ObjectiveTo evaluate the websites of Brazilian fertility clinics included in the 11th
Report of the National Embryo Production System (SisEmbrio, 2017) for
compliance with the 2004 American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
and the Brazilian Medical Council (Conselho Federal de Medicina, CFM)
guidelines for advertising.MethodsWe performed an online evaluation of the websites of clinics listed in the
11th SisEmbrio report based on criteria from the 2004 ASRM guidelines
(publication of success rates, live birth rates (LBR), method of LBR
calculation, success rates by age range and diagnosis,
experimental/investigational nature of procedures and the practice of
comparison marketing) and CFM guidelines (clinic director name and register
visible on the website; no prices displayed, no photos of patients nor
success stories with patient identification).ResultsA total of 161 SiSEmbrio-registered clinics were evaluated: 153 (95.0%) had
functional websites, and only seven were public clinics. Social media
presence was as follows: 87 (54.03%) were on WhatsApp; 128 (79.5%) were on
Facebook; and 122 (75.8%) were on Instagram. Seventy-five (46.6%) were on
other social media platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter). Regarding CFM
recommendations, 49 (30.4%) showed information of a registered director, 85
(52.8%) showed patient photos on their websites and/or social media
accounts. Fifty-four clinics published success rates (33.5%) and 19 (11.8%)
used their own data, whereas seven (4.3%) showed pregnancy rates by age.
None reported LBR or advertised prices.ConclusionsThe information published online by Brazilian fertility clinics is
heterogeneous in nature. A significant portion of the websites does not
follow some of the ASRM and CFM guidelines for advertising.