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Stimulation protocols. How much medicine to use to grow eggs, which combinations, and how to tailor doses to a person's ovarian reserve. One Phase 3 trial is testing a human menopausal gonadotropin at 16 US sites.
Embryo transfer decisions. Whether to transfer on day 3 or day 5, whether an hCG injection helps a frozen transfer succeed, and how to prepare the uterus. These sound small, but they change outcomes for thousands of cycles.
Egg maturation outside the body. In vitro maturation collects immature eggs and matures them in the lab, which could mean far less hormone stimulation, especially for people with PCOS.
Embryo and egg quality. Studies of light exposure during egg culture, the fluid around the egg, and how age affects egg quality.
Artificial intelligence. Software that reads ultrasound images or embryo photos to predict which are most likely to lead to a pregnancy, tested against embryologists' judgment.
Experience of care. Studies of communication, decision tools, and support during treatment, which enroll people already going through IVF.
Success depends heavily on age. In CDC data for 2022, about half of egg retrievals in women under 35 using their own eggs led to a live birth, about 36 percent at ages 35 to 37, about 23 percent at 38 to 40, and under 8 percent over 40. Across all ages, roughly 4 in 10 embryo transfers resulted in a live birth. IVF trials use these same endpoints, live birth per transfer or per retrieval, rather than pregnancy tests, because that is the outcome that matters to families. It is also why an IVF study takes time: the answer arrives nine months after the transfer. The CDC publishes clinic level rates and a success estimator that uses national data.
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One cycle typically runs a few weeks from the first injection to the transfer, followed by about two weeks before a pregnancy test. Many people need more than one cycle, and frozen transfers add time.
Ovarian stimulation with hormone injections, egg retrieval under sedation, fertilization in the lab, embryo culture for several days, and embryo transfer into the uterus. Many cycles add a sixth step, freezing extra embryos for later.
Almost all IVF trials enroll people who are already planning or undergoing an IVF cycle at the study clinic, usually within an age range such as 18 to 42, and often with a specific situation: a first cycle, a frozen transfer, diminished ovarian reserve, or PCOS. Many require a normal uterus on ultrasound and exclude certain medical conditions. Some studies randomize between two standard approaches, so both groups receive real treatment; others add a study medicine or a placebo to the usual protocol. Partners may be enrolled too in studies of sperm or of the couple's experience. Eligibility always varies by study, and our guide explains how eligibility criteria work.
Enrolling in an IVF clinical trial through our platform is a straightforward and user-friendly process. Here's how to get started: