73% of IVF patients pay for unproven add-on treatments that clinics recommend without adequate evidence disclosure

Fertility clinics routinely upsell patients on supplementary procedures and treatments -- known as 'add-ons' -- that lack robust evidence of improving live birth rates, yet 73% of IVF patients reported using at least one add-on during their treatment according to the UK HFEA's 2024 National Patient Survey. These add-ons include DHEA supplements, growth hormones, acupuncture, time-lapse imaging, and PGT-A genetic testing, each adding $1,000-$6,000+ to treatment costs. Why it matters: clinics recommend these add-ons as ways to improve success, so 60% of UK patients who used add-ons did so specifically because their clinic recommended it would increase their chances of having a baby, so patients in an emotionally vulnerable state make financially significant decisions based on incomplete information, so 30% of patients reported not understanding what the add-on treatment was even being used for and only 37% were given an explanation of risks, so patients are spending thousands of dollars on treatments that may provide no benefit while believing they are maximizing their chances. The structural root cause is that fertility clinics have a direct financial incentive to recommend add-ons (which can increase per-cycle revenue by 20-40%), there is no regulatory framework in most countries requiring clinics to disclose the evidence rating of each add-on at the point of sale, and the emotional desperation of patients undergoing IVF makes them highly susceptible to any recommendation that promises even marginal improvement.