Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) entail a number of risks and
complications. These should be minimized, to result in safer treatment; at the
same time results should be optimized to generate treatment of high quality.
Generally speaking, over the past 20 years, emphasis has been mainly on how to
‘improve’ results of infertility treatments, not on how to maintain a balance
between success, risks and costs. More recently, the need to trade off the efficacy
of these treatments against their quality and safety has been introduced by an
increasing number of individuals and groups. Worldwide, approximately 500 000
in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles are performed every year, with at least as many
ovulation induction or so-called superovulation cycles with or without
intrauterine insemination. These treatments and the pregnancies that follow after
ART do not come without a price, not only in financial terms but also in terms of
medical risks and complications.