Our blog

Our blog

• 19/11/2024 - The IVF journey: “Sharing my story through writing and conversations with friends helped me navigate the isolation of infertility”

  In this blog, Scott, Author of My Boys Can’t Swim, discusses his own fertility journey and shares advice for those currently going through fertility treatment.

• 18/10/2024 - Black History Month: “It’s time to acknowledge the challenges that remain. Only by addressing them can we ensure that all women have equal access to the care they need and deserve.”

  In this blog, Dr. Christine Ekechi, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, discusses the disparities that are impacting Black women’s treatment outcomes and what needs to be done in order to create lasting change.

• 17/09/2024 - Male infertility: “It’s not just about having a few extra tests. It’s about the right emotional and medical support.”

  In this blog, Ian, founder of testhim, discusses the issue of male infertility and what more needs to be done to shift the “blame” away from women.

• 06/09/24 - Donor conception from a mother and daughter

  Isabel and Sarah, a donor conceived person and her mum, share their story in finding Isabel’s donor, accessing support and early disclosure of her conception status.

  • 06/09/24 - Donor conception: “It’s perfectly normal to be curious about your donor(s)”

    In this blog, Isabel, a donor-embryo-conceived person, shares her experience of accessing support and offers advice for donor-conceived people.

  • 06/09/24 - Donor conception: “be wholly honest with your donor-conceived children”

    In this blog, Sarah, shares her story of having 2 children through donation, how she told them they were donor conceived and accessing support.

• 12/08/2024 - Our Director of Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Clare Ettinghausen, comments on the upcoming donor compensation increase

  From 1 October 2024, compensation for egg and sperm donors will increase, marking the first change since it was introduced in 2011.

• 25/07/24 - World Embryologist Day: “One of the best parts of being an embryologist is interacting with our patients”

  In this blog, Ellie shares how she became an embryologist and what she enjoys about her role.

• 19/07/24 - Our Chair, Julia Chain, comments on media coverage of our Fertility Trends 2022 report

  “We do not judge, blame or criticise those who are accessing treatment at any stage.”

• 27/04/24 - International Donor Conception Awareness Day: Isabel’s blog

  Isabel Paterson talks to the HFEA about her experience as a donor-conceived person.

• 26/01/24 - Treatment add-ons: “A chat over coffee changed my life”

  In this blog a former patient shares her experience with being offered treatment add-ons and gives some advice to patients who are may be considering it.

• 08/12/23 - Donor Conception: things to consider before applying for information

  In this blog, Angela Pericleous-Smith, Chair of the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA), explores the thoughts and feelings that may occur when considering whether to apply for information about your donor.

• 29/11/23 - Fertility treatment: the forgotten partner

  In this blog, Andreia, a former fertility patient and member of the patient engagement forum, talks about the struggles of the partner during fertility treatment.

• 31/10/23 - Black History Month: how fibroids delayed my IVF treatment

  To mark Black History Month and #FertilityEquity, Kwenza shares her IVF story which brings awareness to a medical issue that disproportionately affects women of African-Caribbean origin.

• 19/09/23 - Donor conception: how to apply for information through the HFEA

  The first young people affected by changes to UK donor anonymity law in 2005 become eligible to find out who their donor is. Read this blog to find out more.

• 05/09/23 - PCOS: journey to a diagnosis

  In this blog, Andreia, a fertility patient, opens up about her experience of infertility and her eventual diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

• 25/07/23 - World Embryologist Day: ‘You really feel that you are helping people’

  To celebrate World Embryologist Day, HFEA Authority Member and Clinical Embryologist Jason Kasraie, reflects on how his career and how the sector has changed over time.

• 12/05/23 - International Nurses Day: ‘It’s a job like no other’

  Clinical Inspector and nurse Nicola, blogs about what sparked her interest in nursing and how her 20 years of experience has equipped her for her HFEA role.

• 20/04/23 - Geography lottery: it sadly matters where you live when you want to start a family through fertility treatment

  Does geography play a role in who may be able to access fertility treatment? The short answer is yes. Urban areas are better served with assisted fertility.

• 03/04/23 - Treatment stress: a 30-minute emotional rollercoaster of an appointment

  To mark stress awareness month, Mel writes this blog to explain how she felt ahead of egg collection.

• 24/03/23 - HFEA Chair highlights where modernisation of UK fertility law is most needed

  In this blog, HFEA Chair, Julia Chain, highlights four key areas for change within the HFE Act.

• 20/03/23 - Trying to conceive with endometriosis and PCOS

  This Endometriosis Awareness Month, Helen shares her experience of endometriosis and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and how the conditions affected her fertility.

• 14/03/23 - Professor Turi King reacts to HFEA consultation on modernising UK fertility law

  In this blog, geneticist Professor Turi King shares her views on donor anonymity in response to the HFEA opening a consultation on UK fertility law.

• 08/02/23 - National Apprenticeship Week 2023: ‘Two months in and I have already learnt so much’

  To mark National Apprenticeship Week 2023, HFEA PR & Communications Assistant, and GCS Apprentice, Molly Burnett shares her experience in this blog.

• 07/12/22 - Egg donation: Joanne shares her experience of using an egg donor

  Joanne had several rounds of IVF before deciding to use an egg donor. In this blog, Joanne discusses her initial fears about donation.

• 09/11/22 - New guidance published to support women transitioning from fertility to maternity care

  RCN’s Professional Lead for Midwifery and Women’s Health Carmel Bagness blogs about the ‘Transition from Fertility to Maternity Care’ guidance.

• 23/09/22 - Cancer and fertility: an adolescent perspective

  In this blog, Conor, a young person who was diagnosed with cancer, talks about the challenges he faced when trying to decide whether to preserve his fertility.

• 29/03/22 - The HFEA 30 years on - what needs to change?

  ‘The HFEA 30 years on - what needs to change?’ - blog by Julia Chain, HFEA Chair.

• 22/02/22 - Fertility treatment and I

  Laura-Rose Thorogood, Founder of The LGBT Mummies Tribe, on becoming a mother

• 15/02/22 - Reducing multiple births: giving patients the best chance of a healthy baby

  Jane Denton, Director of The Multiple Births Foundation, looks at the progress made to reduce IVF multiple birth rates.

• 10/10/21 - How to thrive and not simply survive during fertility treatment

  Clare Goulty on her fertility journey spanning six years.

• 07/07/21 - My children have a wonderful life, but part of them will always wonder where they come from

  Tracy shares her journey of being a parent to donor-conceived children.

• 05/07/21 - I was delighted that a child had been born from my donation, but had a strong emotional response

  Donor Andrew shares his experience of discovering that a child had been born using his donation.

• 22/06/21 - Surrogacy in the UK is built on trust and patience, but it's absolutely possible to create your family this way

  Michael from TwoDads talks about their experience with using surrogacy to have their family.

• 26/04/21 - My advice for fertility patients: be informed and confident in your knowledge about treatment add-ons

  Former fertility patient Jo, who had her baby after five years of fertility treatment, shares her advice on treatment add-ons and the importance of information.

• 15/03/21 - Breaking the myths about Endometriosis

  Chief Executive of Endometriosis UK, Emma Cox, dispels some myths about the condition for Endometriosis Awareness Month.

• 18/12/20 - Give yourself the ultimate gift of self-compassion - permission to look after yourself

  Angela Pericleous-Smith, Chair of BICA, offers advice on dealing with the festive season and its emotional complications.

• 28/10/20 - As an informed and evolved young Black woman, with exposure to information, even I blamed myself for our infertility

  Noni Martins is a Zimbabwean-British blogger at unfertility.com who hopes to break the silence, stigma and shame by demystifying the infertility & IVF journey.

• 13/10/20 - #BlackLivesMatter in fertility treatment too

  Reverend Ermal Kirby, ordained minister of The Methodist Church and member of the Authority, discusses infertility issues in the African and Caribbean communities.

• 30/09/20 - How and why does fertility treatment vary for families?

  Amanda Evans, HFEA Research Manager, discusses our latest report: Family formations in fertility treatment 2018 (published September 2020).

• 18/09/20 - The challenges of the pandemic on the fertility sector, what we learnt and how we responded

  The COVID-19 pandemic has brought big changes to all of us. The fertility sector is no exception.

• 26/11/21 - The Sperm Donor’s Dilemma

  Professor Turi King looks at the sperm donor’s dilemma

• 12/11/21 - Harnessing the full power of CRISPR-mediated genome editing

  Rebecca Lea and Kathy Niakan discuss the development of CRISPR-based techniques.

• 30/09/21 - Future perfect: possible children, science and ethics

  David Archard's thoughts on the Warnock Report's discussion about future possible developments in the gene editing of early-stage embryos.

• 08/09/21 - Anonymity for donors until children turn 18 – can this be maintained?

  Debbie Kennett discusses whether anonymity for donors until children turn 18 can be maintained.

• 31/05/21 - Embryos, genes & regulation: the impact of scientific progress on future reproductive medicine and the HFEA

  Andy Greenfield looks at the impact of scientific progress on future reproductive medicine and the HFEA.

• 22/04/21 - Navigating your way through fertility information

  Fertility Network's Kate Brian on the importance of access to good support and accurate information for fertility patients.

• 31/03/21 - The HFEA at 30: Is society ready for the law to change?

  Outgoing HFEA Chair Sally Cheshire has her say on what our 30th anniversary means.

• 09/02/21 - The HFEA at 30: where do we go from here?

  2021 is the 30th anniversary of the HFEA. In this article Peter Thompson, our Chief Executive looks to the future of fertility treatment.