This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses how to address challenges raised by 'add-ons' to IVF treatment, while taking account of the perspectives of clinics, regulators and – most crucially of all – patients.

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

⚫ Dr Manuela Perrotta (Reader in Technology and Organisation at Queen Mary University of London)

⚫ Alex Davies-Jones (Parliamentary Candidate for Pontypridd)

⚫ Dr Rachel Gregoire (Deputy Chair of the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists)

⚫ Rachel Cutting (Director of Compliance and Information at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)

⚫ Kate Brian (Cofounder of the Fertility Alliance)

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.

Despite several regulatory initiatives, concerns persist about the extent to which add-ons are offered and used, and about the quality of information concerning add-ons that is provided to fertility patients.

In recent months, the Building Bridges project – led by Dr Manuela Perrotta at Queen Mary University of London, in partnership with PET – has been working with clinics, regulators, patients and others, in order to:

⚫ Identify core needs, priorities and challenges faced by different groups involved in fertility care.

⚫ Develop novel and collaborative approaches to addressing these challenges, as they relate to IVF add-ons.

⚫ Propose a set of feasible solutions.

In this discussion, speakers including Dr Perrotta and also Alex Davies-Jones MP – who has proposed a Fertility Treatment (Transparency) Bill in Parliament – present the work of the Building Bridges project, and explore related issues.

PET is grateful to the Building Bridges project (part of the Remaking Fertility initiative, based at Queen Mary University of London and funded by the British Academy) 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.