{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,16]],"date-time":"2026-10-16T12:58:20Z","timestamp":1792155500605,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"Oxford University Press (OUP)","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]],"date-time":"2023-11-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1700179200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"NHMRC","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["APP1195189"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["APP1195189"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"NHMRC","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GNT2009767"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GNT2009767"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000925","name":"NHMRC","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["GNT1176437"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["GNT1176437"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000925","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100004334","name":"Merck","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100004334","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,5]]},"abstract":"ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n \n STUDY QUESTION<\/jats:title>\n How well informed are Australian women who undergo IVF about their chances of having a baby?<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n SUMMARY ANSWER<\/jats:title>\n Only one in four women estimated their individual chance of success with IVF accurately, with most women overestimating their chance.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY<\/jats:title>\n Limited knowledge about infertility and infertility treatment in the general population is well-documented. The few studies that have investigated patients\u2019 knowledge about the chance of IVF success suggest that while IVF patients are aware of average success rates, they tend to be unrealistic about their own chance of success.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION<\/jats:title>\n We conducted an anonymous online survey of 217 women who had started IVF since 2018 in Australia. The survey was advertised on social media, enabling women from across Australia to participate. Responses were collected in June 2021.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n PARTICIPANTS\/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS<\/jats:title>\n The survey included questions on demographic characteristics and IVF history. It asked what participants thought their chance of having a baby from one IVF treatment cycle was, how they rated their knowledge about chance of success, and about their experience of receiving IVF-related information. Participants\u2019 estimations of their chance of success were compared with their chance as calculated by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology\u2019s (SART) online calculator. Responses to a free-text question about what information women wished they had been given when they started treatment were analysed thematically.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE<\/jats:title>\n Only about a quarter (58\/217, 27%) of participants accurately estimated their chance of having a baby within 20% relative to their SART calculated chance, with more than half (118\/217, 54%) overestimating their chance. Ninety percent of women indicated that their preferred source of treatment information was a consultation with their doctor, despite less than half (44%) reporting that doctors explained the probability of having a baby with IVF well (mean 5.9\/10). In free-text responses, many women also reported that they wished they had been given more realistic information about IVF and their chance of success.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION<\/jats:title>\n The dissemination method precludes calculation of response rate, and it is not possible to know if participants are representative of all women undergoing IVF. Additionally, we only surveyed women undergoing IVF, while those who decided not to have IVF were not included. Therefore, women who overestimated their chance may have been overrepresented. There is also inherent imprecision in the way understanding of chance of success was estimated. The potential impact of recall bias could neither be quantified nor excluded. It is difficult to determine to what extent women\u2019s lack of understanding of what is possible with IVF is due to poor information-provision by clinicians and the clinic, and how much can be explained by optimism bias.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS<\/jats:title>\n The finding of poor understanding of personal chance of success amongst women undergoing IVF in Australia requires further investigation to determine potential reasons for this. The findings can be used by clinics to develop strategies for improvement in the information-provision process to ensure that women can make informed decisions about their fertility treatment.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n STUDY FUNDING\/COMPETING INTEREST(S)<\/jats:title>\n This study received no external funding. S.L. is supported by a NHMRC Investigator Grant (APP1195189). R.W. is supported by a NHMRC Investigator Grant (APP2009767). B.W.M. is supported by a NHMRC Investigator Grant (GNT1176437). B.W.M. reports consultancy for Merck and ObsEva and has received research funding and travel funding from Merck. The other authors have no conflicts of interest.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER<\/jats:title>\n N\/A.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/dead239","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]],"date-time":"2023-11-17T19:23:27Z","timestamp":1700249007000},"page":"130-138","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["What do women undergoing in vitro<\/i> fertilization (IVF) understand about their chance of IVF success?"],"prefix":"10.1093","volume":"39","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5016-903X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"C","family":"McMahon","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5988-5865","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"K","family":"Hammarberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"},{"name":"Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1694-1142","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"S","family":"Lensen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Royal Women\u2019s Hospital, University of Melbourne , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6622-8134","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"R","family":"Wang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8337-550X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"B W","family":"Mol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"},{"name":"Aberdeen Centre for Women\u2019s Health Research, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, University of Aberdeen , Aberdeen, United Kingdom"},{"name":"Women\u2019s and Newborn Program, Monash Health , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8756-3994","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"B J N","family":"Vollenhoven","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Monash University , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"},{"name":"Women\u2019s and Newborn Program, Monash Health , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"},{"name":"Monash IVF , Melbourne, VIC, Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"286","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"561","DOI":"10.1080\/02699930903132496","article-title":"The influence of affect on higher level cognition: a review of research on interpretation, judgement, decision making and reasoning","volume":"24","author":"Blanchette","year":"2010","journal-title":"Cogn Emot"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.3109\/14647273.2013.777802","article-title":"The ending of treatment: the ending of hope?","volume":"16","author":"Boden","year":"2013","journal-title":"Hum Fertil (Camb)"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"380","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rbmo.2009.12.008","article-title":"Factors affecting pregnancy in IVF: age and duration of embryo transfer","volume":"20","author":"Cetin","year":"2010","journal-title":"Reprod Biomed Online"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"140","DOI":"10.1111\/ajo.12806","article-title":"Natural fertility, infertility and the role of medically assisted reproduction: The knowledge amongst women of reproductive age in North Queensland","volume":"59","author":"Cheung","year":"2019","journal-title":"Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B5","author":"Choosing Wisely Australia","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"924","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2013.12.045","article-title":"\u201cPatient-centered fertility treatment\u201d: what is required?","volume":"101","author":"Dancet","year":"2014","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.1093\/humupd\/dmq004","article-title":"The patients' perspective on fertility care: a systematic review","volume":"16","author":"Dancet","year":"2010","journal-title":"Hum Reprod Update"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"827","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/der022","article-title":"Patient-centred infertility care: a qualitative study to listen to the patient\u2019s voice","volume":"26","author":"Dancet","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1900","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deaa090","article-title":"International Committee for Monitoring Assisted Reproductive Technologies world report: assisted reproductive technology 2012","volume":"35","author":"de Mouzon","year":"2020","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"997","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deac038","article-title":"Great expectations of IVF patients: the role of gender, dispositional optimism and shared IVF prognoses","volume":"37","author":"Devroe","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"97","DOI":"10.1071\/PY18040_CO","article-title":"Australians' understanding of the decline in fertility with increasing age and attitudes towards ovarian reserve screening","volume":"25","author":"Evans","year":"2019","journal-title":"Aust J Prim Health"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"6","DOI":"10.1186\/s40738-016-0019-4","article-title":"Satisfaction with in vitro fertilization treatment: patients' experiences and professionals' perceptions","volume":"2","author":"Gonen","year":"2016","journal-title":"Fertil Res Pract"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"330","DOI":"10.1111\/ajo.12745","article-title":"Quality of information about success rates provided on assisted reproductive technology clinic websites in Australia and New Zealand","volume":"58","author":"Hammarberg","year":"2018","journal-title":"Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"502","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2012.10.031","article-title":"Knowledge about factors that influence fertility among Australians of reproductive age: a population-based survey","volume":"99","author":"Hammarberg","year":"2013","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deab278","article-title":"Talking about possible IVF\/ICSI failure and need for multiple cycles in treatment planning: qualitative investigation of multi-cycle planning and its acceptability to patients and staff","volume":"37","author":"Harrison","year":"2022","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"797","DOI":"10.1111\/ajo.13179","article-title":"Having a baby in your 40s with assisted reproductive technology: the reproductive dilemma of autologous versus donor oocytes","volume":"60","author":"Hogan","year":"2020","journal-title":"Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"30","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2012.11.024","article-title":"Role of increased male age in IVF and egg donation: is sperm DNA fragmentation responsible?","volume":"99","author":"Humm","year":"2013","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B18","author":"IBM Corp","year":"2020"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"898","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2017.00898","article-title":"The better-than-average effect is observed because \"average\" is often construed as below-median ability","volume":"8","author":"Kim","year":"2017","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"711","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2017.07.1158","article-title":"Low fertility awareness in United States reproductive-aged women and medical trainees: creation and validation of the Fertility & Infertility Treatment Knowledge Score (FIT-KS)","volume":"108","author":"Kudesia","year":"2017","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"10","DOI":"10.1186\/1742-4755-12-10","article-title":"A cross sectional study on fertility knowledge in Japan, measured with the Japanese version of the Cardiff Fertility Knowledge Scale (CFKS-J)","volume":"12","author":"Maeda","year":"2015","journal-title":"Reprod Health"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1036","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2007.07.1338","article-title":"Women's awareness and perceptions of delay in childbearing","volume":"90","author":"Maheshwari","year":"2008","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"959","DOI":"10.1080\/09513590.2020.1737006","article-title":"Assisted reproductive technology outcome in United States of America and Australia with New Zealand: comparison of annual reports 2005-2016","volume":"36","author":"Meczekalski","year":"2020","journal-title":"Gynecol Endocrinol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"463","DOI":"10.1016\/j.rbmo.2020.09.026","article-title":"\u2018Luckily, I don\u2019t believe in statistics': survey of women's understanding of chance of success with futile fertility treatments","volume":"42","author":"Miron-Shatz","year":"2021","journal-title":"Reprod Biomed Online"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B25","author":"National Perinatal Epidemiological and Statistics Unit (NPESU)","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B26","author":"Newman","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"71","DOI":"10.1080\/03009734.2018.1480186","article-title":"What do people know about fertility? A systematic review on fertility awareness and its associated factors","volume":"123","author":"Pedro","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ups J Med Sci"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"114317","DOI":"10.1016\/j.socscimed.2021.114317","article-title":"The crafting of hope: contextualising add-ons in the treatment trajectories of IVF patients","volume":"287","author":"Perrotta","year":"2021","journal-title":"Soc Sci Med"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B29","author":"QSR International Pty Ltd","year":"2018"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B30","author":"Qualtrics","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B31","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.3109\/01674828909016683","article-title":"Decision making and in vitro fertilization: the influence of emotional state","volume":"10","author":"Reading","year":"1989","journal-title":"J Psychosom Obstet Gynecol"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B32","author":"Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1332","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/dead096","article-title":"Discussing the possibility of fertility treatment being unsuccessful as part of routine care offered at clinics: patients' experiences, willingness, and preferences","volume":"38","author":"Sousa-Leite","year":"2023","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B34","author":"StataCorp","year":"2023"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B35","author":"The University of Melbourne","year":"2021"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B36","author":"The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), The Australian Research Council, Universities Australia","year":"2007"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e28104","DOI":"10.2196\/28104","article-title":"Supporting women undergoing IVF treatment with timely patient information through an app: randomized controlled trial","volume":"9","author":"Timmers","year":"2021","journal-title":"JMIR Mhealth Uhealth"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2516","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deq219","article-title":"Measuring patient-centredness, the neglected outcome in fertility care: a random multicentre validation study","volume":"25","author":"van Empel","year":"2010","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"584","DOI":"10.1093\/humrep\/deq389","article-title":"Physicians underestimate the importance of patient-centredness to patients: a discrete choice experiment in fertility care","volume":"26","author":"van Empel","year":"2011","journal-title":"Hum Reprod"},{"key":"2024010511464338000_dead239-B40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1044","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fertnstert.2012.02.015","article-title":"A persistent misperception: assisted reproductive technology can reverse the \u201caged biological clock\u201d","volume":"97","author":"Wyndham","year":"2012","journal-title":"Fertil Steril"}],"container-title":["Human Reproduction"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article-pdf\/39\/1\/130\/54909789\/dead239.pdf","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"syndication"},{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article-pdf\/39\/1\/130\/54909789\/dead239.pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,5]],"date-time":"2024-01-05T12:21:37Z","timestamp":1704457297000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/humrep\/article\/39\/1\/130\/7425613"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]]},"references-count":40,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]]},"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,5]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/humrep\/dead239","relation":{},"ISSN":["0268-1161","1460-2350"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0268-1161","type":"print"},{"value":"1460-2350","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published-other":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,1]]},"published":{"date-parts":[[2023,11,17]]}}}