You'll see "SART member" listed as a quality indicator on clinic profiles across the fertility industry — including on FertilityMetrics. But what does SART membership actually mean, and how much weight should you give it?

What SART is

SART stands for the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. It's a professional organization — a voluntary membership body, not a government agency or regulatory authority. Founded in 1987, SART is affiliated with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and represents the majority of IVF clinics in the United States.

SART's primary function is data collection and reporting. Member clinics are required to submit their outcomes data to SART, which compiles and publishes annual clinic success rates — the same underlying data that flows into the CDC's National ART Surveillance System.

What SART membership requires

To become and remain a SART member, clinics must:

  • Submit complete and accurate outcomes data annually
  • Adhere to SART and ASRM practice guidelines and ethical standards
  • Have their embryology laboratory accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) or an equivalent body
  • Be inspected periodically to verify compliance

The lab accreditation requirement is particularly meaningful. CAP accreditation involves rigorous inspection of the embryology laboratory — the environment where eggs are fertilized, embryos are cultured, and freezing occurs. Lab quality has a direct impact on outcomes, and accreditation provides independent verification that the lab meets established standards.

What SART membership doesn't mean

SART membership is not a government license to practice IVF. Clinics can legally perform IVF without being SART members. Membership is a professional affiliation and a quality signal, not a legal requirement.

SART membership also doesn't guarantee good outcomes. Member clinics vary enormously in success rates, patient volume, and patient experience. Membership tells you the clinic is committed to data transparency and meets certain laboratory standards — it doesn't tell you whether the clinic is right for you specifically.

Non-SART clinics

Some legitimate, well-run clinics are not SART members. This might be because they're newer, because they've chosen not to join, or because they use a different accreditation pathway. The absence of SART membership doesn't automatically indicate poor quality — but it does mean there's less independent oversight of their data reporting and laboratory standards.

If you're considering a non-SART clinic, ask directly: Is your embryology laboratory accredited? By whom? When was your last inspection? Are your outcomes data submitted to any independent body?

The CDC data relationship

All IVF clinics in the United States are required by federal law (the Fertility Clinic Success Rate and Certification Act of 1992) to report their outcomes to the CDC. This applies to both SART and non-SART clinics. The CDC's National ART Surveillance System — the source of all data on FertilityMetrics — captures this federally mandated reporting.

SART's data collection runs parallel to and largely overlaps with the CDC's, but with additional validation layers for member clinics. For most research purposes, the CDC dataset is the most comprehensive and authoritative source.

Bottom line

SART membership is a meaningful positive signal — it indicates data transparency, laboratory accreditation, and professional accountability. It's worth noting in your clinic research. But it's a starting point, not a conclusion. A SART member clinic with poor outcomes in your age group may serve you less well than a high-performing non-member clinic. Use it as one factor among many, not as a shortcut to a decision.