No solid evidence for IVF add-ons

Who’d a thought it?

Can you appear on Sky News at 6.30 am? This is one of many emails, texts, or calls asking Carl to appear on the news. What for, he thought? “The fertility regulator HFEA has a report out tomorrow that says almost ¾ of fertility patients are being offered unnecessary tests and treatments.”

We’ve harked on the fact that not much has passed by the TTE office door regarding fraud, waste, or harm. So, here's the story that broke yesterday.

“According to the regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), 73% of 1,500 patients surveyed between September and October 2024 said they had used an add-on in their latest round of treatment,” reported the BBC.

In 2016, we published an analysis of the Lack of evidence for interventions offered in UK fertility centres and an assessment of the claims made for fertility interventions in the BMJ.

We found claims of benefit relating to 41 different fertility interventions across 74 fertility centre websites. You won't be surprised to hear…