Perspective: Cost-Effective Trial Balloons and the Potential for Bias: The Case Against in Vitro Fertilization

Clinicians often lack the analytic tools for critical evaluation of cost-effectiveness studies. A recent publication suggests that in vitro fertilization carries social costs as high as $66,667 per cycle of treatment. Careful examination of current data for success rates and cost factors indicates that this figure is inflated, inaccurate, and misleading. The potential for bias in health services research and the social implications of restricting access to infertility treatment are discussed.