Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act

The Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act (FCSRCA) of 1992 are United States regulatory requirements that mandate all assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics report pregnancy success rates data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in a standardized manner and for the CDC to publish pregnancy success rates .^[1][2]

FCSRCA is the primary consumer protection regulation for in-vitro fertilization in the US.^[3] Though participation in FCSRCA is mandatory, there is no penalty for non-participation.^[3] In 2024, approximately 90% of fertility clinics participated, though the results are susceptible to manipulation by cherry picking couples with a higher chance of conception.^[3][4] The CDC annually audits a sampling of participating clinics for validity.^[3]

Criticism

The FCSRCA has been criticized for its lack of enforceability and as being insufficient.^[5] Currently, the fertility industry in the United States is largely self-regulated with voluntary guidelines established by American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM).^[6]

FCSRCA also does not collect embryo data, including how many embryos are created with each IVF cycle, nor how many are discarded, frozen, or implanted.^[5]

Further reading

• Adamson, David (2005). "Regulation of Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the United States". Family Law Quarterly. 39 (3): 727–744. ISSN 0014-729X. JSTOR 25740518.
• Adamson, David (November 2002). "Regulation of assisted reproductive technologies in the United States". Fertility and Sterility. 78 (5): 932–942. doi:10.1016/S0015-0282(02)04199-7. PMID 12413975.
• Chichi, Delores V. (Dec 1, 2021). "In Vitro Fertilization, Fertility Frustrations, and the Lack of Regulation". Hofstra Law Review. 49 (2). Article 7. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
• Cohen, Jacques (October 2014). "Regulation of assisted reproduction in the USA – a just target or a target of unfair criticism?". Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 29 (4): 397–398. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.08.002. PMID 25281989.
• Frith, Lucy; Blyth, Eric (October 2014). "Assisted reproductive technology in the USA: is more regulation needed?" (PDF). Reproductive BioMedicine Online. 29 (4): 516–523. doi:10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.06.018. PMID 25171854.
• Hornstein, MD (December 2016). "State of the ART: Assisted Reproductive Technologies in the United States". Reproductive Sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.). 23 (12): 1630–1633. doi:10.1177/1933719116667227. PMID 27624310.
• Lewis, Myrisha S. (May 2019). "The American Democratic Deficit in Assisted Reproductive Technology Innovation". American Journal of Law & Medicine. 45 (2–3): 130–170. doi:10.1177/0098858819860610. PMID 31722626.
• Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine; Practice Committee of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology; Practice Committee of the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists (October 2014). "Recommended practices for the management of embryology, andrology, and endocrinology laboratories: a committee opinion". Fertility and Sterility. 102 (4): 960–963. doi:10.1016/j.fertnstert.2014.06.036. PMID 25064400.