HFEA responds to Welfare for Women Bill

A spokesperson for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFEA) Authority said:

 

“Making sure that all UK clinics provide safe, ethical and effective fertility treatment is the cornerstone of our work and much of the focus of the Bill is already in place.

 

“All medical professionals are always expected to have the welfare of any patient at the forefront of their mind and we work to ensure that patients are supported, while we also publish up to date, unbiased and accurate public information about fertility treatment.

 

“We hold the largest database of fertility treatments in the world, but this Bill requires additional information to be collected and we would have to understand in detail how that would work in practice, without creating overly restrictive regulatory requirements on clinics.

 

“There is a particular focus in the Bill on ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Severe or critical cases of OHSS are extremely rare, but we treat every case seriously and it is mandatory for all UK clinics to report details of all severe and critical cases of OHSS to us.

 

“The proposed amendments to the HFE Act are wide ranging and it would be the Department of Health and Social Care, and ultimately Parliament, to consider them in detail.”