Is there a right number of IVF attempts?
There is no number that suits everyone. Age, previous treatment results and how you feel need to be considered together with your fertility specialist. It is completely acceptable to pause or stop.
This is an important question. IVF can be demanding financially, physically and emotionally. How many attempts are reasonable depends on your age, the results of previous treatments, and how you feel and what you can manage.
What does NICE recommend?
By way of comparison, the UK's NICE initially recommends three full IVF cycles for people under 40. A further three may then be considered following an individual assessment. At ages 40–41, one cycle is recommended for those who have not previously had IVF. These are UK healthcare recommendations, not Swedish funding rules or a biological limit on when you must stop.
What counts as a full cycle?
A full cycle means one egg collection and all transfers of usable embryos from that collection.
When is it time to reassess?
When using your own eggs, the following can serve as approximate points for reassessment rather than fixed limits:
- Under 38: Have a thorough review with your doctor after around three full cycles.
- Ages 38–39: Review the outcome after each cycle and consider whether to continue especially carefully after two to three cycles.
- Ages 40–41: Before each new cycle, assess whether further treatment is reasonable based on previous results and your individual prognosis.
- From age 42: Ask for a clear assessment of your chance of having a baby with your own eggs, and discuss egg donation as an alternative.
When can you contact us?
Our suggestion is that people under 35 can start with two full IVF cycles, if their fertility specialist considers this appropriate. If treatment does not lead to pregnancy, you are welcome to contact us for an individual assessment.
If you are 38 or older and have had several unsuccessful IVF attempts, you are welcome to contact us to discuss complementary support before your next treatment. This should be coordinated with your fertility clinic so that IVF is not delayed unnecessarily.
Among our patients who had previously undergone unsuccessful IVF attempts, 70 percent became pregnant during follow-up, either naturally or through IVF. The results were analysed by Epistat AB, which also checked approximately 150 randomly selected patient records against our database. The statistics describe patients' outcomes, but do not in themselves show how much our treatment contributed to the pregnancies.
What matters most is weighing the chance of success against what treatment means for you personally. It is completely acceptable to pause or stop, regardless of how many attempts you have made.
Source and context
NICE NG257 (2026): access criteria for IVF, recommendations 1.39.3–1.39.9. These describe the eligibility criteria and what a full cycle involves. The age-based points for reassessment and suggestions about when to contact us above describe our clinic's guidance.