Three quarters of patients with fertility in the United Kingdom who use unsuccessful additional treatments | Fertility problems

Almost three quarters of people subjected to treatment with fertility in the United Kingdom are using “extras unrelated” to increase their possibilities of having a child, despite a few tests that work.

The results, of the united kingdom’s fertility guard dog, mean that about 40,000 people per year who want to conceive are spending money in acupuncture, supplements and drugs, even if they are largely not demonstrated.

The authority for fertilization and human embryology (HFEA) has issued caution in its latest annual national survey for patients, who captures the experiences of patients NHS and care for private fertility.

Overall, 73% of patients use at least one additional test, treatment or emerging technology when undergoing IVF or treatment of donors insemination, he showed the investigation of 1,500 people.

Extra treatments can cost up to £ 1,500, even if some – such as mineral and vitamin supplements – are less expensive but can still cost £ 25 for 30 days of supply.

The regulator has tried since 2017 to reduce the use of these extra treatments “since almost all of them remain not proven to increase the possibility of having a child for most patients”.

More than half (52%) of the patients who opted to pay what HFEA calls an “non -demonstrated extra” did it after discusing with her doctor how effective it was. Even more (59%) went on according to the recommendation of their clinic, found HFea.

The regulator expressed concern for the fact that “only 37% of patients said that their clinics explained the risks of using an additional test, treatment or emerging technology”.

“It is disappointing to see a significant number of patients who are still using additional components and emerging technologies, and particularly disappointing that only half of the patients explained to them the effectiveness, not to mention the risks,” said Julia Chain, a HFEA chair.

The most commonly used extra (39%) was further drugs or supplements. Supplements included Coenzyme Q10An antioxidant naturally produced by the body, also present in meat, fish and walnuts, which runs out with aging. Some people claim that using it can improve the quality of the egg.

The acupuncture (27%) was the second most popular extra, followed by Imaging Time-Lapse and Incubation (26%). About 7% of patients used nutritional therapy, nutritionists and dieticians.

About 55,500 people in the United Kingdom had fertility treatment in 2022, the last year for which data are available. The vast majority – 52,500 – had in vitro fertilization and 3,000 had insemination of donors.

The more a person had more treatment cycles, the more they may have used an additional component. While 86% of those who had had five cycles used an additional component, 62% of those who suffered a cycle did it.

The use of endometrial scratches, in which the cherry cover is “scratched” before the embryo is implanted, has decreased in recent years.

However, the use of pre-plant genetic tests for aneuploidia (PGT-A), so the embryos are controlled for chromosomal anomalies, has increased, “although there are sufficient evidence of its effectiveness in improving the results of the treatment,” said Hfea. It is more used by patients between 40 and 42 and by those who live in London.

The HFEA regularly reminds the clinics to give patients a clear idea of ​​the cost involved in any additional component of the treatment and of how much it is likely to increase their possibilities of success. “We will continue to remind clinics the improvement of clarity and communication for patients,” added Chain.

The guard dog also revealed that:

• Some patients are facing more and more long -awaited cures, up to two years, in particular for the treatment of the fertility of the NHS.

• 51% of patients who used the donor’s sperm obtained it from abroad, where the rules on the maximum number of families who can be created by a donor are more free than in the United Kingdom.

• While 73% of patients are satisfied with their fertility treatment, Asian and black patients are less likely to be satisfied.

The Department of Health And social assistance said: “It is unacceptable to fertility that patients are offered unnecessary treatments that will not help them in their goal of becoming parents. We are working to improve access to the fertility of the NHS for all those who need it. Currently we are also taking into consideration the advice of the HFea on the priorities for the legal reform that covers their regulatory powers, including their potential role in digital clinics.