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Vitrolife Time-lapse Seminar Report
2 minutes read
Author: , Lewis Rayner
Posted in: , Meeting Report

In late November, Vitrolife hosted a workshop in the North East for both Gateshead Fertility and the Newcastle Fertility Centre. The event, an early festive get-together held at the Malmaison Hotel, was our first meet up since COVID and signalled the resumption…

Sperm counts are falling worldwide, and faster than before
3 minutes read
Author: , Meurig Gallagher
Posted in: , Andrology , Research

We have all heard stories about sperm counts decreasing worldwide. These warnings have not always been believed. Many point to the difficulty of accurately counting the number of sperm in a sample, particularly when looking at just a small aliquot, to suggestions that historical assessments of sperm have simply not been as accurate as the WHO’s gold standard technique with a haemocytometer.

Reflection on the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) Report
5 minutes read
Author: , Sarah Townson
Posted in: , Embryology , Links outside ARCS

In 2020 the fertility sector came under scrutiny by the CMA for the lack of transparency in terms of fertility treatment pricing and success rate advertisements which hindered the decision process for patients when comparing different clinics. This was represented through the outdated success rates and vague misleading cost of treatment prices displayed on clinic websites.

6th SMART Masterclass (Merck) – a speakers perspective
2 minutes read
Author: , Lucy Wood
Posted in: , Meeting Report

I spoke about a recent paper published on the discovery of a gamete fusion protein: MAIA. The team used a genius novel approach to finding this protein by creating synthetic human eggs each with a unique random peptide attached. Amazingly, sperm bound to some of the peptides, and MAIA was discovered.

ARCS symposium 2022 – Andy Glew People’s Prize winner
3 minutes read
Author: , Soline Caprioli
Posted in: , ARCS news , Meeting Report

The study aimed to determine whether the SOPs implemented at Jessop Fertility, a fertility clinic in Sheffield, are effective in maintaining safe levels of VOCs in their laboratory. Current practices include restricting entry, perfume-free zone, using Oosafe for cleaning and opening plasticware packages to allow off-gassing over the weekend.

ESHRE Male Reproductive Health Initiative Meeting
4 minutes read
Author: , Morven Dean
Posted in: , Andrology , Meeting Report

This meeting involved the global collaboration of ESHRE, MRHI and working professionals dedicated to advancing science and practice of male reproductive health (MRH).

Completion of the HSST Programme
2 minutes read
Author: , Emma Woodland
Posted in: , HSST

I began the HSST programme in September 2016, cohort 3, so it has been a long journey but definitely worthwhile. The HSST has provided many opportunities for me to gain experience, and continue personal and professional development, through access to a training budget, protected study time, and the need to build a portfolio of evidence towards the curriculum.

Movember 2022 – United we Mo!
2 minutes read
Author: , Bryan Woodward
Posted in: , Links outside ARCS

In November, renamed “Movember”, moustaches sprang up on teams of reproductive scientists across the UK to help raise awareness and funds for the Movember Foundation. This charity provides 1250 health projects to support three areas of men’s health: mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

ARCS Scientific Advisory Committee Report
1 minute read
Author: , Sheena Lewis
Posted in: , ARCS sub-committee report

Members of the SAC ran the second virtual Andrology Masterclass last month. The aim of these courses was to provide a unique opportunity for ARCS members to expand and update clinically relevant knowledge in the area of male infertility. It provided a succinct background to the latest evidence-based scientific advances and an opportunity to discuss their interpretation in the clinical setting.

ARCS Practice & Policies Sub-Committee Update
3 minutes read
Author: , Hannah Newby
Posted in: , ARCS news , ARCS sub-committee report

The ARCS Practice and Policies Sub-Committee have been working hard over the last 12 months on several projects and I thought it would be good to update the membership on our progress and give some insight into future directions.

Meet your Andrology STP trainee representative

Hello, I’m George and I’m a third year Trainee Clinical Andrologist at the Shropshire and Mid Wales Fertility Centre in Shrewsbury. I’m relatively new to the field having got onto the STP immediately after university, but I’m really enjoying it.

Meet your Embryology STP trainee representative

Hi, my name is Naya, I am a third year STP trainee in Embryology and recently joined ARCS Education Sub-Committee as the STP re-registration representative.

Meet your ARCS HSST representative
1 minute read
Author: , Lucy Wood
Posted in: , ARCS sub-committee report , Embryology , HSST

Hello, I’m Lucy and I’m a fourth year HSST trainee in reproductive science alongside my clinical embryology role at Jessop Fertility in Sheffield. My primary role within ARCS is on the Education Sub-Committee where we work on all training-related matters within the field, at all levels and covering the various pathways.

The far-reaching trauma of infertility revealed
2 minutes read
Author: , Catherine Hill
Posted in: , Links outside ARCS

During National Fertility Awareness week the findings from a national survey conducted by Fertility Network UK and Researchers at Middlesex University; reveals the emotional, financial and career impact of infertility and fertility treatment.

HFEA – State of the Fertility Sector’ report for 2021-2022
1 minute read
Author: , Jane Blower
Posted in: , HFEA

October 2022 The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) have issued the latest ‘State of the Fertility Sector’ report for 2021-2022. The annual report summarises HFEA inspection work for 2021-22 as well as information recorded in incident reports on the HFEA Register…

From Lab to Leadership
1 minute read
Author: , Eleanor Wharf
Posted in: , Links outside ARCS

HCS Leadership Journal – Spring Edition 2022