All SHP Multimedia

The Effects of Competition Among Clinics on IVF Outcomes

  • Melinda Henne

The demand for high rates of pregnancy among women who are treated for infertility has led to a tacit acceptance of certain complications of the treatment, particularly when the complication is multiple gestations. Some clinicians have argued that the sharp rise in multiple births in the United States during the past three decades is due, in part, to patients' demands to conceive in fewer cycles with lower costs, and to heightened competition among assisted reproductive technology (ART) clinics attempting to meet these demands. To evaluate the assertion that increasing competition among clinics leads to an increased rate of multiple gestations from assisted reproductive technology (ART), Dr. Henne evaluated the effects of competition on treatment and outcomes of ART.