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This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast marks 40 years since the announcement – in Australia – that a child had been born following egg donation for the first time.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Professor Alan Trounson (IVF pioneer responsible for the first successful egg donation)

⚫ Professor Catherine Mills (Head of the School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies at Monash University)

⚫ Stephen Page (Director of the law firm Page Provan)

⚫ Professor Nicky Hudson (Director of the Centre for Reproduction Research at De Montfort University)

November 1983 saw the birth, in Australia, of the world's first ever child conceived with a donor egg. For the first time in human history, it became meaningful to distinguish between a child's 'genetic' and 'gestational' mother.

Both the egg donor and the egg recipient were anonymous fertility patients, treated by a team based at Monash University. Announcement of the birth was delayed until January 1984, at the egg recipient's request and also to allow time to confirm the donor's genetic contribution via testing.

The team responsible at Monash was headed by the late Professor Carl Wood (1929-2011), together with Professor Alan Trounson. They initially described the landmark as 'embryo donation', but because the donor egg was fertilised by sperm from the recipient's husband, what they achieved actually constitutes egg donation in today's terminology.

Prior to this, Professors Wood and Trounson and their colleagues had already made several pioneering contributions to the early development of IVF, working concurrently with the UK team responsible for the birth of the world's first IVF baby.

Within weeks of the January 1984 announcement, it was reported that a second child conceived with a donor egg had been born, following work by a separate team in the USA. Other examples of successful egg donation then followed.

In this discussion, Professor Alan Trounson and other experts explore the science, medicine, law and ethics of egg donation, from its beginnings more than 40 years ago to the present day and beyond.

PET is grateful to Gedeon Richter UK Ltd for supporting this discussion. Gedeon Richter had no input into the content or speaker selection.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast marks the 100th birthday of the late Baroness Mary Warnock.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Felix Warnock (son of the late Baroness Mary Warnock)

⚫ Dr Duncan Wilson (Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester)

⚫ Professor Anna Mastroianni (Professor of Bioethics and Law at Johns Hopkins University)

⚫ Baroness Ruth Deech (former Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)

⚫ Julia Chain (current Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)

Baroness Mary Warnock (1924-2019) – philosopher and Patron of PET – led a Government committee whose 1984 report went on to shape fertility and embryo research law, both in the UK and around the world.

In this discussion, speakers including the current and former Chairs of the UK's fertility regulator – the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority – explore Baroness Warnock's life, work and legacy.

PET is grateful to CooperSurgical and the Adelphi Genetics Forum for supporting this discussion.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses how best to understand and address welfare issues in the context of fertility treatment.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Professor Abha Maheshwari (Lead Clinician at Fertility Scotland)

⚫ Ruth Phillips (Fertility Counsellor at the Edinburgh Fertility Centre)

⚫ Dr Susheel Vani (Lead Clinician at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary)

⚫ Nicole McKeith (Fertility Nurse and Nurse Sedationist at Ninewells Hospital)

PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this discussion.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses recent changes to the way the UK's fertility regulator – the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) – assesses and explains 'add-ons' to IVF treatment.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Dr Tim Child (Chair of the HFEA's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee)

⚫ Professor Joyce Harper (Professor of Reproductive Science at University College London)

⚫ Dr Ippokratis Sarris (Director of King's Fertility)

⚫ Tracey Sainsbury (Fertility Counsellor)

⚫ Dr Tasha Alden (patient and researcher)

Add-ons are optional treatments, technologies or procedures offered alongside IVF – often at considerable expense to patients – which may not be supported by reliable evidence.

The HFEA regulates all UK fertility clinics, including those that offer add-ons, but tends to regulate the add-ons themselves only indirectly. This is because the HFEA's legal powers concern what can be done to or with gametes or embryos outside the human body, and many add-ons fall outside this scope.

The HFEA's other main role in relation to add-ons is providing information for patients and the wider public, explaining what particular add-ons entail and whether there is evidence to support their use. In 2019, the HFEA introduced a 'traffic light' ratings system, placing add-ons in one of three categories depending on the quality of evidence.

In recent months, the HFEA has overhauled its ratings system, replacing its three previous categories for add-ons with five new categories. These new categories involve criteria including the quality of evidence, the impact on treatment outcome, and concerns about safety. Anyone who thinks the regulator's list of add-ons is incomplete can propose an add-on for assessment and inclusion.

PET is grateful to the British Fertility Society for supporting this discussion.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses whether – and in what circumstances – single people should be able to access publicly funded fertility treatment.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Dr Sarah Martins da Silva (Clinical Lead for Fertility Services at NHS Tayside)

⚫ Dr Alan Brown (Senior Lecturer in Private Law at the University of Glasgow)

⚫ Dr Catherine Jones (Lecturer at King's College London)

⚫ Professor Guido Pennings (Director, Bioethics Institute Ghent)

PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this discussion.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses technologies and approaches that helped fertility patients and practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that are still proving useful now.

The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:

⚫ Dr Ashleigh Holt-Kentwell (Clinical Research Fellow at Aberdeen Fertility Centre)

⚫ Ciara Heatherwick (Specialist Nurse at Glasgow Royal Infirmary)

⚫ Lesley Benzie (Fertility Counsellor at Glasgow Royal Infirmary)

⚫ Alison Elliot (Fertility Counsellor at Glasgow Royal Infirmary)

⚫ George Hughes (Lead Clinical Embryologist at Ninewells Hospital's Assisted Conception Unit)

⚫ Dave Wales (Quality Manager at the Edinburgh Fertility Centre)

Fertility treatment was – like many other areas of healthcare – drastically disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, causing difficulties for patients and professionals alike.

However, the pandemic also prompted creative solutions and novel approaches, some of which are still proving useful now.

In this discussion, a cross-section of fertility professionals – a Clinical Research Fellow, a Specialist Nurse, two Fertility Counsellors, a Clinical Embryologist and a Quality Manager – discuss what has been learned from the pandemic, and the scope for further innovation.

PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this discussion.

PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.

Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.