Fertility & pregnancy

The Global Financing Facility (GFF) has secured US$1bn in new funding commitments to improve maternal and child health and reduce preventable deaths. The funding, announced at the close of its 2026 investment round, will support healthcare for women, children and adolescents, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. It will help countries improve access to essential [...]

Fertility Action has launched a campaign highlighting England's NHS IVF postcode lottery, delivering 30 boxes of negative pregnancy tests to Parliament. The charity is calling for fairer access to NHS-funded fertility treatment, with each box representing an Integrated Care Board (ICB) offering eligible patients just one funded IVF cycle. Of those 30 ICBs, 19 offer [...]

Posted in partnership with London Pregnancy Clinic NHS screening rules require that a higher-chance NIPT result be explained as provisional and confirmed by diagnostic testing. They do not require anyone to say how provisional, and the honest answer varies from near-certain to close to a coin toss. Non-invasive prenatal testing occupies an unusual position in [...]

Helium Health has secured a US$2.5m grant to deploy AI-powered tools aimed at improving maternal healthcare across four Nigerian states. The funding will support the rollout of clinical AI technology in primary maternal healthcare services across Lagos, Delta, Kano and Oyo, with Lagos serving as the main operational launch site. The initiative will use the [...]

Femtech companies U-Ploid Biotechnologies and Calla Lily Clinical Care have won three awards between them at the 2026 BioUK Awards, recognising their work in fertility and women’s health. U-Ploid, which is developing a treatment targeting age-related infertility, won best start-up biotech company. Calla Lily took home both best early stage medtech company and the BioSeed [...]

Racial and ethnic disparities in fertility treatment uptake persist even among patients with access to fertility benefits, a study of 12,516 patients has found. The research identified differences in treatment initiation, waiting times and treatment selection, despite patients having access to fertility coverage. However, the time from initial consultation to the start of a treatment [...]

Wearable breast pump maker Willow has acquired Swehl and Momtech to expand its breastfeeding education, support and feeding technology offerings. The US company said the deals would bring together products, educational resources and community support that have traditionally operated separately within maternal healthcare. Swehl is a maternal wellness and breastfeeding platform. Its acquisition will help [...]

Swiss pharmaceutical company Ferring has agreed to acquire US fertility start-up Gameto in a deal worth up to US$1.38bn, expanding its fertility treatment business. The final value will depend on the achievement of development, regulatory and commercial milestones, according to the companies. The acquisition will bring Gameto's reproductive health technologies into Ferring's fertility portfolio, with [...]

TFP Fertility Group has acquired Manchester Fertility Group, expanding its UK operations and presence in northwest England. Financial terms were not disclosed. TFP operates fertility and reproductive health clinics in the UK and Poland and has more than 35 years of clinical heritage. Manchester Fertility Group has provided fertility services since 1986 and operates a [...]

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a framework with the first set of priority indicators to track extreme heat risks for pregnant women, newborns and children. The indicators are intended to help countries monitor heat-related health impacts, improve preparedness and respond more quickly to rising temperatures. The launch follows growing evidence linking extreme heat [...]