Beyond IVF: Finding the Root Causes of Infertility Can Lead to More Successful Outcomes

The best pro-family policies are those that champion the entire family—not just from the moment of conception, but the lifelong health and well-being of parents and children alike.

That’s why the recent Washington Post report about the White House considering a broader approach to fertility care rather than an in vitro fertilization mandate shouldn’t be controversial. It should be celebrated.

While Americans broadly support access to IVF, polling conducted earlier this year with J.L. Partners reveals something surprising: Most Americans want more than IVF.

Indeed, 79% of respondents said they want personalized, precision medicine that identifies and treats the root causes of infertility, either prior to or alongside IVF. Similarly, 89% of respondents said it was important for couples struggling with infertility to tailor their treatment plans to their medical and reproductive health.

For too long, the conversation about infertility in America has been dominated by a false equation: that IVF equals infertility care. As it is now, IVF takes up all the oxygen in the room, overshadowing other approaches that could help more couples build families. But what if infertility care is bigger than IVF? And what if there are other ways to restore fertility and improve health in the process?

That’s where restorative reproductive medicine comes in.

RRM is a medical approach that diagnoses and treats the underlying causes of infertility—conditions like endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, blocked fallopian tubes, hormonal imbalances, low sperm count, and recurrent miscarriages. Instead of bypassing the body’s dysfunction, restorative reproductive medicine works to correct it, restoring natural fertility and optimizing overall reproductive health.

The benefits are compelling:

• No ethical concerns over the creation or destruction of human embryos.
• Better maternal and neonatal health outcomes.
• Comprehensive, whole-body care that improves quality of life, not just pregnancy odds.
• Lower costs than IVF, with comparable success rates.

In fact, studies have found that women who have undergone one to nine failed IVF cycles still have a 32% chance of conceiving with restorative reproductive medicine treatments. Even more striking, emerging research shows that these treatments can help women in their late 30s and 40s conceive naturally.

This is a game-changer for American families. And it’s exactly the kind of pro-family innovation voters say they want.

One in six couples struggles with infertility. Yet much of the fertility industry treats infertility as if it were a stand-alone disease—like a tumor or appendicitis—rather than a symptom of underlying health problems. This is a mistake with real consequences.

As the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists notes, a woman’s menstrual cycle is her “fifth vital sign” because it reflects her broader health. Disrupted cycles or infertility often signal other medical conditions, sometimes four or more at once. Ignoring these root causes means missing the chance to improve not only fertility, but long-term health for both parents and children.

Take recurrent miscarriages. Many doctors won’t take this heartbreaking condition seriously until a woman has lost three pregnancies—a staggering and unnecessary threshold. IVF doesn’t fix this problem because miscarriages often result from hormonal imbalances, poor sperm quality, or other underlying health issues.

Restorative reproductive medicine, on the other hand, addresses these causes head-on, improving outcomes and reducing heartache.

If the Post article is accurate, President Donald Trump is poised to deliver a pro-family, pro-woman fertility policy that goes beyond political talking points. By embracing a broader, root-cause-focused approach to infertility, he can give American families more options, better outcomes, and healthier lives without ballooning costs.

This isn’t just about “more babies.” It’s about healing the body, not overriding it. From AI-driven diagnostics to minimally invasive surgeries, restorative reproductive medicine is harnessing cutting-edge medical technology to restore fertility naturally, reduce preterm births, and improve maternal health.

Currently, 15%-30% of infertility cases are labeled “unexplained infertility.” How can IVF be the gold standard when, in so many cases, doctors don’t even know what’s wrong? That’s exactly where restorative reproductive medicine shines, because it seeks answers before jumping to expensive, invasive, and ethically complex procedures.

The Make America Healthy Again movement has emphasized holistic health across the board. Fertility care should be no different. When couples receive comprehensive, personalized treatment that restores reproductive function, the results speak for themselves: healthier parents, healthier pregnancies, and healthier future generations.

That’s a pro-family policy worth fighting for.

This article originally appeared in The Washington Times