents the most current national figures available. Fertility clinics report their outcomes to SART annually, and that data undergoes a thorough validation and review process before public release, which typically means there is a one-to-two year lag between the close of a treatment year and publication of the national report.
The 100,000-baby milestone isn't just a record. It reflects a fundamental shift in how people build families in the United States.
IVF now accounts for nearly 3% of all births in the country. That means that in any given kindergarten class, at least one child was likely born through assisted reproductive technology. [2]
The stigma that once surrounded fertility treatment hasn't disappeared entirely, but the numbers make clear that IVF has moved firmly into the mainstream of reproductive healthcare.
Dr. Cynthia Murdock, reproductive endocrinologist at Illume Fertility, shares a perspective that resonates with everyone on our team:
"One hundred thousand babies is a number well worth celebrating, but what it really tells us is that more people than ever are getting the help they need. Our hope at Illume is that this trend continues, and that every person who wants to build a family has a real path to do so."
That shift matters for patients who are still on the fence about pursuing treatment.
One of the most common things people say when they first come to a fertility clinic is that they wish they had come in sooner. Understanding that IVF is widely used, rigorously studied, and increasingly accessible can help remove some of the hesitation that costs people time.
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Celebrating 100,000 IVF births in a single year for the first time is genuinely thrilling. But to me, this milestone isn't just about the total, it's about what the data behind it shows us about how far this field has come.
One of the most significant findings in the 2024 SART data is what it reveals about how IVF is being practiced today, not just how often. More than 97% of IVF births in 2024 were singletons, meaning one baby. Twins accounted for roughly 2.6% of births. Triplets were extraordinarily rare at just 0.04%.
A decade ago, those numbers looked very different. Higher-order multiples were far more common, because the standard practice was to transfer multiple embryos at once in hopes that at least one would implant.
What changed?
The widespread adoption of elective single embryo transfer (eSET).
In 2024, approximately 79% of embryo transfer cycles used eSET, a major shift driven by advances in embryo selection technology, improved lab conditions, and a clearer picture of the risks associated with multiple pregnancies.
Multiple pregnancies carry higher risks of premature birth, low birth weight, and complications for both the birthing parent and the babies.
The move toward eSET reflects a field that has matured significantly, one that prioritizes outcomes over optics. It's a change worth naming directly: the IVF being practiced today is not the IVF of 15 years ago. The science, the technology, and the clinical standards have all advanced in ways that meaningfully improve the experience and the odds for patients.
National IVF statistics are a useful benchmark, but they have real limits when you're trying to make a personal decision. Here's why: national averages pool results from hundreds of clinics with varying patient populations, protocols, lab quality, and physician experience.
A clinic that sees a higher proportion of older patients or patients with complex diagnoses may have lower reported success rates than one that primarily treats younger, lower-risk patients. Neither number tells you much about what your personal experience would look like.
That's why, when reviewing IVF success rate statistics, the most meaningful question isn't necessarily "What is the national IVF success rate?" it's "What are the outcomes at this clinic for patients like me?"
Here are a few things worth looking at when you're comparing clinics:
SART reports outcomes broken down by age group because age is the single strongest predictor of IVF success, a finding consistently supported across decades of research. [4]
Note: A clinic's overall IVF success rate tells you less than its success rate for patients in your specific age bracket using their own eggs (versus donor eggs).
Frozen embryo transfer (FET) has become the dominant approach at many clinics, partly because this allows time for the recipient's body to recover from the stress of ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), and uterine preparation.
Clinics that do a high proportion of frozen transfers may report differently than those still doing primarily fresh transfers.
A fertility clinic's embryology lab, and specifically how their embryos are cultured, monitored, and frozen, has a significant impact on outcomes. When evaluating clinics, it's reasonable to ask about their lab protocols, embryologist experience, and what monitoring technology they use during stimulation and retrieval.
Illume Fertility’s SART-reported data is always publicly available online. During your consultation, your physician can walk you through what those numbers may mean in the context of your specific situation.
Working with a different clinic? Visit sart.org/clinic-finder then filter by clinic to review outcomes broken down by age group and transfer type.
The 449,772 cycles reported in 2024 represent not just a record, but a trend. Demand for fertility care has grown steadily over the past decade, driven by several converging factors:
The result is that fertility clinics across the country, including Illume, are seeing patients at earlier stages of their journey, people who are proactively asking questions rather than waiting until they've been trying for years with no results.
That earlier engagement almost always leads to better options.
Having practiced reproductive medicine for more than three decades, the most meaningful shifts haven't just been technological. They've been cultural: patients arriving to their first appointment more informed, advocacy growing louder, and the conversation around fertility finally becoming one that people feel they can have more openly.
The 100,000-baby milestone is a data point, but it's also a strong message: IVF works, it's safer than it has ever been, and the number of families built through it continues to grow.
If you're considering fertility treatment, here are three practical takeaways from this data:
Ovarian reserve, egg quality, and uterine health are all time-sensitive.
Research published in BMC Women's Health analyzing IVF outcomes across more than 4,200 cycles found that even among women under 35, diminished ovarian reserve significantly reduced live birth rates, underscoring that age alone doesn't determine outcomes and that earlier evaluation gives clinicians more to work with. [5]
Note: The patients who tend to have the most options are those who seek an evaluation before they feel urgency, not after. A fertility clinic consultation doesn't commit you to anything. It gives you information, and information gives you choices.
In many cases, IVF isn't even the first option.
Most patients pursue less intensive treatments first, including fertility medications, intrauterine insemination (IUI), or lifestyle interventions. A thorough evaluation helps your doctor determine what treatment plan makes sense for your specific situation, your diagnosis, your age, your goals.
A comprehensive review tracking IVF from 1992 to 2019 found that the IVF birth rate quadrupled over that period, the proportion of women over 38 seeking treatment doubled, and single embryo transfer rates increased sevenfold, all while outcomes improved. [6]
The technology, protocols, and clinical standards in place today are not those of a decade ago. If you looked into IVF in the past and decided not to proceed, it may be worth revisiting with a second conversation.
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IVF is just one of several fertility treatment options, not automatically the first step.
Many patients start with less intensive approaches like ovulation induction, fertility medications, or IUI. The right starting point depends on your diagnosis, age, how long you've been trying, and other individual factors.
A fertility evaluation, which typically includes blood work, an ultrasound, and in many cases a semen analysis, is what determines the best path forward for your situation.
IVF has been studied for nearly five decades and has a strong safety record.
The 2024 SART data reflects current practice: over 97% singleton birth rates, extremely low rates of higher-order multiples, and outcomes that have improved substantially as the field has advanced. Like any medical procedure, IVF carries some risks, including ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) and the physical demands of egg retrieval.
Your care team will review these with you in detail before you begin any treatment.
There's no universal answer, which is one of the hardest parts of the process. Some patients achieve a successful pregnancy on their first cycle. Others need two or three. Age, diagnosis, embryo quality, and clinic protocols all play a role.
One thing the data does show clearly is that cumulative success rates across multiple cycles are meaningfully higher than single-cycle rates.
A 2023 study published in Human Reproduction validated prediction models across more than 91,000 women and 144,000 IVF cycles, confirming that cumulative live birth rates increase substantially with each additional cycle, particularly for women under 40. [3]
This is why embryo banking strategies, freezing multiple embryos over several retrievals before transferring, have become more common.
Without coverage, a single IVF cycle in the United States typically runs between $15,000 and $30,000+ when you factor in the base procedure, medications, monitoring, and lab fees.
Additional services like preimplantation genetic testing (PGT-A) or a frozen embryo transfer add to that total, and many patients complete more than one cycle.
Not always, but patients in Connecticut and New York are in a significantly better position than patients in many other states. Connecticut state law requires most insurers to cover fertility treatment, including IVF.
In New York, large-group fully insured plans (employers with 100 or more employees) must cover up to three IVF cycles over a patient's lifetime, with no age caps or annual dollar caps permitted on that benefit. Coverage also cannot discriminate based on age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, or gender identity.
In both states, coverage varies by plan type, and self-funded employer plans follow different rules, so the specifics of your individual policy still matter. Illume's financial coordinators can help you verify your benefits and review expected out-of-pocket costs before you make any decisions.
According to ASRM's clinical definition of infertility, the general guideline for heterosexual couples is to seek evaluation after 12 months of trying if you're under 35, or after 6 months if you're 35 or older. [7]
But those timelines don't apply to everyone, and they're minimums, not mandates. If you're a same-sex couple, a single parent by choice, or anyone who thinks they may need medical assistance to conceive, there's no reason to wait. The latest definition of infertility should allow you access to care.
Similarly, if you have a known condition like PCOS, endometriosis, irregular cycles, or a history of pregnancy loss, earlier evaluation makes sense regardless of how long you've been trying to conceive.
Connecting with a fertility specialist early means you can understand your options, complete any necessary testing, and move forward on your own timeline rather than an arbitrary one.
100,000 babies born through IVF in a single year.
Each one of those families had a starting point: a question, a concern, a conversation with a doctor, a decision to take the next step. And the data shows us that there are now more paths forward than ever.
Whether you're just starting to ask questions or you've been on the road to parenthood for a while, we're here to help you understand your options. Our team at Illume Fertility includes board-certified reproductive endocrinologists, nurses, patient navigators, and financial coordinators who have supported thousands of patients across Connecticut and New York.
When you're ready, request a consultation with Illume Fertility to talk through where you are and what your next step might look like. We're here to support you.
1 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). 2024 National Data Report. Released March 2026.
2 Martin JA, Hamilton BE, Osterman MJK. Births in the United States, 2024. NCHS Data Brief No. 535, July 2025.
3 Ratna MB, Bhattacharya S, McLernon DJ. External validation of models for predicting cumulative live birth over multiple complete cycles of IVF treatment. Human Reproduction, Vol. 38, Issue 10, October 2023.
4 Wang X et al. The association between female age and pregnancy outcomes in patients receiving first elective single embryo transfer cycle. Scientific Reports, 2024.
5 Zhu S et al. Effect of diminished ovarian reserve on the outcome of fresh embryo transfer in IVF/ICSI cycles among young women. BMC Women's Health, 2024.
6 IVF and pregnancy outcomes: the triumphs, challenges, and unanswered questions. PMC/NCBI, 2024.
7 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Definition of infertility: a committee opinion. 2023.