Researchers in a 2026 randomized trial found that ~9 weeks of transdermal testosterone before IVF didn’t improve pregnancy rates or egg numbers in women with diminished ovarian reserve.
IVF add-ons
Researchers in a 2026 meta-analysis combined 15 randomized trials in women with POR or DOR and found that while some forms of acupuncture were linked to slightly more eggs retrieved, they didn’t improve pregnancy rates.
A 2025 study found that aging eggs and their support cells may have increased ribosome activity that contributes to reduced egg quality, and early clinical results suggest that rapamycin may help improve embryo quality and pregnancy rates.
A 2025 meta-analysis combined the results of 22 studies and found no clear improvement in live birth rates from hormonal add-on for poor ovarian response, though growth hormone and testosterone ranked as the most promising options, and growth hormone increased the number of eggs retrieved.
A 2025 review found that sperm DNA fragmentation testing provides useful insight into male infertility and may help in select cases, but inconsistent evidence, lack of test standardization, and variable results limit its routine use in fertility care.
A 2025 meta-analysis combined 151 studies on interventions for advanced maternal age (>35) patients. It found no clear advantage to any specific stimulation protocol or FSH type, no benefit from routine ICSI, and decreased live birth with assisted hatching, while more research is needed on blastocyst versus cleavage-stage transfer and on PGT-A with modern methods.
The Italian Society of Fertility and Sterility and Reproductive Medicine (SIFES-MR) has issued new guidelines on 28 IVF add-ons, outlining which may help in certain situations, which lack evidence, and which should be limited to research.
A new study found that selecting FSH type based on a woman’s FSH receptor (FSHR) genotype may improve IVF pregnancy and live birth rates, particularly when using rFSH for NN genotypes and uFSH for NS or SS genotypes.
A new study performed an “umbrella review” on the use of supplements for improving female infertility, finding that while studies show improvements in pregnancy outcomes, the quality of the data is low and “insufficient to recommend nutrient supplementation.”
A 2024 meta-analysis combined the results of 38 studies investigating treatments for diminished ovarian reserve patients. DHEA, testosterone, high-dose gonadotropins and delayed start protocols all improved the number of eggs retrieved.
A 2024 randomized controlled trial (RCT) found that Zymot-selected sperm didn’t improve embryo euploidy rates, but increased fertilization rates. An important limitation of this study is that it was done in the general IVF population and not in individuals with high sperm DNA fragmentation.
A 2024 meta-analysis combined the results of 20 studies, showing that supplements improved IVF outcomes in women with ovarian aging, especially CoQ10.
Researchers in a 2024 study performed an RCT and found that intraovarian PRP resulted in an increased number of eggs retrieved in patients with poor ovarian response, although these eggs weren’t more likely to become blastocysts or be euploid after PGT-A and resulted in fewer pregnancies.
Researchers in a 2023 study review the use of 27 IVF add-ons and provide recommendations by ESHRE, with only several that are recommended or could be considered for the general infertility population.
Researchers in a 2022 study found no difference in live birth rates in those that transferred embryos by standard timing or timing established by the ERA.
Researchers in a 2022 study performed a meta-analysis to combine the results of 8 ERA studies and found no differences in live birth, pregnancy and miscarriage rates among women who performed the ERA or didn’t.
Researchers in a 2022 study performed a meta-analysis on the impact of acupuncture on FET outcomes and found that there were improvements in clinical pregnancies but not live birth rates, with most included studies small.
Researchers in a 2022 study found no benefit in patients who used the ERA after transferring a single euploid, even when accounting for a history of failed transfers.
