Fran Güell, researcher ICS: "Information about assisted reproductive technologies is biased and creates false expectations"

A study led by Fran Güell, researcher group at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) at the University of Navarra, reveals that the information provided in Spain regarding the success rates of assisted reproductive technologies is confusing, ambiguous, and misleading. “The information provided by clinics is biased and creates false expectations due to overly optimistic statistics, which make it difficult for patients to assess their actual chances of success,” notes the expert, author of the book The Latest In Vitro.

The research the information provided on the websites of the five leading assisted reproduction clinics in Spain. This analysis revealed a common trend: fees are fees quoted in terms of pregnancy rather than live births. Furthermore, we found vague definitions of what constitutes “success,” a lack of details regarding certifications, an absence of data sources, and a failure to differentiate results by age or subject . In this regard, Güell argues that fees should be defined in terms of live births rather than pregnancies, and clinics should avoid presenting them in age ranges; instead, they should provide them for each specific age group.”

According to data the French government, a 35-year-old woman has a 15.2% chance of giving birth to a child; a 40-year-old, 6.4%; and a 45-year-old, 1.6%. In contrast, Spanish clinics report data 57% to 87% for women aged 35, and from 16% to 75% for those aged 40 to 45. In the book, Güell also reviews the slogans used by clinics to attract clients, with phrases such as “9 out of 10 couples who visit our clinic achieve their goal becoming parents.”

Urges Regulation The research findings research that “stricter regulation isurgently needed regarding the reporting of fees in Spain’s fertility sector.” In this regard, it is considered essential that external authorities oversee and establish standards for data reporting, in order to “ensure transparency and prevent misleading practices.” They also suggest that “a centralized public body should be manager supervising, collecting, and managing this data order to protect patients’ rights and improve trust in fertility care.”

The study also offers recommendations aimed at improving patient protection and regulating advertising practices. “Providing clear and accurate information about fees is not only a legal requirement but also an ethical obligation in reproductive healthcare,” Güell emphasizes.

Health Issues
The researcher that another major gap in the field of assisted reproduction concerns the risks posed to infants. To this end, he has classified the conditions in which an increased risk has been observed among those conceived through in vitro fertilization into three main groups, including scientific references in the book so that they can be verified. First, there are congenital malformations —such as those affecting the cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, or genitourinary systems—as well as certain conditions detectable before birth, including placenta previa, Russell-Silver syndrome, and Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome.

Second, there are problems that manifest at birth, such as prematurity, low birth weight, perinatal mortality, and neonatal seizures, among others. And third, there are conditions that develop in the medium to long term. Within this group, an increased risk has been reported for cerebral palsy, asthma, epilepsy, subject diabetes, allergies, language disorders, and certain types of cancer, such as Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemias, liver cancer, retinoblastoma, and melanomas.

Güell explains that the more invasive the technique, the greater the increase in risk observed; in this regard, he notes that there are medical treatments for infertility that are similarly effective (and even slightly more so), are more cost-effective, and do not pose an increased risk to the health of the offspring. This is restorative medicine, which, as he notes, aims to diagnose infertility and try to reverse it, “and it should be the first option, regardless of age, for addressing fertility issues.”