Assisted Reproduction · Registries and Reporting
RRM Academy Synopsis
UK Regulator Reports Clinic Incidents in 0.8% of Cycles
The UK fertility regulator's yearly report covers all 134 licensed clinics. Clinics reported 606 incidents in 2018/19, about 0.8% out of more than 75,000 treatment cycles. Inspector findings per inspection fell since 2015/16. Reported OHSS cases rose slightly, and a new reporting form may explain that. Complaints fell to 76.
Key Findings
- Inspectors recorded 351 non-compliances across UK clinics in 2018/19. The rate per inspection fell from 4.4 in 2015/16 to 3.6 in 2018/19.
- Clinics reported 606 incidents in 2018/19, about 0.8% of over 75,000 treatment cycles. The report calls incidents rare.
- Clinics reported 156 mild-to-severe OHSS cases in 2018/19, under 0.3% of fresh cycles, up from 135 in 2017/18. The HFEA says a new mid-2018 reporting form may account for the rise.
- The sector hit the regulator's 10% multiple birth goal for the first time in 2017.
- Complaints to the HFEA fell to 76 in 2018/19, after rising from 67 in 2015/16 to a peak of 90 in 2017/18.
Interpretation
The report is a regulator's yearly summary. The HFEA built it from its own clinic inspections, incident reports clinics must file, and almost 2,000 patient feedback replies. About half of the replies came from just five clinics. The report shows what clinics reported and what inspectors found. It cannot show what caused the changes in incidents or non-compliance findings, because it does not test cause and effect. The cycle-based percentages use early, unconfirmed 2018/19 data.
RRM Context
Reports like this show the scale of the UK's fertility clinic system. The system handles over 75,000 treatment cycles a year across 134 clinics, with hundreds of incidents reported each year. For many couples, this large system is the only path they are shown for infertility. Restorative reproductive medicine starts differently. It looks for why conception is not happening before deciding what comes next.
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Cite this article
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (2019). State of the Fertility Sector 2018/2019.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. State of the Fertility Sector 2018/2019. 2019.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. State of the Fertility Sector 2018/2019. 2019.