Lack of Evidence for Adjuvant Treatments Confirmed

Waterstone Clinic takes pride in providing the highest standard of fertility treatment with evidence-based medicine the cornerstone of our good clinical practice.

We at Waterstone Clinic welcome the recent British Fertility Society practice guidelines published in Human Fertility, which confirms our long-standing belief that insufficient evidence exists to recommend adjuvants such as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), anti –TNF α agents (e.g. Humira), intralipid infusions, corticosteroids, aspirin, sildenafil, DHEA or low molecular weight heparin in routine IVF practice.

Indeed, apart from the lack of evidence to support the use of these adjuvant therapies, the practice guideline emphasises the potential risks associated with these therapies, such as the risk of anaphylaxis and infection with IVIG and the increased risk of lymphoma, skin cancers and granulomatous infections with prolonged use of anti –TNF α agents. It is of paramount importance that patients prescribed unproven therapeutic agents have the available evidence for clinical benefit and the potential adverse effects discussed with them.

Waterstone Clinic continues to produce excellent success rates that are not reliant on the provision of therapies of unproven benefit.