Your IVF treatment costs; greater clinical transparency is needed now

At Bridge Clinic London, we outline greater financial transparency of our treatment costs in order to protect patients’ best interests. 

Following the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology 39th Annual Meeting, the European Fertility Society finalised their latest white paper – Good practice recommendations for add-ons in reproductive medicine. 

This report found that, whilst clinics go above and beyond usual fertility treatments to include ‘add-ons’ – optional additional procedures given on top of standard treatment plans – these additional costs are not proven to bring a higher success rate. 

Growth in the use of add-ons in the UK was found to be the result of several factors; namely, the competitive nature of the UK fertility market, with approximately 60% of treatments funded privately and almost all NHS clinics treating a mix of privately and publicly funded patients. 

Additionally, patient expectations in the age of online information caused an increase in demand, even if medically the treatments are yet to be proven.

Patients need a more accurate picture of the services and treatments they are opting into, and it is the responsibility of clinical teams to provide this.

We know the IVF journey can be emotional for patients already, so ensuring patient interests are at the forefront of a curated care plan should be a priority. 

Clinics across the board still need to be more transparent about their treatment costs, and only employ evidence-based add-on options for the sake of patient wellbeing.

Patient expectations for IVF processes can be easily swayed, due to the intense and sometimes desperate nature of the need for fertility treatment. They may feel backed into a corner when it comes to their available options for starting a family. 

Providing false hope through expensive add-on treatments that may not even be proven to work effectively is the last thing professionals should be doing. 

Fertility care should not be an industry that preys on the desperate for financial gain, and thus patients should absolutely research their available options to ensure they select a clinic that is both affordable and high quality in their offering.

At Bridge Clinic London, we want to lead an open conversation about treatment add-ons. We provide our patients with affordable, reliable and high-quality treatments in our offerings and want to make sure our patients are informed for every step of the journey. 

Make secure decisions about your family’s future with us today.