Cancellation of an IVF cycle may be needed for several reasons if a good outcome is not anticipated.

Reasons for cancellation before oocyte retrieval:

• Lab results suggesting the potential for a low response to stimulation
• Inadequate ovarian response to stimulation medications
• Premature ovulation as seen by an LH surge or loss of follicles prior to retrieval
• High response to stimulation indicating a high risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS)

Reasons for cancellation before embryo transfer:

• No oocytes retrieved
• Failed fertilization of oocytes
• No embryo development

Sometimes the embryo transfer is cancelled, and the embryos are frozen for an embryo transfer to occur in a future frozen embryo transfer cycle. This may be due to:

• Abnormal uterine lining, polyp, or fibroid
• Elevation of progesterone
• High response indicating OHSS

SART member clinics report cancelled cycles to SART.  Both SART statistics and “Percentage of Cycles resulting in Live Birth” are negatively affected by cancelled cycles as these two measurements are based on the number of initiated cycles.

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