For the first time in American history, more than 100,000 babies were born through in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a single year.
According to data released in March 2026 by the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), 100,158 IVF babies were born in the United States in 2024, across 449,772 reported treatment cycles at 364 fertility clinics nationwide. Behind each of those births is a patient who faced uncertainty, made difficult decisions, and ultimately chose to pursue care. As a reproductive endocrinologist who has practiced in this field for more than three decades, I want to explain what this milestone actually means, not as a headline, but as a data point that has direct implications for anyone considering fertility treatment today.
What matters more than the 100,000 milestone
The milestone worth paying attention to isn’t just the total. It’s what the data behind it reveals about how IVF is being practiced.
More than 97 percent of IVF births in 2024 were singletons. Twins accounted for roughly 2.6 percent of births. Triplets were nearly nonexistent at 0.04 percent. A decade ago, those numbers looked substantially different. Higher-order multiples were far more common, because the standard practice was to transfer multiple embryos at once in hopes that at least one would implant.
What changed is the quality of fertility treatment and the IVF laboratory, leading to the widespread adoption of elective single embryo transfer (eSET). In 2024, approximately 79 percent of embryo transfer cycles used this approach, a major shift driven by advances in embryo selection technology, improved laboratory conditions, and a clearer clinical picture of the risks associated with multiple pregnancies.
This shift reflects a field that has matured significantly. The IVF practiced today is not the IVF of 15 years ago. Most people still assume IVF carries a much higher risk of multiple births. Based on modern practice, that’s simply no longer accurate.
National averages have limits
National IVF statistics are a useful benchmark, but they have real limits as a decision-making tool. Those averages pool results from hundreds of clinics with widely varying patient populations, laboratories, and protocols.
A clinic treating a higher proportion of older patients or complex diagnoses may report lower success rates than one seeing primarily younger, lower-risk patients. Neither figure tells a particular patient much about their own odds. The more meaningful question when evaluating a fertility clinic is not what the national success rate is, but what outcomes look like for patients in your specific age bracket, with your diagnosis, at this specific clinic. SART publishes clinic-level data broken down by age group and transfer type, and that’s where the most useful comparisons begin.
Earlier evaluation offers more options
The 449,772 cycles reported in 2024 represent not just a record, but a trend. Demand for fertility care has grown steadily over the past decade, driven by several converging factors: people building families later in life, expanded employer fertility benefits, and greater public awareness of conditions like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), endometriosis, and male factor infertility.
Thankfully, access to care has also improved, with a number of states recently adopting insurance coverage mandates. Additionally, a 2023 change in the definition of infertility by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has improved treatment accessibility for LGBTQ+ individuals and single people who want to become parents.
Research published in BMC Women’s Health analyzing outcomes across more than 4,200 IVF cycles found that even among women under 35, diminished ovarian reserve (a condition where the number or quality of a woman’s eggs is lower than expected for her age) significantly reduced live birth rates, underscoring that age alone doesn’t determine outcomes. Put simply, earlier evaluation gives clinicians a better opportunity to help patients succeed. A fertility evaluation doesn’t commit a patient to any specific treatment; it simply provides information. And in reproductive medicine, information and time are precious resources.
What patients should know
IVF is rarely the first step
Most patients pursue less intensive treatments, including fertility medications and intrauterine insemination (IUI), before considering IVF. A thorough evaluation determines the appropriate starting point.
The field has advanced substantially
A comprehensive review tracking IVF outcomes from 1992 to 2019 found that the live birth rate quadrupled over that period, the proportion of women over 38 seeking treatment doubled, and single embryo transfer rates increased sevenfold, all while outcomes improved. As a result, more babies have been born.
Cumulative outcomes are more predictive than single-cycle data
A 2023 study published in Human Reproduction validated prediction models across more than 91,000 women and 144,000 IVF cycles and confirmed that cumulative live birth rates increase substantially with each additional cycle, particularly for women under 40. Single-cycle statistics, which are often what patients focus on, represent only part of the picture. Patients should be prepared to attempt in vitro fertilization more than once.
What 100,000 births really tell us
One hundred thousand babies born through IVF in a single year is a meaningful milestone. More than a number, it reflects the maturation of a field: better science, better clinical standards, and a growing number of patients who sought care and found a path forward.
For patients considering fertility treatment now, the data offers a consistent message: The earlier a conversation begins, the more options typically remain available.
Mark P. Leondires is a reproductive endocrinologist.
