IVF: A Numbers Game Made Worse by Rogue Clinics

In a departure  from the usual IVF miracle baby stories, much attention has been devoted recently to IVF success rates, or more specifically the lack thereof at some of Australia's worst-performing clinics. Pregnancy rates hover in the single digits at these places, and many industry insiders  say the only miracle about these clinics is that they haven't been shut down. Debate has been raging about whether to publish a confidential league table  that would name and shame these poor performers, give public recognition to high achievers, and allow patients to make an informed choice about where they spend their money.

As an embryologist for  more than eight years, I know the ugly side of IVF in this country. Hidden behind the 12,000 babies born each year from assisted reproduction are the stories of  people whose hopes, dreams and bank accounts have been shattered by unscrupulous and incompetent  IVF providers. Adding insult to injury is how quick unsuccessful patients are to blame themselves instead of their underperforming clinics for failed IVF treatments and the lost chance of parenthood. 

Each year a collaborative report...