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…
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.
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 This was represented through the outdated success rates and vague misleading cost of treatment prices displayed on clinic websites.
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.
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.
This meeting involved the global collaboration of ESHRE, MRHI and working professionals dedicated to advancing science and practice of male reproductive health (MRH).
After recently completing the Scientist Training Program (STP) in Clinical Andrology, I have had my fair share of presentations. From group projects, poster presentations to presenting about an obscure scientific research paper in an attempt to improve scientific communication. Although these were delivered to a group of my peers, apprehension filled me with each presentation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The management, administration and accreditation of these programmes is the responsibility of the National School of Healthcare Science (NSHS), which is part of Health Education England. The STP for reproductive science was established in 2011, which was part of the Cellular Science programme and included histopathology and cytopathology.
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…
UKAS Andrology Accreditation – Transition, 6th Edition WHO Laboratory Manual 2021 (WHO 2021) In 2021, the World Health Organisation published the 6th Edition of the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen (WHO 2021). For many UKAS…
New law comes into force giving greater flexibility for family planning The HFEA has produced guidance and advice to support clinics implement the new law Fertility patients now have more time to make important decisions about their future following a change to…
Launched in 2020, the ARCS Breaking Bad news event aims to give participants a tool kit toeffectively and sensitively deliver bad news to patients. The day was led by BICA fertility counsellors Jennie Hunt and Janet Owen and hosted by ARCSrepresentative Georgina…
On Thursday 26th March, ARCS hosted a Revision Event in Birmingham for STP and ACStrainees to help with preparation for their final assessments. I registered for this event as Ihadn’t given my IACC much thought yet and I wasn’t entirely sure on…
The night before the live event I was filled with dread, the R word and the S word…Research and Statistics. For a first year STP who is very new in their training program, these words can be overwhelming. I was pleasantly surprised…
Joanne Carey is a post-registration Clinical Embryologist at Fertility Exeter Like many post-registration embryologists, my attentions have been well and truly focussed on the day to day running of the lab, and while evidence-based research has always been at the forefront of…
I’m honoured to send this message to you, my first as Chair of ARCS, having taken over from Jason at the AGM in January. I would like to acknowledge once again Jason’s phenomenal service as our founder-Chair – giving ARCS firm foundations…
The last meeting of the Education SIG was held on Wednesday 2nd March 2022. At the meeting we discussed progress within each working group (detailed below) and also looked at our Terms of Reference and considered if additional SIG members are needed…
ARCS is delighted to host the first in-person Breaking Bad News Event since the outbreak of COVID. Building on the huge success of previous years, the event is led by counsellors from the British Infertility Counselling Association (BICA) and teaches reproductive clinical…
“Hi, I’m Bay and I’m a Senior Embryologist at Homerton Fertility Centre in East London. I’m thrilled to be part of the CPD committee. Having pursued several professional development courses alongside ACE / ARCs CPD over the years, I’m keen to share…
The Pre-Registrant role is a fantastic opportunity to bring your own ideas on how to improve what ARCS has to offer to its trainees, including STP, ACS and equivalence routes during your three-year tenure as Pre-reg rep. Much of the pre-registrant role…
‘A job as a Clinical Embryologist, my husband, 4 children and 2 sausage dogs’; that’s how I used to describe what happiness looked like (I don’t ask for much!). However, I never really imagined that most of this would come around the…
Mentee 1 At the beginning of 2021, I was a few months out of the STP, enjoying being a fully-fledged Clinical Embryologist at my new clinic. I did however still have the underlying feeling of imposter syndrome and the need for some…
As a first year STP trainee in embryology and a relatively new member of ARCS I never truly anticipated the benefits of an ARCS membership. Not long after my registration, I had the unique opportunity to attend a virtual Andrology Masterclass that…
What is your view on the Embryology Profession? You are invited to support a unique opportunity for clinical embryologists/IVF laboratory professionals – share your opinions and perceptions about clinical embryology by taking the following survey. Through your participation, this survey will provide…
How can I thaw embryos vitrified in a different media? Download the PDF here
PGT-A is becoming increasingly utilised during IVF treatment to identify chromosomally normal embryos suitable for transfer. During IVF treatment patients undergo controlled ovarian hyper-stimulation (COH) to obtain multiple oocytes. COH may impact on oocyte maturation and meiosis, which may in turn impact…
Overview: We felt compelled to delve deeper into the risks associated with fertility cryostorage following a Quality Improvement project we completed in the Hewitt Fertility Centres in 2019 focusing on embryo vitrification and warming techniques in the laboratory. As with other established…
The objective of this large, multicentre study was to assess whether manual annotation of time-lapse images performed by experienced embryologists could be reliably replaced by fully automated annotation powered by artificial intelligence. A large proportion of an embryologist’s time is spent assessing…
I must start by emphasising that this article is in no way intended to scare or alarm – it’s purpose is simply to raise awareness of an issue, which for most of us, will be no issue at all. None of us…
Can any of you remember November 2021, or rather Movember 2021, as we prefer to call it? This was the month when IVF healthcare professionals joined the call to become members of team “ARCS Moustaches” to raise funds for the Movember Foundation….
Poster links are below Post registrant posters: Jemma Walker Giles Palmer Pre registrant posters: Olivia Sandys Malwina Paul
After two years as Chair of ARCS (and three before that as Chair of ACE) I will, having served my allocated term, stand down at the AGM in January. It has been the honour of my career to serve as the first…
Rachel Gregoire, ARCS Education SIG Co-Chair The Education SIG continues to work through the review and improvement of existing training ARCS programmes and to develop new ways of supporting our membership. We are pleased that we have four new applicants for the…
Sheena, you have been on the Executive Committee of ARCS since it formed in 2020 – were you part of any association before this? Absolutely. I was the Chair of the British Andrology Society for a record nine years, and its treasurer…
**In the Scientific Advisory Committee of ARCS, we are developing a mentoring programme, so we can give you one to one advice on writing your first research proposal. Contact the ARCS secretariat for details** Let’s start at the end and work backwards….
University of Nottingham’s MMed Sci in ART Closes Abruptly Dr Matt Tomlinson NUH Life, Nottingham The MMed Sci in Assisted Reproductive Technologies at the University of Nottingham was the first and one of the most successful Masters level courses in the UK,…
#YouAreNotAlone National Fertility Awareness Week makes headlines Fertility Network’s National Fertility Awareness Week 1-5 Nov 2021 made headlines this year with a series of revealing surveys which included assessing the impact of COVID on fertility patients and treatment and the extent of…
The Fertility Network UK Clinic Ambassador is a new role, open to doctors, nurses, embryologists, andrologists, counsellors or any other interested member of clinic staff who will work with us to try to improve the patient experience. The Ambassadors will help to…
We began ARCS 365 with a little bit of controversy to make everyone think! We were privileged to have one of the international key opinion leaders of our specialty to open our series of monthly educational webinars, Prof Denny Sakkas, Scientific Director…
Matt Tomlinson, NUH Life Fertility Services, Nottingham Approximately 950 delegates registered for cryogovernance webinar on the 12th October 2021, which was organised by i3 and the international IVF initiative https://ivfmeeting.com/. I was invited along with Dr Kim Pomeroy to act as moderator for…
Independent Assessment of Clinical Competence (IACC) Preparation Event provided by ARCS Amy Cohen Clinical Embryologist, BPAS Fertility, London I was so pleased to be able to participate in this training session. I felt somewhat confused about the IACC but felt much better…
The Diagnostic Semen Analysis Report David Sanders Where samples are being assessed for users outside of the laboratory, the laboratory will need to issue a report. There is a move towards electronic reporting of results directly to the referrer or via a…
Dear Colleagues, I hope that you are all keeping well and have enjoyed a sunny, if somewhat restricted, summer. Work within the sector continues to normalise and it is really encouraging to see, from figures recently published by the HFEA, that most…
Working together with the professional bodies and patient groups, we have recently updated our information for patients on treatment add-ons on the HFEA website. This includes the addition of advice that, in some circumstances, the use of an add-on is appropriate and…
The STP curriculum is changing… The new STP curricula for Andrology and Embryology will go live for the September 2022 intake of trainees. All trainees prior to this intake will remain on the current curriculum. Both current and new curricula can be…
Dear Members, It was with great disappointment that we had to bring to you the news of the cancellation of the Summer Symposium event, but we hope you will keep an eye on the events section of the website and ARCS emails…
As many will be aware, the new 6th edition of the WHO laboratory manual for the examination and processing of human semen has just been released. This webpage link takes you to a page with the launch webinar and a free download…
ESHRE 2021: 37th Annual Meeting Virtual, 26 Jun – 1 July 2021 ESHRE 2021, spanning across six full days of scientific sessions, pre-congress courses, Journal Club and informal coffee breaks, covered a myriad of topics within ART, from reflecting on the past,…
On 20 July 2021, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Diversity and Inclusion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) published the ‘Equity in the STEM workforce’ report following an eight-month inquiry. ARCS are proud to have been one of 18…
