Report Allows Women To Know Chances Of Taking Home A Baby, Or Of Taking Home Twins

Main Category: Fertility
Article Date: 05 Aug 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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A method that is up to 80 percent accurate in determining whether a woman undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) will take home a baby has been developed by Dr. Christopher Jones, CEO of Formyodds.com. The report will be submitted for publication later this month.

Based on 20 predictive variables, the model was tested using one of the world's largest IVF datasets comprising over 170,000 treatment cycles. "www.formyodds.com is such a breakthrough because it predicts the take-home baby rate using population-based data," Dr. Jones said.

What started as research has led to a website. For women or couples using Formyodds.com, predictions come in the form of a simple report which all parties can discuss with their doctor. "Stated simply, if one hundred women with similar clinical characteristics underwent an IVF cycle using 1, 2 or 3 embryos, a certain number will give birth. Of those who give birth, a certain percentage will give birth to twins. Knowing these percentages can help with many planning aspects such as the timing of treatment," says Dr. Louis Keith.

Dr. Hamisu Salihu, Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the University of South Florida, who confirmed the findings, said, "This is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for women contemplating IVF. The site predicts the take-home baby rate and multiple birth rate - two important rates to know."

What if today is not the right time for IVF? Formyodds.com shows what will happen if the next IVF cycle is completed within one month, compared with next year, five years or after additional cycles of IVF. "Women need to know their chances under real scenarios," says Dr. Timothy R. B. Johnson, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Michigan, and "Formyodds.com pools all the variables together in a manner that is meaningful for the fertility doctor, cost-effective and immediately useful for counseling."

Dr. Jones cautions, "This is an aid to patients considering IVF but not a substitute for a medical diagnosis."

http://www.formyodds.com

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