Imagine paying lakhs for hope.
And then being told… most of it was optional theatre.
That's the gut-punch from a major new Lancet review on IVF.
Researchers looked at 10 of the most popular IVF "add-ons" — the extra injections, tests, glues and scratches clinics tack on to boost your odds.
The verdict? 🤯
7 out of 10 showed no clear benefit.
Over the last decade, IVF clinics quietly built a second business on top of IVF.
Extra scans. Extra injections. Extra "science-y" sounding tech.
And patients said yes — because when you're chasing a baby, you say yes to everything.
In the UK, Australia and New Zealand, over 70% of IVF patients report using at least one add-on.
India? Roughly 3.5 lakh IVF cycles a year, mostly paid out of pocket.
🏥 Private hospital cycle: ~₹2.3 lakh
🏛️ Public hospital cycle: ~₹1.1 lakh
🔁 And most couples need multiple cycles
Now stack add-ons on top of that. The bill spirals fast.
They pulled 157 trials.
Threw out 72 for being too sketchy to trust.
Analysed the remaining 85 with proper rigour.
Here's the scoreboard 👇
❌ No clear benefit / weak evidence:
Acupuncture
Corticosteroids
Endometrial receptivity testing
Intralipid infusion
PRP injections (ovaries/uterus)
Pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT-A)
(and one more in the "inconclusive" pile)
🟡 Weak positive signals only:
EmbryoGlue — maybe better pregnancy odds
Endometrial scratching — maybe a small lift
PICSI sperm selection — maybe fewer miscarriages
Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Not exactly the certainty a ₹2 lakh bill deserves.
Dr Sarah Lensen from the University of Melbourne, who co-led the review, didn't sugarcoat it.
She said unproven add-ons create false hope, drain savings, and put patients through extra medical procedures during one of the most emotional periods of their lives.
Misinformation, she added, is everywhere — clinic websites, Instagram fertility influencers, WhatsApp groups — usually overstating benefits and hiding the costs.
IVF itself still works. A single cycle gives roughly 30–40% chance of a baby globally.
But the glittery extras sold alongside it? Mostly unproven.
The researchers even built an independent website with honest, evidence-based info on every add-on. In trials, patients who used it understood their choices far better than those Googling at midnight.
Because in fertility care, the most powerful add-on isn't a serum or a scratch.
It's the truth.
That's all for now!
