IVF Hormone Therapy: An Expensive Dead End?

A commonly used hormone therapy for in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients, intended to enhance pregnancy chances, has been found to be ineffective, according to a new evidence review. Injecting human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) into the uterus before embryo transfer does not lead to higher rates of pregnancy or live births, researchers reported recently in Human Reproduction Update. The lead researcher stated that this add-on treatment does not improve fertility outcomes and should not be routinely offered as part of IVF.

This procedure, popular globally since the early to mid-2010s, gained traction based on studies reporting positive effects. However, a deeper analysis of the raw data behind these trials revealed that the claimed benefits did not hold up. A comprehensive review pooling data from seven trials involving 2,244 patients confirmed that the hormone therapy provided no benefit, regardless of patient type, fresh or frozen transfers, embryo stages, or dosage. Researchers concluded that when the analysis was restricted to studies with verifiable raw data, the effect completely disappeared.

While the procedure is relatively inexpensive compared to the overall cost of IVF, experts argue that offering therapies without reliable evidence is unwarranted. This adds an unnecessary burden to individuals navigating an already difficult journey. The findings may suggest that other add-on treatments in reproductive medicine could also be based on unreliable evidence, potentially leading patients to make decisions based on flawed data. The call is for all procedures to be supported by robust evidence.