Latest statistics on IVF funding

If you want to check whether you'll qualify for funded IVF treatment, the Department of Health has just published the latest detailed statistics on what the NHS provides and where.

It makes fascinating - if somewhat depressing - reading. Overall, the situation is getting a little better, and we are gradually working out way towards the three funded cycles suggested by the government's own advisory body. However, it's a slow process and in some areas access to treatment is restricted by some very strange rules.

The government's advisory body had suggested that treatment should be available for couples when the female partner was 39 or under, but in North Yorkshire and York, they've decided to fund treatment for women who are older instead. There, you only qualify for treatment in the six months between being 39.5 and 40 - despite that, they did manage to treat a total of 19 women who fell into that category in 2008! We know that treatment is less likely to be successful by the time a woman reaches 40, and it seems an odd decision not to offer help to younger women who have a greater chance of getting pregnant.

Some areas are still only funding fresh cycles, and not making any allowances for freezing spare embryos and transferring them later. This is going to make it very difficult for clinics who are being encouraged to promote single embryo transfer in younger women - if the NHS will pay for you to create the embryos but then refuses to pay for you to store them, you're more likely to ignore the risks that a multiple pregnancy could bring.

Overall, there's still a long way to go - but things are moving, albeit gradually. You can see the detailed breakdown of what is being offered where by checking out www.dh.gov.uk

Call for electronic tagging in IVF labs

A leading fertility expert has told The Times that all fertility clinics should be using electronic tagging systems to prevent mistakes in laboratories after news of a mix up in Cardiff. The last frozen embryo belonging to a couple was accidentally put into the womb of another woman, who was then given the morning after pill to prevent a pregnancy.

Gedis Grudzinskas told The Times that the use of electronic tags to track embryos, eggs and sperm samples should be mandatory. He believes it would reduce the risk of accidents and said that the HFEA should insist that all clinics install tagging systems. At the moment, many clinics use a system of witnessing where two members of staff have to check whenever samples are moved around the laboratory. Despite this, there have still been a number of errors.

In the case in Wales, a trainee embryologist was blamed for the mistake where proper witnessing procedures were not followed, but it may lead to more calls for electronic tagging to reduce the risk of mix ups.

You can read more at www.timesonline.co.uk

HFEA consultations on donor conception

The HFEA is holding a couple of events related to donor conception - one for people who were conceived using donor sperm or eggs and their families, and one for those who are donors or who are considering becoming donors. Both events will be an opportunity to discuss issues surrounding donor conception.

The event for donors and prospective donors will be an evening workshop on 22 July in Hatton Garden, London between 5 and 7.30. Donors will be able to discuss the kind of guidance and information the HFEA could provide to support them. To register for this free event, see details on the HFEA website

The second event is for donor conceived people and their parents, and is also in Hatton Garden between 10.30 and 3.00 on Wednesday, 29 July 2009. This will be an opportunity to find out more about the changes to the information which donor-conceived people can request about their origins. The HFEA wants to hear their views about the support they need to access this information from the HFEA. Again, details can be found on the HFEA website

Couple speak of horror of embryo mix up

A couple who suffered the horror of a mix-up in the embryology lab when they were going through IVF have been talking about their experience. Their only remaining frozen embryo was transferred to the womb of another patient by mistake, and she was then given the morning after pill in order to prevent a pregnancy.

It is hard to imagine how utterly devastating the impact of a mistake like this must be. When you are going through IVF treatment, you think of frozen embryos as your potential family, and to discover that one has been lost in this way is just awful.

Most clinics have stringent witnessing procedures in place, where embryologists are only allowed to move eggs, sperm or embryos around the laboratory if a second member of staff witnesses what they are doing and double-checks the labels. This mistake was blamed on a trainee embyologist who didn't follow the correct procedure. However, the blame lies further up the hierarchy than this - even the most junior and inexperienced member of staff should be aware of the importance of witnessing, and no one should be allowed to move embryos around the laboratory until they understand this. The University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff admitted gross failure, and whilst we must welcome the fact that the mistake was quickly recognised and reported, patients should be able to go to a licensed fertility clinic feeling confident that procedures are followed properly. You can read more on the BBC News website

Congratulations to Clare

Congratulations to Clare Lewis Jones, Chief Executive of Infertility Network UK, who has just been awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list. It's a great recognition of her years of work campaigning for those with fertility problems - you can read more about it here

Only in America...

The latest infertility prevention idea from the States is a Manicures and Martinis evening... Organised by the American Fertility Association, the aim is to help women who know they want a baby, but aren't quite ready yet. A team of fertility experts will offer information about what might damage your chances of getting pregnant - and about the all-important biological clock.

Where do the manicures and martinis come into it, I hear you ask. Well, everyone who attends gets a free manicure during the evening along with either a martini, or a non-alcoholic organic version known as the Fertilini. Apparently these evenings, part of an infertility education outreach programme, are proving hugely popular! You can find out more here.

Seeking fertility treatment overseas

There was an interesting article in The Guardian recently about the scale of what is often referred to as "fertility tourism". It's not a term many of those who have had fertility treatment abroad would use, but travelling overseas for donor treatment in particular has become more and more common in recent years.

Couples who face long waits for donor eggs or sperm, or who find the costs of IVF and ICSI in the UK are simply beyond their budgets, may travel in order to access treatment. There are no accurate statistics to show how many people end up doing this, and it's an area which is now attracting interest from researchers. To date one of the only surveys looking at the issue was carried out by Infertility Network UK - a project I was involved with. If you're interested, see the article here