Erwin Loh: Most IVF Add-On Treatments Are Not Backed by Reliable Evidence
Erwin Loh, President of Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Most IVF ‘add-on’ treatments sold to people hoping to boost their chances of having children are not backed by reliable evidence, fail to boost fertility and may be a complete waste of money, the largest study of its kind has concluded.
There has been a surge in extra procedures, medicines or techniques offered to patients in addition to standard IVF with bold claims they will increase the probability of success. Take-up is widespread, with more than 70% of IVF patients in the UK, Australia and New Zealand paying for one or more add-on during IVF treatment.
But the world’s most comprehensive review into their effectiveness – and the evidence behind them – found the majority show no effect on fertility or remain inconclusive due to limited or low-quality data.
Unproven add-ons also lead to false hope, greater financial strain and needless medical procedures at what is already a difficult time for patients, experts behind the research said.
The findings were published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health journal.
Source.”
Title: Safety and effectiveness of ten common in-vitro fertilisation add-ons: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sarah Lensen, Jack Wilkinson, Michelle Steeper, Pedro Melo, Mohan S Kamath, Laurentiu Craciunas, Rui Wang, Vanessa Jordan, Marian Showell, Sara Attinger, Afsana Afroz, Madelon van Wely, Cynthia Farquhar
Stay updated on all scientific advances in the field of fertility with Fertility News.
-
Jun 27, 2026, 16:52Hana Shabana: I Honor the Science, the Patients, and the Researchers On World Microbiome Day
-
Jun 27, 2026, 16:27Hrishikesh Pai: Early Signs of Endometriosis – Recognizing the Symptoms Early Matters
-
Jun 27, 2026, 16:17Anuradha Housnur: Excellence Is Not Inherited, It Is Learned Through the Right Mentorship
-
Jun 27, 2026, 16:03PCOS Is a Strongly Inherited Hormone-and-Insulin Condition – Fertility Plus
-
Jun 27, 2026, 15:53Hardeep Singh: The Fertility Industry Is Evolving Faster Than Ever
-
Jun 27, 2026, 15:39Juan J. Fraire-Zamora: Join Us to Revisit a Landmark Ovarian Tissue Study at ESHRE 2026
-
Jun 27, 2026, 15:24Karen Synesiou: ASRM Acknowledged That Routine PGT-A Screening Value for All IVF Patients Remains Unproven
-
Jun 27, 2026, 14:26Christopher Robinson: Recruitment Prior to Conception for Pregnancy Studies
-
Jun 27, 2026, 14:18Swagata Goswami: I Have Successfully Completed and Validated Trophectoderm Biopsy for PGT