ASRM PRIMED scholar Dr. Caiyun Liao Publishes Article on RRM in JAMA
For Immediate Release
Washington, D.C. — A new Viewpoint published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) warns that the growing politicization and promotion of “restorative reproductive medicine” (RRM), particularly when paired with efforts to restrict access to assisted reproductive technology (ART) such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), risks undermining the safe, effective, and evidence-based fertility care under the banner of “natural” medicine.
Authored by Caiyun Liao, MD, MPH, a Reproductive Endocrinologist at UMass Memorial Health and an alumna of the ASRM Center for Policy and Leadership (CPL)’s PRIMED Scholars Program, along with Rachel Himel, MD, MA, and Amanda N. Kallen, MD, the article examines growing efforts to shape health policy by promoting RRM as a replacement for IVF despite limited evidence of effectiveness.
Over the past five decades, ART has safely helped millions of people build their families. Dr. Liao and colleagues underscore that RRM, which is being promoted by the MAHA movement as an alternative to or substitute for IVF, cannot meet the needs of many patients experiencing infertility.
“Evidence-based reproductive medicine has long focused on identifying and treating underlying causes of infertility,” said Dr. Liao. “What distinguishes RRM as it is currently being politically promoted is not scientific or medical innovation, but the deliberate exclusion of proven technologies on ideological grounds. When policy elevates RRM instead of ART, patients lose access to care that may represent their only path to building a family.”
The Viewpoint underscores that while ART is governed by robust oversight and continually updated clinical guidelines, RRM lacks comparable regulatory standards. The authors raise concerns that RRM relies on outdated diagnostic approaches and higher-risk interventions and is often promoted through misleading claims that ART is unsafe or inadequately regulated.
The article situates the political rise of RRM within a broader policy landscape, citing state and federal proposals that elevate or fund RRM while failing to protect or expand access to ART, even as federal research and surveillance systems critical to patient safety and innovation in reproductive medicine face increasing threats.
“The publication of Dr. Liao’s article is exactly the kind of impact the PRIMED program was designed to support,” said CPL Director Becca O’Connor. “We couldn’t be prouder of Dr. Liao and other PRIMED scholars who are using their voices and expertise to inform policy and advocate for evidence-based reproductive care.”
Published December 17, 2025, The JAMA Viewpoint, “The False Promise of Restorative Reproductive Medicine—Restricting Access to Care in the Name of ‘Natural’ Medicine,” is available to read online here.
For almost a century, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) has been the global leader in multidisciplinary reproductive medicine research, ethical practice, and education. ASRM impacts reproductive care and science worldwide by creating funding opportunities for advancing reproduction research and discovery, by providing evidence-based education and public health information, and by advocating for reproductive health care professionals and the patients they serve. With members in more than 100 countries, the Society is headquartered in Washington, DC, with additional operations in Birmingham, AL. www.asrm.org
For media inquiries regarding this press release contact:
Sean Tipton
ASRM Chief Advocacy and Policy Officer
E: stipton@asrm.org
Anna Hovey
Advocacy Engagement Specialist
E: ahovey@asrm.org
J. Benjamin Younger Office of Public Affairs
726 7th St. SE
Washington, DC 20003
Tel: (202) 863-2494
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