IVF add-ons: Research finds expensive invasive fertility clinic extras don’t always help with pregnancy

Infertility now affects one in six Australian couples, leading more people to turn to IVF to have a baby. Australia has one of the highest rates of IVF uptake per capita in the world, with more than 100,000 cycles performed a year. That’s almost doubled since 2010 and now one in 16 babies born in Australia is conceived through IVF. But IVF success rates are relatively modest at an average 30 to 40 per cent per cycle, and out-of-pocket costs can run into thousands of dollars. There are various optional treatments, or add-ons, offered by fertility clinics or available in the community, that are aimed to boost the chance of success of IVF. But new Australian research has found there is little or no evidence that many of these add-ons – some of which are invasive and expensive – help women get pregnant or have a baby.