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03
Oct
2022

Illumina’s Inaugural Genomics Forum 2022

Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend Illumina's inaugural Genomics Forum in San Diego, USA, from 28 September - 1 October 2022. This groundbreaking event gathered together global leaders from across the genomics, healthcare, scientific, technology, data and policy sectors to advance and improve genomic healthcare, with a spotlight speeches by former US President Barack Obama and Bill Gates. This four-day event also included sessions from over 60 leading world experts and genetic advocates with insight into genomics' role for more personalized, preemptive, and predictive healthcare.

21
Sep
2022

Cord blood banking: life-saving potential that’s usually discarded at birth

This week's blog is an introduction to the fascinating world of umbilical cord blood stem cell banking. If you're expecting a little one right now, planning to in the future or know someone that is, it's worth reading on to discover just why this service is so valuable to families. To welcome us to stem cell banking, we've caught up with Amanda Williamson of Future Health Biobank, one of the UK's three main stem cell banks.

13
Sep
2022

Is it important to protect my fertility and genetic legacy?

Individual fertility is precious and fragile. It can be lost or impaired for a variety of reasons, making it important to maximise and protect it for future family building purposes. Recognition and protection of individual genetic legacy is also becoming increasingly important from a medical standpoint, personal identity perspective, for personal privacy and security reasons and for the benefit of future generations as scientific, medical and genomic technology continues to rapidly advance. As such, it is important to take steps to protect individual fertility and genetic legacy not just for yourself but for the benefit of your partner/spouse and family too.

10
Aug
2022

Changing Face of Family Life and Fertility in England and Wales in 2022

Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) give important insight into the changing face of family life and fertility in England and Wales. They show that for the first time last year (2021), more babies were born outside of marriage in England and Wales than within marriage. They also show long-term trends in decreasing live births and increasing later-life parenthood as more people delay having children to focus on their careers. These trends indicate growing acceptance of non-traditional family building and family forms in England and Wales.

05
Aug
2022

Later-life parenthood: what do I need to consider?

Women and men are increasingly delaying having children in their twenties and thirties, choosing instead to focus on their jobs and careers, becoming a homeowner and building a more stable economic position. In addition, increasing acceptance of non-traditional family forms and growing numbers of people choosing to become parents in second-time relationships are driving trends in later-life parenthood. As a result, more people are turning to fertility treatment, donor conception and surrogacy to overcome issues associated with age-related fertility decline and advancing age. Demand for fertility treatment is further fuelled by increasing awareness that a woman’s fertility is finite, typically showing significant falls in fertility levels and successful birth outcomes as from age 35.

03
Aug
2022

Understanding of Fertility, Genomics and Embryo Research in the UK in 2022

To mark its 30th anniversary in 2022, the Progress Educational Trust (“PET”) commissioned important research, supported by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, to gauge public awareness about fertility, genomics and embryo research in the UK. Ipsos carried out a nationally representative online survey of 2,233 UK adults on PET’s behalf between 24 - 27 March 2022. The results matter because they provide a snapshot of current public understanding and opinion about issues impacting the fertility sector and rapid advances in the field of genomics to combat genetic diseases. These research findings are also significant because they come at a time when law reform is expected in these key areas in the UK.

22
Jul
2022

Women’s Health Strategy for England Marks a Step Forward

On average, women in the UK live longer than men, but they spend a significantly greater proportion of their lives in ill health and disability compared with men. On Wednesday 20 July 2022, the government therefore published its first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England. This is a much needed step forward to address the gender healthcare gap, recognising there has been a male orientated approach up until now in research and clinical trials, education and training for healthcare professionals as well as in the creation and delivery of healthcare policies and services.

19
Jul
2022

Declaration of parentage: the importance of identity, status and birth certificates

In X v Y [2022] EWFC 77, the applicant applied to the English Family Court for a declaration of parentage following a 35-year search for her biological father to resolve issues relating to her identity and her birth certificate. In granting the application, the court navigated complex legal issues and drew inferences from the respondent’s refusal to undergo DNA testing and lack of opposition to the application. As such, X v Y [2022] EWFC 77 brings into close focus the importance of identity, status and parentage and the re-registration of birth certificates to provide properly maintained records not just for the benefit of individuals but for the public as well.

19
Jul
2022

Conceiving with Donor Sperm: What Could Go Wrong?

Demand for donor sperm has increased in recent years. This has been driven by growing numbers of single women and same-sex couples undergoing assisted conception. Added to this, male sub-fertility and infertility rates now stand at around 10 – 15 percent. Furthermore, there has been a shortage of sperm donors in the UK for many years. As such, increased demand together with the time, commitment and costs of undergoing licensed fertility treatment with donor sperm is leading to growing numbers of women looking for a sperm donor online.

11
Jul
2022

Trends in fertility treatment in 2022

Recent statistics published by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (‘HFEA’) in May 2022 brings into focus (1) the delay that many fertility patients continue to experience in starting treatment, (2) the decrease in egg and sperm donations in the UK during the pandemic and (3) the need for an overhaul and increased resources to help tackle the serious delays women face accessing gynaecology services in the UK. Moreover, recent news that the human genome can now be sequenced for as little as $100.00 creates new opportunities and challenges for fertility treatment delivery and will require a paradigm shift in our thinking, leadership and approach to law, policy and regulation.

28
Jun
2022

US Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade: what does this mean for reproductive rights and freedoms?

On Friday 24 June 2022, the US Supreme Court delivered its retrograde decision in the case of Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health, overturning the 50-year-old precedent (Roe v Wade 1973) which established abortion rights in the US. This decision matters because it marks a serious step backwards for rights to choose pregnancy and motherhood and bodily autonomy for millions of US women. This legal ruling also matters from a wider reproductive, medical, scientific, economic, health and social care perspective. It creates uncertainty about the future of assisted reproductive technologies (‘ART’) including fertility preservation, IVF and surrogacy in some US states.

24
Jun
2022

Progress Educational Trust’s 30th Birthday Party

Louisa Ghevaert was delighted to attend Progress Educational Trust's 30th birthday party at The Royal Society of Medicine in London on Wednesday 22 June 2022. PET's 30th birthday party, which was sponsored by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, was very well attended by a community of leading experts and supporters from across the fertility, medical, scientific, academic and legal sectors. Speeches were delivered by Baroness Ruth Deech DBE and PET Trustee Professor Robin Lovell-Badge CBE. As part of its 30th birthday programme, PET Director Sarah Norcross also announced the publication of an illuminating wide-ranging nationwide Ipsos study measuring public opinion and understanding about fertility, genomics and embryo research.

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