“State of the IVF Sector” report published
Today, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) published its first “State of the IVF Sector” report. The report can be read here: https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/news-and-press-releases/2017-news-and-press-releases/press-release-multiple-births-success-as-hfea-publishes-first-state-of-the-ivf-sector-report/ As Chair of The British Fertility Society, I issued the following statement in response to the report: “We welcome the report, which shows the extraordinary commitment our specialty has to transparency. […]
From embryo to aspiring medical student
How she’s grown! From embryo to aspiring medical student, I last saw 6th former, Lucy – one of ‘my’ IVF babies – as a 2-day embryo. She came to see me for advice on becoming a fertility doctor, so she can help bring children into the world via IVF, too, which is such a privilege. […]
40 years of IVF
It’s amazing to think that it’s almost 40 years since the birth of Louise Brown, the first IVF baby – conceived after many years of perseverance by Bob Edwards, Patrick Steptoe and Jean Purdy. I was doing my A levels at the time, so I wasn’t really there at the beginning, but not far off. […]
Infertility is not a lifestyle choice
I wanted to share some thoughts following on from this year’s National Fertility Awareness Week, which was full of extremes. Most of us focussed on the appalling lack of fair and equitable funding for IVF and other assisted conception treatments, whilst at the end of the week we spent two days at the “Fertility Show” […]
Fertility Treatment Debate on BBC Radio 4’s ‘You and Yours’ Programme
This week it’s National Fertility Awareness Week, and I’ve been contributing to various debates in the media on infertility and IVF treatment. Yesterday, I joined Radio 4’s ‘You and Yours’ programme to discuss cut-backs in the funding of IVF treatment by the NHS and the ‘post-code lottery’ around the country. Some Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) […]
Do you Suffer from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome?
Over the summer, I chatted to the Fertility Podcast about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). A great deal of the research I have done over the years has been on PCOS, and I was very happy to talk about the subject. You can hear my interview here: Do you suffer with PCOS?
Launch of Fertility Support Group at Leeds Fertility
At Leeds Fertility, we recognise the importance of diet and lifestyle factors in preparing for IVF treatment and a healthy baby. Following feedback from patients, we decided to launch a free fertility and preconception care support group offering information on evidence-based diet and lifestyle factors that can affect your chances of conceiving either naturally or […]
Daily Mail misses the mark on fertility
Last week the Daily Mail published an undercover investigation into certain aspects of IVF practice in the UK (reported elsewhere in BioNews this week). Whilst this has highlighted some issues, unfortunately the meaning of published statistics has been misinterpreted and certain aspects of the investigation have been given far more weight than is just. Rather […]
‘Lack of evidence for interventions offered in UK fertility centres’ paper challenged
The BMJ published my response to its paper entitled ‘Lack of evidence for interventions offered in UK fertility centres’. The letter is co-authored by some of the UK’s leading fertility specialists. Lack of evidence for interventions offered in UK fertility centres BMJ 2016; 355 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.i6295 (Published 28 November 2016) Cite this as: BMJ 2016;355:i6295 […]
House of Commons Debate: NHS Funding of IVF
This week on January 19th, there is a backbench business debate in the House of Commons about the funding of fertility treatments. Currently there is insufficient funding provided by the NHS. Furthermore the amount of funding varies widely around the country – there really is a “post code lottery” and a huge amount of unfairness. […]
