Overview
- A University of Melbourne‑led review published in The Lancet in June 2026 found that most optional IVF add‑on treatments have little or no reliable evidence of improving live‑birth rates.
- Researchers screened 157 trials, excluded 72 for trustworthiness problems such as lack of prospective registration or unreliable reporting, and synthesised results from 85 randomized controlled trials focused on live birth.
- Only three add‑ons showed weak signals of possible benefit — EmbryoGlue, endometrial scratching and physiological ICSI (PICSI) — while seven common interventions including PGT‑A, endometrial receptivity testing, corticosteroids, PRP injections, intralipid infusions and acupuncture had little or no evidence of benefit.
- A companion randomised trial reported alongside the review found that an independent, evidence‑based website co‑designed by patients and clinicians substantially improved patients' understanding of add‑ons compared with typical internet search results.
- Authors and professional bodies are calling for large, prospectively registered RCTs, stronger research‑integrity safeguards, clear clinic disclosures about uncertainty and cost, and consideration of national regulatory measures to reduce financial strain and false hope for patients.