The State of IVF and IUI in 2025: Fertility Trends, Success Rates and What Patients Should Know

Provisional data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics show that 3,606,400 babies were born in the United States in 2025.

The general fertility rate was 53.1 births per 1,000 females ages 15 to 44. Both the number of births and the fertility rate dropped about 1 percent from 2024.

It can be tempting to read that as a sign that infertility is getting worse. The numbers do not show that. A fertility rate simply counts how many births happen in a population. Infertility describes whether a person or couple is able to conceive when they are trying.

Those two things are connected, but they are not the same measurement. Birth rates also shift with when people decide to have children, the cost of raising a family, housing, careers and many other social and economic factors.

According to the CDC, about 19 percent of married women ages 15 to 49 with no prior births are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. That is roughly 1 in 5.

Infertility is not only a women's health issue. It can involve female factors, male factors, or both partners. For some couples, testing never finds a clear cause, which is called unexplained infertility.

That is one reason a full evaluation usually includes both partners when there are two people trying to conceive.

National IVF numbers come with a delay. Clinics report their cycles, outcomes are tracked until births happen, and then the data are checked and published. So the most complete CDC figures available in 2025 describe 2022.

In 2022, 457 reporting U.S. clinics performed 435,426 assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. Those cycles involved 251,542 patients.

They led to 94,039 live birth deliveries and 98,289 babies born alive. Those babies made up about 2.6 percent of all infants born in the United States that year.

Not every ART cycle is meant to produce a pregnancy right away. Some are fertility preservation cycles, or egg and embryo banking cycles, where eggs or embryos are frozen for later use and no transfer happens at that time.

Age is still one of the strongest predictors of IVF outcomes when patients use their own eggs. The table below comes from the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) 2023 National Summary Report.

IUI stands for intrauterine insemination. Sperm is washed and concentrated, then placed directly into the uterus around the time of ovulation. It is often paired with medication that helps the ovaries release one or more eggs.

There is no single IUI success rate that applies to everyone. Results depend on age, diagnosis, whether ovarian stimulation is used, sperm quality and other factors.

For many couples with unexplained infertility, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) describes a common approach: three or four cycles of ovarian stimulation with oral medication plus IUI, then moving on to IVF if those cycles do not work.

That guidance is specific to unexplained infertility. It is not the right sequence for everyone. Someone with blocked tubes, severe male factor infertility or significantly reduced ovarian reserve, for example, may be advised to go straight to IVF.

In November 2025, the World Health Organization published its first global guideline focused entirely on preventing, diagnosing and treating infertility. It includes 40 recommendations.

In simple terms, the guideline encourages careful, evidence based testing, starting with simpler treatments and stepping up to options like IUI or IVF when that makes sense.

It also treats emotional and psychological support as a real part of infertility care, not an afterthought.

The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) updated its guideline on ovarian stimulation for IVF and ICSI in 2025. The update added 46 new recommendations and revised 29 existing ones.

It covers the medication phase of IVF, how patients are monitored during stimulation, the trigger shot that helps eggs finish maturing, hormonal support after egg retrieval, and ways to lower the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS).

For patients, this mostly shows up behind the scenes, in the protocols clinics choose and how closely they watch each cycle.

Fertility treatment is becoming more personal. Clinics have more data and more guidance than ever, and the direction is clear: treatment plans should fit the individual.

Age matters a great deal for IVF outcomes, but it is not the only thing that matters. Diagnosis, both partners' test results and past treatment all play a part.

For some patients, IUI is a very sensible place to start. For others, moving to IVF sooner makes more sense.

The most helpful thing you can do is understand why your doctor is recommending a certain path, instead of assuming every patient should follow the same steps.

Infertility can take a real emotional toll. Waiting, testing, injections, disappointment and hope can all show up in the same week.

The World Health Organization's new guideline recognizes ongoing psychosocial support as part of good infertility care.

Support will not change a test result. What it can do is help you feel less alone, understand your options, and walk into appointments with your questions ready. That makes it easier to take an active part in your own care.

That is a big part of why Evernest exists: to offer faith-filled encouragement and clear education alongside the medical care you receive from your fertility team.