Add-Ons

What the evidence shows

Once you’re in IVF, you’ll be offered a bunch of optional (and expensive) add-ons, each promising to improve one thing or another. Some genuinely help in specific situations. Most aren’t well proven, and a few may even work against you.

We compiled some of the most common add-ons, went through the research and studies, and rated them: does it actually improve your chances of having a baby? We primarily lean on two authorities: the HFEA (the UK’s official government fertility regulator, whose ratings have no US equivalent) and a June 2026 systematic review in The Lancet that weighed the best available trials on ten common add-ons.

Important note that none of this is medical advice. Whether any add-on is right for you is a decision for you and your doctor.

IVF Add-Ons: What the Evidence Says

Some evidence of more birthsGood-quality evidence of a real, if modest, benefit to live births. Mixed / dependsHelps in some situations, mixed for live births. Too little evidence to sayNot enough good evidence to judge. No clear benefitThe best evidence shows little or no benefit. No benefit, possible downsideNo benefit shown, and a possible risk or harm.

Add-on prices are the least transparent figures in IVF. Very few clinics publish them, and the ones who do bundle them differently, so the same treatment can appear as a line item at one clinic and as “included” at another. Treat everything here as a ballparks to orient you, not quotes. Get your clinic’s prices in writing.

How to decide

A few questions worth asking your clinic:

What’s the evidence this improves my chance of a successful pregnancy, specifically for someone in my situation?
Is this recommended for me, or offered to everyone by default?
What does it cost, and what do the published studies actually show?
Would that money be better spent on another cycle of treatment?

Biggest note is that it’s completely fine to say no. Add-ons are optional by definition, and declining one doesn’t make you a less serious patient or parent. If a clinic makes you feel otherwise, that’s worth noticing.

Sources we used

The HFEA is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the UK’s independent regulator of fertility treatment and research. They found that most IVF add-ons don’t have clear, proven evidence of improving your chances of a successful pregnancy. That doesn’t make all the add-ons useless. A few do genuinely help. But more add-ons isn’t necessarily better. They advised that if you’re self-paying, putting that money toward another full cycle may be better than add-ons.

The Lancet is one of the oldest and most respected medical journals. Just recently in June 2026, they analyzed the most common add-ons and reached much the same conclusion as the HFEA — most aren’t proven to help. The researchers screened 157 trials and had to throw out 72 of them, nearly half, because the studies weren’t trustworthy enough to count. These treatments have been offered and studied for well over a decade now, and convincing evidence that they improve your odds has been slow to arrive.

Important note

This is all general information, not medical advice. Whether any add-on makes sense depends on your specific situation, and that’s a conversation for you and your doctor. For instance, we are opting to have PGT-A (Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy) that screens embryos for the correct number of chromosomes. It hasn’t been shown to improve chances of having a baby, but women over the age of 35 generally have higher chances of chromosomal abnormalities due to declining egg quality. Also, studies and research continue to evolve, so check the current ratings before deciding.

Sources

HFEA, “Treatment add-ons and their evidence ratings”
The Lancet, (Lensen et al, 2026) “Safety and effectiveness of ten common IVF add-ons: a systematic review and meta-analysis”