A little-known approach to infertility is complicating the White House's IVF push

President Donald Trump has nicknamed himself “the fertilization president,” but six months after he formally pledged to expand access to in vitro fertilization, the White House has yet to issue a policy to that end.

Since he campaigned on the issue last year, Trump’s push to support IVF has been complicated by backlash from conservatives and anti-abortion groups who see IVF as unethical, as well as members of the “Make America Healthy Again” movement who view the pharmaceutical industry as having undue influence over fertility care.

Many of these groups have instead suggested that Trump redirect his attention to a little-known holistic approach called restorative reproductive medicine. The underlying philosophy is that doctors can identify and treat the root causes of infertility, often with less invasive and more affordable methods than IVF.

But restorative reproductive medicine isn’t formally recognized as a medical specialty in the U.S. and has not been evaluated as extensively as IVF has. Many fertility doctors worry that holistic methods are being presented to patients as a better alternative to IVF, thereby denying patients access...