Welcome to a bumper issue of the BFS Media Review! This issue looks at news and events from the past 6 months from May to October. There’s been a lot going on, with the BFS’ survey of NHS fertility treatment across England causing something close to a media storm in August (which some of you might remember), and the Summer School in September also creating a lot of media interest. Other items in the news have largely included the topics of delayed parenthood and shortages in sperm donors, some of which can be seen below in the press section.

As mentioned above, the BFS survey on NHS funded fertility treatment received a substantial amount of media scrutiny at the time the press release was sent out, a lot of which was not the type of cover we had hoped for. The press release was intended to highlight inequalities in treatment offered on the NHS, in terms of unequal access to fertility treatment; poor planning to meet government targets and no clear criteria for who should receive NHS funded fertility treatment. A large part of the survey also outlined social criteria for access to treatment, found here: http://www.fertility.org.uk/news/pressrelease/06_08-SocialCriteria.html

However, the press were rather blinkered in what they picked up, focusing on just one part of the guidelines about the weight of women requesting treatment. The media’s interpretation was that ‘obese w omen should not be offered fertility treatment’, which unsurprisingly sparked a lot of reaction from concerned members of the public. We followed this up with a press release (found here http://www.fertility.org.uk/news/pressrelease/06_08-fertility_obesity_social.html) highlighting our concerns with the coverage it had received, and explaining the reasons behind some of our recommendations. However, the hype had already taken hold by then and much of the exposure had already been aired. The experience turned out to be a useful example of how we sometimes have very little control over the way things are reported, and how important it is to remain aware of this in our daily work with journalists, which you are all already very good at doing. A big thank you to all who responded to all the media enquiries we received over this. A couple of these stories can be seen below in the Press section.

In May the HFEA held its Open Meeting in Belfast and issued press releases about eggs for research and the use of PGD to screen for cancer. Articles emerging from the PGD press release can also be viewed below. In other news this month, the South Korean stem cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk was charged with fraud and embezzlement.

June saw ESHRE take centre stage once again with a range of stories covering everything from new egg freezing techniques to the benefits of IVF outweighing the costs. An interesting article on the BBC website examined the coverage of ESHRE and observed that there has been a move away from ‘sci-fi’ stories, a far cry from a few years ago when human cloning and chimeras were ‘all the rage’. See “Where have all the Chimeras gone?” in the Press section.

July echoed more worries about a ‘sperm crisis’. Caroline Flint also published a letter on the Department of Health’s website announcing that INUK has been asked to work directly with Primary Care Trusts in England to help ensure that the voices of infertile patients are heard at local level in the planning of services ; Facilitating the sharing of good practice in the implementation of the NICE guideline on the assessment and treatment for people with fertility problems, and screening for chlamydia; can be found here:
Link to Department of Health website

Apart from our statement on social criteria and NHS funding, we have also been busy with other statements and releases. In May we issued a statement on older mothers after the news that 62-year-old Patricia Rashbrook was expecting a baby, making her the oldest mother in Britain. In August we sent out a statement on IVF safety after a woman tragically died following a routine IVF procedure. In September we issued a response to the BBC’s survey on the availability of sperm donors in the UK. Articles stemming from these subjects can be found below. All press releases can be found in the Press section of the website: http://www.fertility.org.uk/news/press.html

A Child Against All Odds
The BBC is launching a new season on the “fertility revolution” this November. They have set up a website: www.bbc.co.uk/childagainstallodds and have organised programmes on TV and radio covering debates, story lines and features on the subject, starting on 14 th November. This includes a 6 part series with Lord Robert Winston on BBC1, storylines on the Heave & earth Show, Holby Coty, The Archers, and debates on national and local radio including Terry Wogan, Jeremy Vine, Steve Wright and Aled Jones on Radio 2.

American research finds twins more likely to have premature menopause (Eurekalert, 24 October 2006)
Identical and non-identical twins are three to five times more likely to have a premature menopause than other women, according to American research published online (Wednesday, October 25) in Human Reproduction.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-10/esfh-arf102206.php

Australians discover male fertility pill (ABC news online, 23 October 2006)
Research has found a combination of anti-oxidants and vitamins can significantly increase a man's fertility. A tablet containing vitamins C and E, folate, zinc, lycopene and garlic oil has been found to help protect a man's sperm from damage caused by smoking and other infections.

IVF experts recommend single embryo transfer (Reuters, October 18 2006)
The experts presented their findings to a meeting of the Human fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) watchdog on Wednesday.

About 25 percent of IVF births in Britain are twins, They are more likely than single babies to be premature, which increases their odds of suffering medical and development problems.

Clinics in "crisis" and having "great difficulty" getting sperm donors (13 September 2006)
BBC NEWS has learnt that sperm banking clinics are facing a 'crisis' following a significant fall in the number of donors. Numbers have been falling since the 1990's - when there was a peak of 459 donors. But the problem has been exacerbated in recent years by speculation about ending the anonymity of sperm and egg donors. A new law came into force in April 2005 - giving children born in this way the option to ask for the identity of their donor when they turn 18.

Deny fertility treatment to women over 50, experts demand (Scotsman, 8 September 2006)
Women over 50 should not be given fertility treatment, experts said yesterday. The British Fertility Society conference was told that older women having IVF and other procedures faced higher health risks, as did their babies.

IVF study reveals older mothers more prone to depression and stress (Sunday Herald, 3 September 2006)
OLDER motherswho have IVF-assisted children are more likely to suffer depression and to argue with their partners than younger women who have undergone the fertility treatment. A new study has revealed that maternal wellbeing and family life differ depending on the age at which a woman had her first child following a course of IVF.

Too fat for a family? (Guardian, 31 August 2006)
Fertility experts announced this week that overweight women should not be allowed IVF on the NHS. Are there good medical reasons - or do we just not like the idea of fat people breeding? By Kira Cochrane

http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1861510,00.html

Call for fertility ban for obese (BBC news online, 30 August 2006)
Very obese women should be denied fertility treatment, experts say. The British Fertility Society is recommending women with a body mass index of 36 and over should not be allowed access to fertility treatment…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5296200.stm

Woman’s IVF death is rare, say experts (The Times, 11 August 2006)
FERTILITY experts sought to reassure women yesterday when a patient died after a routine IVF procedure at a hospital in Leicester. “It is an extremely rare occurrence - a woman is more likely to die in childbirth than through IVF,” Richard Kennedy, a spokesman for the British Fertility Society, said.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,8122-2307280,00.html

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health_medical/article1204520.ece

Ban expected on choosing sex of baby (BBC news online, 12 July 2006)
PARENTS will be banned from selecting the sex of their babies for non-medical reasons as part of government plans for a shake-up of embryology regulation. ...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/5172602.stm

Scotland Experiencing Extreme Sperm Donor Shortage (Short News, 12 June 2006)
A new study from the British Fertility Society has shown that the number of sperm donors in Scotland has reached crisis point. Fertility Society chairman Dr. Mark Hamilton said the shortage was a direct result of an anti-anonymity law.

The Department of Health commented that the crisis could be lessened by sperm donor clinics taking such measures as implementing “realistic opening hours.” BBC found that some NHS services in Scotland have stopped operating all together.

http://www.shortnews.com/shownews.cfm?id=54947&CFID=3498458&CFTOKEN=39402512

Single IVF embryo 'just as good' (BBC news online, 1 June 2006)
Selecting one quality embryo is as likely to result in a successful IVF pregnancy in older women as in their younger peers, research suggests. The Finnish study suggests embryo selection is an option for some older women - rather than simply using more than one embryo in each IVF cycle. Dr Allan Pacey, Honorary Secretary of the British Fertility Society, said most UK professionals agreed using selected single embryo transfer as often as possible would have a huge impact in reducing the number of twins and triplets born as a result of IVF.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5029650.stm

Benefits of fertility treatment outweigh costs: study (Reuters, 20 June 2006)
The benefits of providing free fertility treatments to couples in Britain could far outweigh the costs to the government, according to new research reported on Tuesday. Professor William Ledger, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield in England, looked at the average cost of producing a baby through in-vitro fertilization and the benefit to the government over the person's lifetime.

Where have all the chimeras gone? (BBC news online, 24 June 2006)
There were no shock headlines at the recent meeting of Europe's leading fertility experts. The gathering covered topics ranging from new genetic tests for embryos to access to IVF. But conspicuously absent was the subject of cloned humans. Nor was any research which would make them possible talked about.

Where have all the donors gone? (BBC news online, 30 th April)

A feature in the Telegraph the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the regulatory body, admitted that Britain faced a chronic shortage of sperm.

While several recent studies had warned that last April's change in the law - which ended a sperm donor's right to anonymity - would lead to a severe shortage of donors, the effect of the legislation, coupled with the massive increase in those using the internet, has meant that the problem is now reaching crisis point.

Telegraph website...

IVF pregnancy complication link (24 May 2006)
IVF may increase the risk of a potentially dangerous complication of pregnancy, Norwegian research suggests. Placenta praevia is a condition in which the placenta covers part or all of the cervix, blocking a baby's passage into the birth canal. Researchers calculated the risk rose from about three in 1,000 pregnancies in the general population, to 16 in 1,000 for women who had had IVF. Dr Mark Hamilton, chairman of the British Fertility Society, said: "Patients who are considering IVF treatment should discuss concerns with their gynaecologist in advance of treatment and those who are pregnant might want to discuss this with their obstetrician." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5009634.stm

S Korea scientist on fraud charge (BBC news online, 12 May 2006)
The South Korean cloning scientist who faked his stem cell research has been charged with fraud and embezzlement.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4763973.stm

UK extends gene screening of embryos (New Scientist, 10 May 2006)
The genetic screening of embryos for a wider range of diseases, including breast, ovarian and colon cancers, has been approved by the UK’s fertility authority.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn9142&feedId=online-news_rss20

Feedback
We are very keen to hear feedback about our work in the press office. Are you happy with our work? Do you value the emails detailing fertility in the news, and these quarterly Media Reviews? Is there anything you would change about our service? All feedback will be welcomed and readily acted upon. You can contact me (Jo Thurston) or Tom Parkhill on jo.thurston@endocrinology.org or tom.parkhill@endocrinology

If you live in London…
We get lots of enquiries from the press looking for people in London to comment on breaking fertility news, or to provide more general advice and information on fertility. Our current list of London contacts is still somewhat sparse, so if you are based in the city or its surrounding areas and are willing to take media enquiries every so often, please contact Jo or Tom for a chat.

Our Contact details:
Jo Thurston or Tom Parkhill can be contacted on:
Tel: 01454 642244
Fax: 01454 642222
Email: jo.thurston@endocrinology.org
Press Office on the web: www.fertility.org.uk/press/index.html