An interesting story in the papers today about a woman who put her eggs up for sale on the internet, apparently not realising that it is illegal to do so in the UK.
The woman - a 28-year-old businesswoman - claimed she needed to sell her eggs to pay off her student loans and was hoping to make more than £4,000 for her trouble. She had apparently read about how much egg donors could earn in a magazine which suggested many women in the UK were already selling their eggs. She posted her ad on a website where she said she'd seen another woman advertising her eggs for sale. The ad was accepted without any problems, and she had no idea that what she had done was illegal.
The woman admitted that her family had been horrified by her plans, fearing that she might regret her decision in the future. However, she remained confident that this would be a good way to pay off her debts whilst helping a childless couple.
Should we be shocked by this? Is it wrong? At the moment in the UK, although it is illegal to advertise human eggs for sale and you can't get paid for donating eggs, you can receive "reasonable expenses" but what constitutes "reasonable" is a grey area. The HFEA is currently reconsidering the rules on payment for egg and sperm donors, and this may clarify matters in the future.
You can read more here
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Monday, 3 May 2010
Fertility awareness information evening - London
There's a free fertility information evening open to all at Homerton Hospital in Hackney on Wednesday 5 May at 7 pm. A consultant from the hospital's fertility centre will give a presentation on fertility, looking at lifestyle issues that can affect your fertility and funding for treatment, as well as answering any questions. I will be there, representing Infertility Network UK.
The evening will be held in the main lecture theatre, Education Centre, Homerton University Hospital, Homerton Row, London E9 6SR. If you'd like to come along you can email fertility@homerton.nhs.uk or call 020 8510 7660 - or just turn up on the night!
The evening will be held in the main lecture theatre, Education Centre, Homerton University Hospital, Homerton Row, London E9 6SR. If you'd like to come along you can email fertility@homerton.nhs.uk or call 020 8510 7660 - or just turn up on the night!
Why the use of cheap fertility drugs should be monitored
There's an interesting comment piece on the BBC website from Professor Bill Ledger of Sheffield University about the risk of cheap fertility drugs leading to multiple births.
There is more now awareness about the dangers multiple births can cause both mothers and babies, and this has led fertility experts to try to put back just one embryo during IVF treatment when there is a good prognosis. However, many women with less serious fertility problems are initially treated with much simpler and cheaper fertility drugs. These drugs are sometimes prescribed by GPs or at general hospitals, and their use is not regulated by the HFEA. Drugs such as Clomid can still lead to multiple pregnancies if women are not properly monitored when they take them, and the comment calls for simple ultrasound scans for all women taking fertility drugs to ensure that they are not putting their own, and their future children's, health at risk.
You can read the piece on the BBC website
There is more now awareness about the dangers multiple births can cause both mothers and babies, and this has led fertility experts to try to put back just one embryo during IVF treatment when there is a good prognosis. However, many women with less serious fertility problems are initially treated with much simpler and cheaper fertility drugs. These drugs are sometimes prescribed by GPs or at general hospitals, and their use is not regulated by the HFEA. Drugs such as Clomid can still lead to multiple pregnancies if women are not properly monitored when they take them, and the comment calls for simple ultrasound scans for all women taking fertility drugs to ensure that they are not putting their own, and their future children's, health at risk.
You can read the piece on the BBC website
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Is air pollution affecting your fertility?
New research from the US suggests that being exposed to air pollutants can decrease the chances of successful IVF - maybe a good excuse to take a long holiday if you're going through fertility treatment...
Women going through IVF had the air quality in their home monitored at specific stages during their first treatment cycle- more than 7,000 women were involved in the study which took place over a seven-year period. The findings showed lower likelihoods of a successful pregnancy in the women who had been exposed to higher levels of pollutants, in particular nitrogen oxide. Conversely, higher ozone levels seemed to show more chance of successful pregnancy.
It is thought that these effects could be mirrored more widely, and that exposure to pollutants may have an impact on all fertility, not just that of women going through IVF. More details can be found here
Women going through IVF had the air quality in their home monitored at specific stages during their first treatment cycle- more than 7,000 women were involved in the study which took place over a seven-year period. The findings showed lower likelihoods of a successful pregnancy in the women who had been exposed to higher levels of pollutants, in particular nitrogen oxide. Conversely, higher ozone levels seemed to show more chance of successful pregnancy.
It is thought that these effects could be mirrored more widely, and that exposure to pollutants may have an impact on all fertility, not just that of women going through IVF. More details can be found here
Tuesday, 6 April 2010
Donor sibling link
People who have been born as a result of donor conception will be able to contact others who share the same donor from today. Once they reach 18, those conceived through donor treatment can join the Donor Sibling Link, a new service launched by the HFEA (Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority), which will enable them to get in touch with any genetic siblings who have also joined. As donors usually make more than one donation, there may be a number of genetic siblings in different families and this will allow them to find out about one another.
The Donor Sibling Link can only be used by those who were conceived using donor eggs, sperm or embryos and their parents or other family members are not able to access the information.
See more here
The Donor Sibling Link can only be used by those who were conceived using donor eggs, sperm or embryos and their parents or other family members are not able to access the information.
See more here
Friday, 2 April 2010
Important information for all UK IVF patients
You may not know that as from April 6, identifying details of anyone who has had IVF since 1991 may be available to researchers. Most people who've had IVF may be quite happy for researchers to be able to use identifying details from their records in order to carry out projects which could be beneficial to future patients, but there are others who don't tell anyone about their treatment and may be worried about this - especially as most people believed this information was confidential when they had IVF.
It is possible to opt out by using a form on the HFEA website but both you and your partner will need to opt out, and you will need to put in the dates of your treatment and where you had it.
There's more information here for anyone who wants to know more about this.
It is possible to opt out by using a form on the HFEA website but both you and your partner will need to opt out, and you will need to put in the dates of your treatment and where you had it.
There's more information here for anyone who wants to know more about this.
Thursday, 1 April 2010
Peckham miracle babies
The case of the "miracle" babies born to women attending a church in Peckham has been the subject of another BBC radio investigation today.
An "archbishop" who is wanted by the authorities in Kenya to face charges of stealing children is apparently still in the UK, where he had claimed to be able to help women who were often medically unable to have children. The women would go to Kenya and return with babies he claimed they'd given birth to, despite the fact that their DNA did not match that of their "parents".
It is a sad story of the exploitation of both poor Kenyan women and couples with fertility problems in the UK - see more here
An "archbishop" who is wanted by the authorities in Kenya to face charges of stealing children is apparently still in the UK, where he had claimed to be able to help women who were often medically unable to have children. The women would go to Kenya and return with babies he claimed they'd given birth to, despite the fact that their DNA did not match that of their "parents".
It is a sad story of the exploitation of both poor Kenyan women and couples with fertility problems in the UK - see more here
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