Oxford is home to one of the most successful IVF clinics in the country according to new figures.

The Oxford Fertility Clinic, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Headington, has been ranked 15th in a new league table complied by the UK fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, The table is based on the live birth rate (LBR), the number of successful pregnancies per cycle of IVF treatment.

But the HFEA has warned that LBR is only one measure of success and potential IVF couples should also look at the number of multiple births that carry a higher risk of complications at each clinic.

Tim Child, a consultant gynaecologist at the Oxford Fertility Clinic, said the league tables were a help to couples.

He added: "What couples want to know is what is their chance of having a baby and this gives you an idea of that."

He said the success of the Oxford clinic was down to its expertise, caring environment, support and counselling services.

Mr Child added: "We were the first IVF clinic to gain the ISO 9001 quality management award in 2004. That showed our attention to detail we monitor every single aspect of the cycle."

But the clinic's multiple birth rate was also among the highest in the country, 14th in the table, and Mr Child said improving success had to be balanced against that risk.

He added: "In general, the more embryos you put back, the more you increase the LBR, but the greater the risk of multiple births."

He said the clinic normally transferred two fertilised embryos at once to women aged under 40 and three embryos in certain cases for women aged over 40.

He said one way to reduce multiple births was to transfer just one embryo at a time, but that significantly reduced the chances of having a child something the majority of couples, many of whom paid for their own treatment, did not want to consider.

He added: "Unfortunately, it's a balancing act. The majority of women who have twins have no problems at all, but it is a higher risk.

"Ten years ago, five per cent of all our pregnancies were triplets, now it's less than half a per cent. The only way to drive down the rate of twins is to put two or one embryos back."