How Many Rounds of IVF on Average? Success Rates by Age and Multi-Cycle Packages
How many rounds of IVF on average a patient needs depends mostly on age and embryo quality, and many patients need more than one egg retrieval or embryo transfer to reach a live birth. That makes IVF hard to budget for.
Each extra attempt can mean more time, more appointments, and another bill. If you plan for one cycle and need two, you may end up making money decisions in the middle of treatment.
Below, we cover what national data shows about IVF success rates by age, why a personal estimate matters more than an average, how multi-cycle IVF packages work, and how the Sunfish IVF Success Program includes more than one embryo transfer in one flat price.
Key Takeaways
- Age is the biggest factor. In SART's 2022 data, 53.5% of intended egg retrievals for patients under 35 led to a live birth within a year, compared with 13.0% for patients aged 41 to 42.
- One "round" can mean two things. It can mean one egg retrieval or one embryo transfer, and many patients need more than one of each procedure.
- Clinic multi-cycle packages vary. Many packages prepay a set number of retrievals, cap the number of transfers, and often screen people out based on age or ovarian reserve.
- Sunfish plans for more than one transfer. The IVF Success Program is priced before treatment begins, includes all single embryo transfers for up to a year, and with the Gold Program includes a guaranteed refund of up to $15,000 if you are unsuccessful.¹ Terms and conditions apply.
How Many Rounds of IVF on Average: The National Numbers by Age
The main public source for U.S. IVF outcomes is SART's national summary report. Its latest final report tracks treatment started in 2022 by patients using their own eggs. It includes two useful measures:
- Live births per intended egg retrieval (cumulative): the chance that one egg retrieval cycle leads to a live birth from a fresh or frozen embryo transfer within a year.
- Live births per new patient: the share of patients new to a clinic, who started their first retrieval cycle in 2022, who had a live birth. SART also reports the average number of retrieval attempts for new patients who had a live birth.
Source: SART Final National Summary Report for 2022, patient's own eggs.
The SART data show two patterns: the likelihood of a live birth per retrieval drops with age, and the success rates for new patients are higher than the single retrieval rates partly because they reflect outcomes across all retrievals a patient started, rather than just one. While more attempts can raise the overall chance of a live birth, no specific number of cycles guarantees one.
Is There an IVF Success Rate After 3 Cycles?
SART's national summary does not report a three-cycle success rate. It does show that, across every age group, new patients who achieved a live birth averaged fewer than two retrieval attempts. Because one retrieval can produce multiple embryos, it may lead to several transfers. This is why people may describe their IVF "rounds" in terms of both retrievals and transfers.
Why Your Own Numbers Matter More Than the National Average
A national average blends thousands of patients with different ages, diagnoses, and clinics. Your path may look quite different. These are some of the factors that shape it:
- Age at retrieval, the strongest factor in the SART data above
- Ovarian reserve, often measured with an AMH (anti-Müllerian hormone) blood test
- Embryo quality and how many embryos are available to transfer
- Prior cycles and what your care team learned from them
- Health factors such as BMI, smoking status, and genetic factors
Our guide to factors that affect your chance of IVF success explains each one in more depth, while IVF success rates by clinic helps you interpret a clinic's own numbers. Your doctor is the right person to estimate your medical odds, and a financial plan should start from the same personal circumstances.
What a 3-Cycle IVF Package Usually Includes
Many clinics offer an IVF multi-cycle program, sometimes sold as a 2- or 3-cycle IVF package. Details vary by clinic, but many share a few traits:
- Prepaid egg retrievals. You pay upfront for a set number of retrieval cycles.
- Capped embryo transfers. A package may include a set number of frozen embryo transfers. Outside a package, each additional embryo transfer can cost $4,000 to $6,000.
- Eligibility screening. Many packages screen on age, ovarian reserve, or prior treatment before you can enroll.
- Costs outside the package price. Medication, genetic testing, and storage may be billed separately.
Ask each clinic for its full list of inclusions and exclusions in writing. Our guide to IVF package deals walks through what to compare, and the true cost of IVF shows what to budget for beyond the package price.
You can estimate your personal IVF budget with the Sunfish IVF cost calculator
How the Sunfish IVF Success Program Prices More Than One Transfer
Sunfish is a family-building platform, not a clinic, lender, or insurer. The IVF Success Program is an all-inclusive IVF package that brings clear upfront pricing, financial protection, and personalized support together in one program, offered through participating fertility clinics.
A Program Price Set Before Treatment Begins
Sunfish's IVF Success Program is a package a patient buys outright at a partner fertility clinic, for a price quoted before treatment begins. Each partner clinic has its own pricing, and the standard package price is the same regardless of a patient's medical profile. Your Custom Financial Plan uses factors such as age, AMH, BMI, and prior cycles to forecast your costs, and that forecast sets the refund available on the Gold Program.
All Single Embryo Transfers Included for Up to a Year
The IVF Success Program includes one full IVF cycle: egg retrieval, anesthesia, embryology services, embryo freezing, in-cycle monitoring, and cycle management. Sunfish's IVF Success Program includes every transfer of a patient's eligible embryos at one fixed price for up to a year,² in place of the separate fee a fertility clinic may charge for each frozen embryo transfer. One year of embryo storage is also included. Membership runs until a year has passed or all eligible embryos have been transferred, whichever comes first.²
If a transfer doesn't result in a pregnancy, the next transfer of an eligible embryo within your program year is already part of your program price.²
Built-In Financial Protection of Up to $15,000¹
Sunfish prices each IVF Success Program from a predictive cost forecast, and returns a partial refund of up to $15,000, or a discount to continue treatment, if that forecast proves inaccurate.¹ The refund sits on top of a fixed program price and included embryo transfers. This refund applies to eligible Gold members.
This is financial protection, not insurance, and it is not a promise of pregnancy. Terms and conditions apply.
Medication and PGT-A: Named Upfront at Your Quote
Sunfish's IVF Success Program includes the IVF treatment cycle at one flat price with no hidden costs. Medication and PGT-A genetic testing sit outside that price: medication comes through partner pharmacies under a lowest price match guarantee, and the clinic bills PGT-A if a patient opts for it. Sunfish names both costs in the provided quote.
One-on-One Support Through Each Stage
Every member has a dedicated Planning Partner for billing support, logistics, and next steps, plus evidence-based guidance at each stage.
Have questions about eligibility or program terms? You can contact the Sunfish team.
Main Takeaway
No single number of IVF rounds fits everyone. National data shows that new patients who had a live birth averaged between 1.2 and 1.9 egg retrievals, depending on age group, and age is the biggest factor. Planning for more than one attempt and knowing what each one costs makes your budget easier to set.
If you want a clear upfront price that includes more than one embryo transfer, see how the IVF Success Program works. When you're ready, you can get started and talk with a Planning Partner about your plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a second round of IVF more successful?
Not necessarily on its own, but your overall chance of a live birth can rise with each additional attempt. SART's 2022 data show that, in every age group, live birth rates were higher when measured across all retrievals a new patient underwent than when measured per retrieval. After a first cycle, your care team may also adjust your plan based on what they learned.
How many rounds of IVF does it take to get pregnant by age?
SART tracks live births rather than pregnancies. Among new patients who had a live birth in 2022, the average number of egg retrieval attempts was 1.23 under 35, 1.39 at 35 to 37, 1.58 at 38 to 40, 1.81 at 41 to 42, and 1.87 over 42. One retrieval can also lead to more than one embryo transfer, and your own number may be higher or lower.
How often does the first round of IVF not work?
It depends mostly on age. SART doesn't report first rounds separately, but its per-retrieval figures are a good guide. In 2022, 53.5% of intended egg retrievals for patients under 35 led to a live birth within a year, so a little under half did not. For patients aged 41 to 42, the figure was 13.0%. Needing another round of IVF is common, and it doesn't mean you are out of options.
How much do 3 rounds of IVF cost?
It depends on your clinic, location, and treatment plan. Sunfish's guide to the true cost of IVF estimates about $28,000 for a complete round, based on data from its clinic network, so three separate rounds can pass $80,000. Each additional embryo transfer outside a package can cost $4,000 to $6,000. The IVF cost calculator gives you a personal estimate.
What is included in a multi-cycle IVF package?
Packages vary, but many include a set number of egg retrievals, monitoring, lab work, and a capped number of frozen embryo transfers. Medication, genetic testing, and storage may be billed separately. The Sunfish IVF Success Program includes one full IVF cycle and all single embryo transfers of your eligible embryos for up to a year at one flat price,² with medication and PGT-A named separately at the quote.
¹ If a live birth is not achieved within the cost that Sunfish's software predicted for your plan, eligible patients may receive a partial refund of up to $15,000 or a discount to continue treatment. As part of the Sunfish IVF Success Program, Sunfish provides a Custom Financial Plan using Sunfish's proprietary software that calculates the expected financial costs for each family to achieve a Live Birth based on a range of factors. If you fail to achieve a Live Birth within your custom financial plan budget and there are unexpected financial costs that were not accurately predicted by the Financial Planning Tool, our software Warranty may entitle you to receive a partial refund of your treatment package costs. Additional costs may be incurred outside of the Treatment Package Costs. See our Sunfish IVF Success Program Agreement for conditions and details.
² See contract for eligibility requirements.
