Fertility & pregnancy

Most IVF add-ons lack reliable evidence, with benefits either absent or inconclusive, the largest review of its kind has found. More than 70 per cent of IVF patients in the UK, Australia and New Zealand reportedly pay for one or more additional treatments. However, researchers found that most of the procedures, medicines and techniques had [...]

By Dr Fran Conti-Ramsden, clinician at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, academic at King’s College London, and chief medical officer of MEGI Health. A woman gives birth. A few days later she goes home, often with a bag of medication for her blood pressure, and then, very often, very little structured follow-up for [...]

LGBTQ+ people across the UK face discrimination, funding inequalities and gaps in fertility care, research has found. Eligibility for NHS-funded treatment varies across the country, while many services are still structured around heterosexual couples. People with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities can be left navigating complex systems, paying more for treatment and explaining their [...]

Impli has secured a £1.4m grant to begin clinical use of a real-time hormone patch for infertility treatment. The startup, which is working with innovations from Imperial College London, is developing a continuous hormone monitoring system for use in in vitro fertilisation, known as IVF. IVF is a fertility treatment in which eggs are fertilised [...]

Vipoglanstat has reached the halfway point for patient recruitment in a phase 2 endometriosis trial. Gesynta Pharma said 50 per cent of the target of 190 patients have been randomised in the NOVA trial. The study is evaluating vipoglanstat, described by the company as a novel, non-hormonal, non-opioid drug candidate for the treatment of endometriosis. [...]

A weight loss jab may improve fertility outcomes in women with PMOS, early findings from an ongoing clinical trial suggest. The proof-of-concept analysis found that injectable semaglutide may offer reproductive benefits while also addressing obesity and metabolic dysfunction. It is the first report to examine how injectable semaglutide may improve reproductive outcomes in women with [...]

Peers have called for law reform after two House of Lords debates on fertility treatment, surrogacy, embryo research and declining birthrates. The first debate was put forward by crossbench peer Baroness Ruth Deech, who previously chaired the UK’s fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. She discussed proposals from the HFEA to reform the [...]

The University of Liverpool has secured £1.8m to test a device for postpartum bleeding and launch a new women’s health studio. The PPH Butterfly is designed to help control postpartum haemorrhage, which is severe bleeding after childbirth and a leading cause of maternal death worldwide. The funding will support research into how the device can [...]

Article produced in association with Spital Clinic AMH has become one of the most-requested blood tests in private women’s health. The number it gives back is useful, but only when it is read in context. AMH testing in the UK has gone mainstream over the past few years. Home-testing kits sell it as a snapshot [...]

Women with primary infertility may face a higher risk of early menopause and reach it about a year earlier, a study suggests. The findings suggest women with primary infertility may be more likely to enter menopause before the age of 45. The increased risk appeared most notable among women with unexplained infertility or a history [...]