There have been a lot of stories in the media over the past few days claiming that the HFEA will be 'imposing' some sort of 'rationing' of IVF treatment.

This is because, on Wednesday, the HFEA will be launching a three-month consultation on the best way to tackle the biggest risk of IVF for mothers and babies - the problem of multiple births.

The HFEA has not made any decisions and is not committed to any particular approach to tackling the problem. We know that this is a difficult and sensitive area for patients which is why we are holding a three-month consultation on this issue.

The media coverage on this issue over the last days is based purely on speculation and in some cases has been very wide of the mark (one newspaper misunderstood the issue so much it had a headline talking about 'donor eggs', though this issue is not specifically to do with do women having donor egg treatment)

The HFEA's key aim is to come up with a workable solution to the problem of multiple births that does not prejudice the treatment of individual women.

Once the views of patients, clinic professionals and other interested parties are taken into account, the Authority will then consider what action - if any - should be taken. No decisions will be taken before October 2007 at the very earliest.

More information can be found here : http://www.hfea.gov.uk/en/483.html 

---

Share or Bookmark the above article!

HFEA Statement on Donating Eggs for research – February 2007

Angela McNab, Chief Executive of the HFEA, said:

“Today (20 February 2007) the Authority agreed to allow women to be able to donate their eggs to research projects, provided that there are strong safeguards in place to ensure the women are properly informed of the risks of the procedure and are properly protected from coercion.

“In the UK we already have strong safeguards for egg donation for treatment which take into account its risks and benefits, the legal status of donors and welfare of any children born as a result of donation.

“Having considered all the information on donating eggs for research, including the risks to women and the outcomes of the public consultation, the Authority has decided that women will be allowed to donate their eggs to research, both as an altruistic donor or in conjunction with their own IVF treatment. Given that the medical risks for donating for research are no higher than for treatment, we have concluded that it is not for us to remove a woman’s choice of how her donated eggs should be used.

“In allowing this, the Authority insisted that donation for research would be allowed under the same rules as donation for treatment but with clear safeguards in the process.

“These safeguards include having clear separation between the researchers and people carrying out the woman’s treatment, detailed information about the realistic outcomes of the research and the impact the donation would have and requiring the person getting the woman’s consent being independent from the research team.

“These safeguards should prevent women from being coerced or misled into donating their eggs or from being misinformed about the extent to which their donation might impact on research.”

“Women will not be paid for donating their eggs. Researchers will have to follow the same system as donation for treatment; donors can only claim back the expenses that they have actually incurred. There has never been any question of women receiving payment for donating their eggs for research at any stage of our deliberations

“The Authority’s policy will mean women who donate eggs for research will get strong protection in a very closely regulated sector.

“People donating for research will not be able to do so without considering the matter seriously. Researchers will be obliged to wait after a woman has agreed to donate to allow her time to reconsider her decision. This will be a carefully paced process where women will receive proper counselling about the risks and implications of their decisions to donate.

“We don’t expect to see a rush of applications as this is a very specialist area of research, carried out by a limited number of centres. However, it has raised important ethical issues, which is why we needed to do a full and broad consultation in this area.”

---

Share or Bookmark the above article!

Press statement from British Fertility Society

The publication of a letter to the Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) from a number of patients who have received treatment at a particular clinic in London, currently under scrutiny by the HFEA, articulates concerns that the regulatory process has failed to serve their best interests.

While the BFS cannot comment on the specific issues under investigation at the clinic concerned, the Society would wish to express its absolute support for the concept of regulation in the IVF sector.  Regulation serves many functions, not least the protection of patients embarking on ethically complex treatment. It provides reassurance to society that developments in a fast moving and controversial area of medical practice are monitored closely and that research involving human embryos is conducted within the rules laid down by parliament.  This regulatory framework, as administered successfully by the HFEA for the last 17 years, has been of enormous reassurance to the public and to those scientists and clinicians working in what is often perceived as one of the most controversial areas of medical practice.

There are currently over 80 IVF centres in the UK licensed by the HFEA. The vast majority of these clinics have worked effectively for many years within this framework providing the highest quality of care for patients. The BFS has and will continue to engage with the HFEA in debating matters of importance for patients and researchers in assisted reproduction and shares with the Authority the common aspiration to address the needs of the one in seven couples in the UK who face infertility problems.

If the Authority has concerns about the conduct of a clinic or a member of clinic staff, then it is absolutely appropriate that investigation should take place following its due processes.  Regulatory problems relating to the practice of a single clinic should not, in the view of the BFS, lead us to lose sight of the fact that the HFEA enjoys the support and trust of the vast majority of practitioners in the fertility sector.

---

Share or Bookmark the above article!