SART Database

The study dataset was obtained from the SART Clinic Outcome Reporting System (SART CORS). Data were collected from participating clinics through voluntary submission, verified by SART, and reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in compliance with the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-493). The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology maintains Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act-compliant business associates agreements with reporting clinics. In 2019, 81% of all assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics in the United States reporting 90% of all IVF cycles were SART members (7). Participating clinics are expected to prospectively report cycles (within 4 days of gonadotropin start or before any embryo thaw). Although retrospective reporting is accepted, it is discouraged by prominently displaying prospective reporting rates on public-facing clinic summary reports.

The data in the SART CORS are validated annually with some clinics receiving on-site visits for chart review. During each visit, data reported by the clinic were compared with information recorded in patients’ charts. In 2021, records for 1,945 cycles at 33 clinics were randomly selected for full validation, along with 262 fertility preservation cycles selected for partial validation. Nine of ten data fields selected for validation were found to have discrepancy rates of ≤5% (7). The exception was the diagnosis field, which, depending on the diagnosis, had a discrepancy rate between 0.7% and 9.1% (7). Obstetric outcomes in SART CORS, including live birth/fetal death, plurality, birth date, and singleton birthweight were validated in a study comparing 9,092 ART deliveries in Massachusetts in 2004–2008 with state vital records of live birth and fetal death certificates. The SART-reported outcomes from Massachusetts ART records were validated to have >95% agreement with vital records (8).