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Lifestyle 'should be a factor for IVF treatment'

25/07/2008

Less than a third of fertility experts believe access to IVF treatment should be offered to all people regardless of their lifestyle, a survey revealed today.

Nearly half of the 186 respondents (47 per cent) said treatment should only be given to people if they meet lifestyle criteria such as being a non-smoker.

The poll was conducted to mark the 30th anniversary of the birth of the first IVF baby, Louise Brown.

Commenting on the lifestyle factor in IVF treatment, Infertility Network UK chief executive Clare Brown said: "Eligibility criteria varies across the UK as does access to treatment, creating this treatment by postcode which is totally unacceptable.

"Infertility Network UK always encourages those who contact us to try and adopt a healthy lifestyle when trying to conceive, however, we believe lifestyle issues should be a matter for discussion between the patient and clinician. Lifestyle criteria should not be used as an out and out barrier to treatment."

The survey also showed that the government's decision to remover the right to anonymity from sperm donors remains very unpopular amongst IVF experts, with almost 60 per cent either agreeing or strongly agreeing that donors should remain anonymous and not have their identities revealed.

Eighty-five per cent said there should be more clinical trials to test the efficacy of new IVF techniques and more than half agree that new procedures are being offered to patients far too quickly and before trials have adequately assessed their efficacy.

Dr Mark Hamilton, chair of the British Fertility Society (BFS), said it is "gratifying" to see experts' support for more clinical trials.

"Obviously people who are desperate to have a child will want to pursue every avenue possible but this survey shows that experts themselves are keen not to exploit this vulnerability and want to ensure that we have the same standards of evidence-based clinical practice as we have with other routine medical treatments," he added.

The survey was carried out by the BFS, the Science Media Centre and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.