26 September 2026
On 18 September 2026, Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to be an expert speaker on the legalities of fertility preservation, posthumous use and parentage at the British Fertility Society’s Study Week 2026 Fertility Preservation Module. This yearly training event for fertility clinicians and professionals provided latest updates and guidance about fertility preservation in male patients, fertility outcomes in men after cancer treatment, fertility preservation for endometriosis and transgender patients, egg freezing, surgical methods of fertility preservation, tissue cryopreservation in adults and children and late effects of cancer treatment including subfertility and early menopause.
The BFS 2026 Fertility Preservation Module comprised a multi-disciplinary panel of expert speakers including leading fertility clinicians and surgeons, experts in andrology and male infertility, gynaecology, oncology, fertility law and patient care. There were positive messages that men are living longer following a cancer diagnosis. Whilst testicular cancer remains the most common cancer in males aged 15 – 35 years old their survival rate has risen from 69% to 98% over the last 40 years. Additionally, men are more fertile after cancer than previously thought and sperm can recover by two years after modern chemotherapy.
Images: Majid Shabbir Consultant Urological Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital, Professor Helen Picton at the University of Leeds, Scientific Director Leeds Fertility
Professor Allan Pacey University of Manchester Deputy Vice President and Deputy Dean of the faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Louisa Ghevaert, CEO & Director Louisa Ghevaert Associates
There was also optimistic messaging about female fertility preservation. In 2012, the American Society For Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) stated that egg freezing is no longer experimental. We have seen new trends in rapid vitrification of eggs and the development of automated embryology systems that are offering better fertility preservation options for women too. This feeds into recent data from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) which indicates that the number of patients choosing to freeze their eggs has increased by 44% from 2022 to 2024 in the UK (albeit this does not necessarily guarantee a successful life birth).
Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to give a lecture entitled “Fertility Preservation Through a Legal Lens: Consent, Posthumous Use & Parentage”. This session looked at the complex legal aspects of fertility preservation and posthumous conception. It also navigated complex and evolving law for transgender patients who undergo fertility preservation and fertility treatment individually, in a couple, with or without a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) and the implications in terms of legal parentage for future born children.
Images: Louisa Ghevaert, CEO & Director Louisa Ghevaert Associates
The BFS 2026 Fertility Preservation Module also provided important insights about patient experiences during and after fertility preservation, including family building outcomes for cancer survivors and gamete and embryo storage terms. Fertility preservation comprises many different aspects including hope for the future, genetic legacy and complex medical and legal issues that require care and expert management. Thank you to the British Fertility Society for a fantastic training programme and its latest guidance and focus on best practice.
Image: Julia Kopeika, Consultant Gynaecologist & Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine & Surgery & Clinical Lead at the Assisted Conception Unit at Guy’s Hospital
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