Podcasts about embryology authority hfea

In the last couple of weeks there have been a lot of reports across the media about IVF Add Ons and there being no benefit to them.The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has issued a warning to those undergoing IVF about “unproven extras” (Add Ons) to increase their chances of having a baby.  These included acupuncture, nutrition, supplements, PGTA testing, microbiome tests, Time Lapse and Immunology amongst others.I am joined by the brilliant Emma Whitney to discuss the findings, how it has been reported in the media and unpick the details behind some of the headlines.We discuss:The role of the HFEA - a legally regulated entity that supports fertility clinics.How the media often misrepresents the findings of patient surveys.How Add-ons can vary significantly in their benefits and applications.How the language used in media can create confusion and fear among patients.Why Time-lapse technology provides valuable insights into embryo development.Why patient context is crucial in evaluating the effectiveness of add-ons.How a lack of scientific evidence is different unprovenThe problem of scientific studies in the complexities of fertilityHow the majority of clinics and practitioners are primarily focused on helping patients build families.For more information from Emma see her ⁠Instagram⁠ account and ⁠Website⁠For more information on scientific studies on acupuncture see The British Acupuncture Council Factsheet.Don't Tell Me To RELAX is sponsored by Acupips, quote RELAX for 20% discount.

In this episode, the penultimate episode that Kate is hosting, Kate is joined by Professor Tim Child. Tim is Associate Professor of Reproductive Medicine at the University of Oxford. He has published more than 100 research papers, and has brought new treatments and techniques to the UK, increasing both the success and safety of fertility treatment.In 2021, he was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health to the board of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK's regulator of assisted conception treatment and research. Tim Chairs its Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee (SCAAC), responsible for the IVF Add-Ons traffic light system. And not only that but Kate and Tim worked together many moons ago in Oxford, and Tim was rather partial to Kate's homemade strawberry cheese cake!So, Tim is here to talk all things IVF Add-ons with us and I'm sure you'll agree he's absolutely best placed to do so!Kate and Tim discuss exactly what are IVF add ons, whether you should be using them, how they are graded and the importance of making the right decision for you with as much information from your doctor as possible.The pair also discuss the rise of misinformation on social media, how to filter through this fake information and where to find evidence based information. Go and take a look at Tim's excellent Instagram account where he shares so much top quality information to help you along your fertility journey.Thanks for joining OUR SPONSOR:We are delighted that the current series is being sponsored by Proceive who are kindly offering all listeners to The Fertility Podcast 15% off any Procieve purchase, when you use the discount code FP15.Socials:Follow @YourFertilityNurse on InstagramFollow @TheFertilityPodcast on InstagramFollow Natalie Silverman she / her (@fertilitypoddy) • Instagram photos and videos on InstagramFollow Fertility Doctor (@drtimchild) • Instagram photos and videos on InstagramFind HFEA: UK fertility regulator website

A new series was released this week on Netflix. It is called Man with 1,000 Kids, and Netflix is billing it as the true story of Jonathan Meijer, a man accused of travelling the world, deceiving women into having his babies - via sperm donation - on a mass scale. Nuala McGovern talks to Jonathan Meijer, the sperm donor, to mums Natalie and Suzanne, who had a baby conceived with Jonathan's donor sperm, to Natalie Hill, the executive producer who pitched the original idea for these films to Netflix and to Rachel Cutting, director of compliance and information at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK's independent regulator of fertility treatment.Gabby Logan joins Krupa Padhy to talk about her new book The Midpoint Plan. She's challenging the stereotype of middle age. With fewer insecurities, children leaving home and perhaps a bit more money in the bank, she believes we should see it as the best point in our lives. Plus, if we look after ourselves in midlife, we'll be happier in old age.Summer is here, which means it's wedding season, and brides-to-be across the country are asking themselves the eternal question: what do I wear for the occasion? Kathryn Wheeler, who married earlier this year, decided to do something that old superstitions advice against: make her own wedding dress. In the process, she learned much more than just sewing skills. She also learned a life lesson, to embrace imperfections.It's 25 year since the New York Times' best-selling author Lisa Jewell published her first novel, Ralph's Party. Since then she's written another twenty-one novels, and more recently a number of dark psychological thrillers, including Then She Was Gone, The Family Upstairs and the award winning None of This is True. She joins Krupa Padhy to discuss her latest work – Breaking the Dark – which is a Jessica Jones Marvel crime novel, exploring the world of the private detective and former superhero. By the time she was 19, Michelle De Swarte had gone from a council estate in London to the catwalks of Manhattan. Her twenties were a swirl of parties and high end glamour but by her thirties she was broke and in need - as she once put it - of a “new personality”. Desperate to find a way out of fashion, she reinvented herself as a stand-up comedian. Michelle De Swarte joins Nuala to talk about putting some of her own experiences into a new BBC comedy, Spent.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Rebecca Myatt

A new series has been released this morning (3 July) on Netflix. It is called Man with 1,000 Kids, and Netflix is billing it as the true story of Jonathan Meijer, a man accused of travelling the world, deceiving women into having his babies - via sperm donation - on a mass scale. Nuala talks to Jonathan Meijer, the sperm donor, to mums Natalie and Suzanne, who had a baby conceived with Jonathan's donor sperm, to Natalie Hill, the executive producer who pitched the original idea for these films to Netflix and to Rachel Cutting, director of compliance and information at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK's independent regulator of fertility treatment.A new report from AutoTrader has found that there's a stark gender divide when it comes to going green with your vehicle choice. Hyper-masculine marketing, highly technical jargon and anxieties around running out of charge are just some of the reasons they give on why women feel excluded from making the switch to electric vehicles. Nuala talks to Erin Baker, who is the editorial director at AutoTrader and author of the report. It's 150 years since the first Impressionist exhibition was held in Paris in 1874. The artists involved included Monet, Renoir, Degas, Morisot, Pissarro, Sisley and Cézanne, and just one female artist was included in that first exhibition, Berthe Morisot. But women artists were involved with Impressionism, and 150 years on, the National Gallery of Ireland is holding an exhibition to put their work front and centre. The director, Caroline Campbell, joins Nuala McGovern to talk about the exhibition, Women Impressionists, and the four female pioneers who were integral to the artistic movement.Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Laura Northedge

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has launched a ratings system to let patients see which IVF add-ons are backed-up by evidence. Emma Barnett is joined by Professor Tim Child, chair of the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee, and Jessica Hepburn, who spent over £70,000 on unsuccessful fertility procedures. In October 2019, Coleen Rooney was concerned by articles appearing in newspapers that could only have come from stories on her private Instagram account. She laid a trap for the account she suspected of the leak, and then told the world ‘It was…Rebekah Vardy's account'. Rebekah Vardy, who continues to deny she was the source of those stories, sued Coleen for libel. In a radio exclusive, Coleen speaks to Emma about her side of the story, told in a new documentary: The Real Wagatha Story. Jazz/soul singer Mica Millar is performing as part of the London Jazz Festival in November. She joins Anita Rani to talk about her new album, Heaven Knows, which she wrote while recovering from a spinal injury during lockdown. Britain's long-awaited Online Safety Bill is days away from becoming law. Emma talks to legal expert Joshua Rozenburg about what will be in the act. She's also joined by Baroness Kidron, who has been very involved in getting the act through the Houses of Parliament, and Rashik Parmar, CEO of BCS, the chartered institute of IT, about the future of online safety. Are we becoming afraid of our phones? A recent survey suggest half of 12 to 26-year-olds don't answer the phone to their parents and a third of them feel awkward speaking on the phone generally. Emma speaks to Helen Thorn, a writer, podcaster and comedian and to 17-year-old Iona Cooke Mcintosh. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Lottie Garton

Dr Lisa Cameron was the SNP MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow from 2015 until a week ago when she decided to join the Conservative Party. She has described the move as equivalent to leaving an abusive marriage. In her first radio interview since her defection, she joins Emma Barnett to discuss what led to her making this decision. Listeners who have been through IVF treatment will be familiar the extra – and often very expensive – add-on services that many clinics recommend. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the fertility regulator, has now launched a ratings system to let patients see which add-ons are backed-up by evidence. Strikingly, not one of them has been given the highest "green" rating. Professor Tim Child chairs the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee. Jessica Hepburn spent over £70,000 on unsuccessful fertility procedures and now campaigns about the fertility industry. They joined Emma to discuss. Three Little Birds is a new ITV series written by Lenny Henry which follows three women who emigrate from Jamaica to England in the 1950s - post-Windrush. The series is inspired by the stories of Lenny Henry's family who, although had positive experiences of being helped as new arrivals, also shared accounts of physical and racial abuse when they reached the UK. Saffron Coomber who plays ‘Chantrelle' and director Yero Timi Biu talk about the show. Julia Fox is an actor, artist and fashion icon, as famous for her breakout role in the film Uncut Gems as she is for her spectacular avant-garde fashion choices. She became tabloid fodder after a brief relationship with Kanye West. Her memoir Down the Drain describes a troubled childhood of sex, drugs and abusive relationships in Italy and New York. She tells Emma how her high-fashion image allows her to escape the male gaze. Presenter: Emma Barnett Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Steve Greenwood.

Plaid Cymru have apologised after a damning review found a culture of harassment, bullying and misogyny in the party. The party had "failed to implement a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment" and that women had been "especially" let down. Dan Davies, the BBC Wales Political Correspondent explains. Taylor Swift is rumoured to have a new boyfriend and its all over the papers. She is the highest-paid female entertainer in the world, earning $92 million in 2022 following the success of her 10th studio album “Midnights". But why are we so obsessed with her - and in particular, her personal life? Charlotte Gunn, editor of the female-focused music publication, The Forty Five explains. The journalist Kohinoor Sahota tells us why as a single British Asian woman she wanted to share her story about her plans to freeze her eggs next month. Rachel Cutting, an emrbryologist in the NHS for 25 years and now Director of Compliance and Information for the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) discusses the egg freezing process, and the success rate. Lisa Selby is both the subject and the co-director of a new film called Blue Bag Life. In it Lisa examines her relationships with her mother Helen, who abandoned her at 10 months old, and her partner Elliot. Both were heroin addicts, and in the same year Helen dies and Elliot relapses and ends up in prison. An artist and academic, Lisa shot thousands of videos recording her conversations and thoughts during this difficult period in her life, which have been woven together in this feature-length documentary, Lisa joins Anita, along with one of her co-directors Rebecca Lloyd-Evans. Blue Bag Life is on BBC Four on Tuesday 9 May at 10pm, and then on the iPlayer. Wrexham players and Hollywood club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney celebrated the men's team promotion to the English Football League as well as the women's team which won promotion to the Adram Premier league. As thousands lined the streets, Katie Owen was invited to DJ on the open top bus victory parade through the town. She explains what it was like to be part of the celebrations. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

In her new book, Womb - The Inside Story of Where We All Began, NHS midwife Leah Hazard seeks to explore the organ she describes as 'woefully under-researched and misunderstood'. She shares with Nuala what she has learnt from looking into the womb's past, present and possible future. There have been accusations of Russian soldiers using sexual violence as a weapon of war during the current conflict in Ukraine. Progress is being made to bring the perpetrators to justice, but it's slow. Nuala is joined by Anna Mykytenko, senior legal advisor to Global Rights Compliance; and Anna Orel, who works for the Andreev Foundation. The laws surrounding fertility treatment and embryo research in the UK have remained largely unchanged for 30 years. Today a new consultation being held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) opens. They want to hear from people who have been impacted by fertility treatment. Julia Chain, chair of the HFEA, joins Nuala. As awards season continues we want to know - who should win best performance by a jumper? Mark Darcey's reindeer jumper? Cameron Diaz's knitwear in The Holiday? Fashion journalist Naomi Pike talks to Woman's Hour about the most iconic knitwear in film - and we also hear from the creator of the most talked about jumpers of the moment. Delia Barry is 83 and personally knitted the jumpers you can see in the Oscar-nominated movie Banshees of Inisherin. She tells Nuala how she came to knit for films, and what it's like to be the woman behind the new ‘it' jumper. Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lucinda Montefiore

In this bonus episode,Kate and I speak with  Sally Cheshire, who is the chair of the https://www.hfea.gov.uk/ (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) ) These shownotes are a transcript of part of our conversation with Sally. Please listen to hear the full interview: What is 'elective treatment'  It is the word that the NHS use when it's not an outright emergency. So the NHS made that decision. And it's an unfortunate name because no one chooses to go in for surgery, particularly with regard to fertility treatment, but that's the word that's been used.  So the NHS said that they would suspend all non-emergency treatment during the pandemic, so the only people who were being treated in the first stages of the pandemic after the 23rd of March, that was, were people who were in an emergency situation. What we said in terms of fertility is that patients who were having cancer surgery, for example, and needed fertility preservation would still be allowed to go ahead and our clinics would stay open for those patients to store gametes and embryos. But also, we would allow as many patients as possible to try and finish their cycles if they had started. And we know that there was a different response from clinics, and you can imagine that they were trying to manage, as well as all other NHS hospitals, some clinics carried on with those cycles, and then collected eggs or frozen eggs or embryos. But some patients we know had their cycles cancelled earlier than the 15th of April. And all I have to say is it was up to the clinic to decide whether they could go ahead. Some of them of course, had already lost staff to the front line. They'd had some of their equipment used for testing for virus testing from the embryology lab, and some of them also had staff who were self isolating or who've been diagnosed.   Counselling: We do know there's been a massive increase in patients seeking counselling support. But if you actually talk to counsellors, some patients are asking different questions. Some of them are clearly distressed, not being able to have treatment. Some of them are very fearful of the virus and what impact it might have. So counsellors tell us they've seen an increase in patients who were just seeking help to deal with their general anxiety, not necessarily ready to talk about the implications of their particular treatment and what that might mean. So we do know that there is support out there and I'm sorry to patients who didn't quite get what they wanted, perhaps from their clinic. Professional Guidance: We've had to rely on professional guidance. So from the UK bodies from the British fertility society and of and the clinical scientists, but also from Europe and America, who advised similarly to stop treatment, until we knew a few more things, and their guidance has been very similar to the UK all along. And the Royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists also had to think about whether they considered there was any risk in early pregnancy. And they've also issued a couple of sets of guidance. So I think everybody has issued at least two sets of guidance over the last four weeks from the professional bodies. We've issued a number of letters to clinics explaining our requirements. And we've also tried to communicate with patients as best we can. The professional bodies have issued their latest guidance, which is cautious optimism. Tough Decision: I think this is the most difficult decision the FDA has ever had to make in 30 years really and the board and the staff have tried so hard to get it right. One of one of our criteria, quite rightly, was that there was no, or that there was as much evidence as possible to say there was no increased risk in pregnancy. And when I was thinking about it this morning, as a patient, you know, pregnancy is somewhere over the rainbow, isn't it? It's a long, long time away. And if you are trying to think about having treatment, it's...

Louisa is an expert in fertility and family law with over 20 years experience. She works at law and policy level in the UK and internationally. Louisa frequently provides expert commentary in the media on fertility, family and parenting law and is a published author on these topics. Her areas of expertise include fertility preservation and treatment, international surrogacy, donor conception, posthumous conception, children and family law.   Bio Louisa Ghevaert started out over 20 years ago as a mainstream family lawyer and now runs a specialist family and fertility law firm for modern families In 2008 she was asked to litigate the first international surrogacy case, where the twins of British parents were born stateless and without citizenship Louisa has worked on a number of landmark cases, including embryo storage law, posthumous conception, surrogacy and parental disputes  There’s a growing need for fertility law services in the UK Modern family is becoming increasingly legally and medically complex There’s a lack of international harmonisation of IVF and parenting law More people are becoming parents through assisted reproduction who are not legal parents through egg and sperm donation, same-sex couples and single parenthood Fertility law is prescriptive, so specialist law can create clear legal frameworks The risks and options associated with structuring the family can be worked through legally There will be greater deployment of genomic technology in fertility treatment Over time we’re likely to see fewer natural conceptions, and more genetically planned parenthood Genomics require sensible and informed decision-making Gene editing can cure disease, but it can also edit the gene pool Issues of consent  Regulation for ‘fertility tourism’ Long term there’s the potential to produce eggs, sperm, foetuses and babies from our own stem cells Is widespread genomic screening ethical? 3 person IVF involves the nucleus of the egg, the outer shell of another woman’s egg and the sperm In the US, genetic screening is often recommended for multiple failed IVF, and recurrent miscarriages In the UK, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) https://www.hfea.gov.uk/  changed its rating from amber to red, stating the lack of evidence and added cost without benefits of pre-implantation genetic screening Patients and prospective parents need to make sense of biological issues and legacy The law in each country is shaped by its society, culture, politics and history In the UK it’s illegal to undergo sex selection for social reasons The moral concerns of ‘designer babies’ We need to think about who owns our genetic information and what it can be used for as well political control and bioterrorism The increasing age of parenthood Building international frameworks and an international regulatory authority for genomic technology Two main groups looking to build an international regulatory infrastructure for gene technology: The World Health Organisation https://www.who.int/, National Academy of Medicine https://nam.edu/ and National Academy of Science https://nationalacademies.org/ In the UK, the implantation of a genetically altered embryo into a woman is currently prohibited In the UK, embryo research is only allowed up to 14 days In the US, there’s no federal legislation that governs gene therapy In 2018 a Chinese scientist announced he had brought to fruition the first gene-edited humans: twin girls called LouLou and Nana, to make them resistant to HIV. The scientist involved was fined heavily and sent to prison for breaching medical and scientific standards A Russian scientist has expressed a desire to gene edit to erase deafness The postcode lottery of funding access to IVF in the National Health Service Vladimir Putin has announced free access to fertility treatment in Russia to boost the declining population The two biggest genealogy companies, 23andme https://www.23andme.com/ and Ancestry https://www.ancestry.com/  have tested over 23 million people Issues of civil and human rights e.g. using the vast databases to catch criminals Finding donor siblings, ‘diblings’ through the databases. Donor anonymity was lifted in 2005 in the UK Donor anonymity in Spain For further reading: https://louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk/why-we-need-fertility-law-reform-the-paradigm-shift To find out about Louisa Ghevaert and her legal practice: www.louisaghevaertassociates.co.uk

In the news yesterday we saw claims that IVF clinics are exploiting older women by trading on hope.  The news report was in response to figures published by the  Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that women age 40-42 have a 9% chance of IVF success and if over 44, a 2% chance.  Sally Cheshire, Chair of the HFEA has urged clinics to be honest and transparent.   But are women being mislead, The only way I can see they are is if the results represented within clinics aren't true.  The success rates after all speak for themselves, don't they? This is an incredibly sensitive and emotional time.  Even with such low odds, if you believe that this is the only way that you can potentially have a baby, what if you were the in the 9% or the 2%?  What if it could work? wouldn't you give it a go? The thought may be that it is your ONLY option, and increasingly, I am finding that this is what we are lead to believe? So as I watched the news coverage ,   yet again it amazed me that only IVF was discussed.  Ok, so the item was about the success if clinics, but surely the discussion could have spread a little broader to pregnancies in your 40's full stop? At no point in any of the coverage I saw or read, was an alternative suggested, such as  any information about natural fertility.  It was as though IVF was the only option open to you when you "couldn't get pregnant" CAN YOU GET PREGNANT WITHOUT IVF OVER 40? Do you know how many women over the age of 40 fall accidentally pregnant? Well its more than the fertility rates for women over 40 suggest. Why are they falling pregnant accidentally?   They are still producing eggs, and yes we know as we get older they are of lower quality.  But if someone is looking after themselves, can these eggs be a higher quality than someone who doesn't? Just a thought. They may be falling pregnant accidentally because  they are not "trying". I know there are a variety of situations but let's look at those who were wanting to have sex.  They felt aroused, they are following their bodies natural procreation instincts when they were fertile.  perhaps it was just the once in the month, but biologically lead to the right time? This can become a rarity when you are 'trying' , baby sex can lose its lustre. Often precautions aren't taken because everybody knows it's near impossible to get pregnant at their age, don't they? Or because they are caught in the heat of the moment, and in the heat of the moment, oxytocin is present, cortisol is not, conditions are perfect. SO, CAN IT BE THE "TRYING" THAT AFFECTS FERTILITY? Absolutely, we know that chemicals are diverted when we feel unsafe, when our thoughts leads to emotions,   chemicals are produced that act as signals for body responses.  This instrinsic design is to put safety first and if we are not safe, fertility can slow or shut down.   Evolutionary this safety referred to physical safety, tigers near your dwelling perhaps.  But todays tigers as I often discuss, are the anxieties and stresses and fears we face, that create the same chemical response. It is common for some couples to fall pregnant when they are waiting for IVF, the pressure is off for some. Also when they have had a family via assisted methods and have assumed they cant get pregnant,  suddenly there is an addition to the family. THE FERTILITY HEALTH MODEL Our health model in the UK is that if you are under 35, you need a try to conceive for a year, if over 35, 6 months.   If you fail to conceive in this time, you undergo a hormone profile blood test for the female and a basic sperm count and morphology for the male. From this point you are in the fertility health system and the female will undergo a tube dye test to check patency of tubes, and an ultrasound.  If a potential cause of not conceiving  is identified,  appropriate treatment, and/or  assisted fertility will be suggested.  If there is no cause identified from these limited tests,  assisted fertility will more often be suggested. It is extremely rare, that at any point a discussion of natural fertility, health, intercourse timing, causes of hormonal imbalance, or pelvic congestion will be discussed, because you are in the system.  Don't get me wrong, it can happen and some areas are doing better at this. Please do not misread this and think that I am against IVF, because I absolutely am not. There are thousands of parents who perhaps otherwise would not be, many of them my clients.  But, I am against it as an only option, and often seen as the last resort.  It saddens me that vital fertility design information is not given. HOW SUCCESSFUL IS IVF? Based on figures from the HFEA, during 2014-2016, IVF success rates were as follows:  29% for those under 35, 23% for those 35-37 15% for those 38-39, and as already discussed 9% for those 40-42   2% for those over 44 There are so many variables at play here, specific conditions, genetics, diet, lifestyle, egg and sperm DNA, and so much more.   NATURAL FERTILITY BEING SEEN AS  AN ALTERNATIVE THERAPY? I truly believe that due to the lack of understanding of how  our bodies work, their intrinsic design, and how todays lifestyle affects this, we are missing a trick. Within our health care model we look outwardly before we look inwardly. We treat symptoms, not the cause.  Also, we fail to look at the mind and body connection all too often.  With limitations to access to treatment and increasing costs, it cannot be shown as the only option. The fear that people will need IVF, the funds, the physical and emotional strain may in fact be a contributing factor to their lack of fertility.  Because as I said earlier when the body is in danger, the chemicals produced say, fertility is not vital. In fact  it's down right reckless and the body will shut it down. It is incredible how many people people are unaware of the fundamentals of fertility.  And I'm not just  talking about sex. I don't know about you but I swear that I was told that when I started my periods, that was it, I could get pregnant, and all I had to do was make sure I didn't, until I wanted to!   SO ARE COUPLES BEING EXPLOITED?  Absolutely.  Not necessarily by false hope, but by a lack of knowledge, understanding and the tools to address.  Quite simply,  they they are not informed about their fertility.  About the intricacies of the body, the endocrine system, how hormones are diverted, how DNA in egg and sperm can become fragmented ,the effects of inflammation, how their posture (not during sex) can affect things, how nutrition affects things, what Vitamin D does, how their mindset can affect things, and so much more. They are being exploited by the lack of information they are provided with, right from the get go, from that period talk and beyond. They are being exploited in thinking that IVF may be their only way, and that it will be OK.  They are even not given the full information during IVF, because that whole list of stuff we are not told about, might affect the success of IVF too.  Its not deliberate, its the health care model, we need to look inwardly This is our health model, we treat symptoms because we have the technology.  In doing this we lose the whole picture.  We are not addressing the cause, because the cause is not being looked for beyond the standard tests.  We are being taught that we can access cutting edge health care interventions, so we have stopped looking inwardly. It doesn't have to be either or, but it's time for an integrative approach.  Inform, explore and implement. It's time for a Rewire..

  The number of couples seeking fertility treatment is rising every year.  But donor assisted conception poses huge ethical and human rights issues.  Up until 10 years ago, sperm donors and women who donated eggs had a right to remain anonymous.  Then the law was changed in 2005 giving donor conceived people the right to information about their donors.  Most people agree that this was a milestone to be celebrated, but does it go far enough? This podcast explores the issues.  it is drawn from an event organised by the Progress Educational Trust  and is introduced by the Chair of the event, Charles Lister, Chair of the National Gamete Donation Trust, and former Head of Policy at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. He quoted a speech by the Public Health Minister, Melanie Johnson made in 20014, 'Clinics decide to provide treatment using donors; patients make a decision to receive treatment using donors; donors decide to donate. Donor-conceived children, however, do not decide to be born – is it therefore right that access to information about the donation that led to their birth should be denied to them?' This quote encapsulates the essence of the debates that led to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (Disclosure of Donor Information) Regulations 2004, which allow donor-conceived people born from donations made after 1 April 2005 access to identifying information about their donor on reaching the age of 18. It also set the scene for a series of lively presentations from a panel of five experts, who took to the stage to offer their perspective on the impact of the legislation. First to speak was Juliet Tizzard, Director of Strategy at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), who gave the regulator's perspective on the change in law. Tizzard identified the lack of reliable outcome metrics in relation to donor conception as a key challenge, and hindrance, to accurate impact evaluation of the 2004 regulations. She also opined that the assessment of post-regulation sperm and egg donation trend as proxy measure of impact showed a gradual but steady increase in number of new donors registering in the UK – a reality that is a far cry from the doomsday prophecies of the early critics of the law, who predicted the possibility of severe donor shortages arising as a result of the end to donor anonymity. Next on stage was Dr Jo Rose, a donor-conceived adult who won a landmark court case that contributed to the decision to end donor anonymity in the UK. In her presentation, Rose argued that donor-conceived children should, as a matter of course, have more support and the right to access full and complete information about their genetic parent, particularly because 'wrong and incomplete medical history kills people'. She also argued that a lack of retrospective access to identifying information means a number of donor-conceived people born before April 2005 live the rest of their lives 'tortured' by not knowing who their genetic family is. 'Why then should we have legislation that protects the rights of donors but ignores the rights of donor offspring?' she asked the audience, and quoted Kevin Staudt's song, Novum: Rose's presentation gave a personal note to the debate and made it easy to appreciate the rationale behind her call for retrospective disclosure of donor identity. According to her, more needs to be done to ensure 'equality and respect for genetic kinship and identity for all groups of the society'. Eric Blyth, Emeritus Professor of Social Work at the University of Huddersfield, also made a case for retrospective disclosure of donor identity. Using data from the HFEA, Professor Blyth argued that the lack of retrospective access to identifying donor information means that upwards of 20,000 donor-conceived people born between 1991–2004 in the UK are denied the right to learn the identify of their donor. Blyth also argued that,

How best to govern the field of assisted reproductive technologies? As UK and US authorities utilise different approaches, will the disparate structures and missions of these two bodies result in significantly different answers? In the past few decades, technologically advanced, democratic societies have struggled with the question of how best to govern the field of assisted reproductive technologies (ART). The UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) embody two approaches that highlight the degree of diversity in answering this question. While British politicians fashioned the HFEA as a statutory authority built upon ideals of deliberative democracy, the US has avoided federal regulations on ART, leaving the ASRM - a professional self-regulating society - with the sole responsibility for producing guidelines. Both bodies, however, utilize a deliberative committee to debate and determine rules for ART. Drawing on interviews with committee members of the HFEA and ASRM, this talk will focus on opening these largely opaque deliberative spaces. When examining ethical arguments for and against certain procedures, what reasons do members consider to be "good" reasons, and how do they legitimate such judgements? How do members conceive of the general public and how does this conception affect the role of public perspectives in deliberations and final decisions? Perhaps most importantly, do the disparate structures and missions of these two bodies result in significantly different answers to these questions?