With In Vitro Fertilization, Persistence Pays

New York Times (Dec. 23, 2015): With In Vitro Fertilization, Persistence Pays Off, Study Suggests, by Catherine Saint Louis:

Doctors have long thought that after three or four failed rounds of in vitro fertilization, the prospect of a patient becoming pregnant are grim.  But a study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association calls into question the received wisdom.  The study finds "that nearly two-thirds of women undergoing I.V.F. will have a child by the sixth attempt, suggesting that persistence can pay off, especially for women under 40."  Indeed, there appears to be a modest increase in the cumulative rate for live births up to the ninth IVF cycle.  Few patients can afford, however, that many cycles of IVF, which cost $12,400 each on average.  And risks such as ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome must be taken into account, as must the shattering emotional toll of failed cycles.