HFEA's response to the updated NICE guidance on fertility
20 February 2013
The HFEA welcomes the revised Fertility guideline published by NICE today.
Since the 2004 Fertility guideline, there have been advancements in the management of infertility and our understanding of the risks associated with fertility treatment. This knowledge underpins the new guideline, translating into better clinical care for patients.
Multiple births remain the biggest single preventable health risk to mothers and their babies following IVF. As part of our commitment to reducing this risk we established a stakeholder group with other professional organisations. We work together to support the One at a Time initiative which highlights the benefits of single embryo transfer in the right patients, in order to bring down the rate of multiple births following IVF without significantly affecting the chance of conceiving. In 2008, just 4.8% of embryo transfers were elective single embryo transfer, compared with 16.8% in 2011.
The recommendations in the NICE Fertility guideline on the number of embryos that should be transferred during treatment will help us to reduce the multiple birth rate following IVF to no more than 10%.
The HFEA regulates fertility treatment in the NHS and in private clinics. We understand and sympathise with those who face the financial burden of treatment, which we know from patients can be considerable. We hope that the new guideline enabling some women aged 40-42 to access funded fertility treatment will give hope to those older patients who may not otherwise have been able to try for a family.
Provision of fertility treatment on the NHS varies across the country. In England different Primary Care Trusts have differing levels of provision and different eligibility criteria. We hope that the new Clinical Commissioning Groups to be established in April will ensure that the guideline is fairly and appropriately implemented.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- The HFEA is the independent regulator for IVF treatment and embryo research. Our role is to protect patients and the public interest, to drive improvement in the treatment and research sectors and to provide information to the public and policymakers about treatment and research.
- The HFEA was set up in August 1991 as part of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The HFEA’s principal tasks are to license and monitor clinics that carry out in vitro fertilisation (IVF), artificial insemination (AI) and human embryo research. The HFEA also regulates the storage of gametes (eggs and sperm) and embryos.
Page last updated: 20 February 2013