The Database Almost Nobody Knows About
Every year, the CDC publishes a detailed report on every fertility clinic in the United States. It shows how many egg retrievals each clinic did, how many transfers, how many live births — broken down by patient age.
It’s free. It’s public. And almost no one uses it.
The reason is simple: fertility clinics don’t advertise it. Their websites show whatever numbers make them look best. The CDC data shows everything — including cases where things didn’t go well.
Why Clinics Have to Report Their Numbers
In 1992, Congress passed the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act. It says that any fertility clinic using assisted reproductive technology must report their outcomes to the CDC every year.
That covers IVF and most other high-tech fertility treatments. There are no exceptions for small clinics or new ones.
The data gets published about 18 months after the reporting period. Right now, we have full data through 2022. The 2023 data will come out later this year.
What You Can Actually Find There
For each clinic, the report shows:
- Number of cycles performed, by type
- Live birth rates per retrieval and per transfer
- Results broken down by patient age (under 35, 35–37, 38–40, over 40)
- Separate numbers for fresh vs. frozen embryo transfers
- Separate numbers for own eggs vs. donor eggs
This is the same data the clinics themselves have. They just don’t always lead with it.
How to Read It
The raw CDC report can feel overwhelming. Here’s how to cut through it.
Find your age group. IVF success rates vary a lot by age. A clinic’s overall rate is misleading if their patient mix skews younger or older than you. Find the row that matches your age.
Look at live birth rate per retrieval, not per transfer. Per retrieval counts everyone who tried. Per transfer only counts people who made it that far. The per-retrieval number is more honest. We broke this down in detail here: IVF Success Rates Are Lying to You — Here’s How to Read Them.
Compare to the national average. The CDC report also shows national averages by age group. A clinic performing above average for your age is a good sign. Well below average is worth asking about.
Volume matters. A clinic that did 20 retrievals in your age group has a much less reliable number than one that did 200. Small sample sizes swing a lot. Great-looking numbers from a tiny clinic don’t mean much.
What the Data Won’t Tell You
The CDC data is useful, but it has limits.
It doesn’t explain why a clinic’s rates are high or low. A clinic with lower numbers might take harder cases — patients with very low ovarian reserve or patients who failed elsewhere. That clinic might actually be better at their job, even if the number looks worse.
The data also won’t tell you about the experience of going there. Wait times, how they communicate during a hard week, whether the staff is kind when things don’t go well. Those things matter too.
Use CDC data as a starting filter, not a final decision. If a clinic’s numbers are well below average with no obvious reason, ask about it. If they’re at or above average, look deeper at the other factors.
The Easier Way to See This Data
You don’t have to dig through the CDC’s interface yourself.
We’ve pulled the CDC ART data into our directory and matched it to clinic profiles. When you look up a clinic on Fertility Clinic Finder, you can see their reported outcomes right there — no PDF hunting required.
Browse the directory here. Filter by state, city, or service type and see CDC-sourced data for each clinic.
If you’d rather we do the matching work for you, try our free matching tool. Tell us your age, situation, and location, and we’ll surface the clinics with the strongest data for your case.
A Note on Timing
The CDC data is always a year or two behind. Clinics change — new lab directors, new equipment, new protocols. A clinic that struggled in 2021 might have improved. A clinic with great 2022 numbers might have had turnover since then.
That’s why it’s worth combining CDC data with recent patient reviews and a consultation. The numbers tell you where to start looking. The conversation tells you what’s actually happening now.