Important role of egg and sperm donors Infertility affects about one in six couples in the UK - approximately 3.5 million people. There are many causes of infertility, some that can be explained and some that may remain unexplained. Assisted conception techniques can help some couples to have the family they have been dreaming of but when fertility treatments fail or when for example, cancer treatments or genetic conditions lead to infertility, patients sometimes turn to egg or sperm donors for help. Some couples prefer to use a ‘known’ donor and have friends or family willing to donate eggs or sperm. However most are not in such a fortunate position and are likely to be 'in the queue' waiting for an anonymous donor to become available. Catriona Meaney, Embryologist at Jessop Fertility, explained: “We actively recruit donors for the treatment of our patients who have fertility problems or are in same sex relationships or single and in need of donor eggs and sperm. Despite our efforts to recruit, our patients may have to wait for up to 6 months for a donor, and sometimes even longer in the case of egg recipients. This shortfall in donors has been observed right across the UK in recent years and may be partly attributable to a change in the law in 2005 which allows donor-conceived people to have access to identifying details of their donors when they reach the age of 18. Many clinics stopped recruiting after the law change assuming that men and women would not want to donate if they could be identified in the future. However, times change and nowadays we find that those men and women who do come forward to donate appreciate that for some young people, finding the ‘missing piece of the jigsaw’ is really important and helps them to establish a stronger sense of identity.”
Jessop Fertility inspires school pupils during Healthcare Science Week Healthcare science staff from Jessop Fertility celebrated National Science and Engineering Week by inviting local school pupils from Forge Valley and Meadowhead to take a look behind the scenes. As part of the wider National Science Week, run by the British Science Council, healthcare science professionals across the UK, engaged their local communities for Healthcare Science Week and demonstrating the outstanding work of individuals working in healthcare science and their impact on patient care. The aim was to showcase the difference healthcare science staff make to the health of individual patients and the overall health of the nation, including examples of extraordinary innovation. Jessop Fertility based at the Jessop Wing offers the most innovative assisted conception techniques. Students got the chance to visit the centre’s laboratories, equipped with the most advanced technology available.
Rachel Cutting, Principal Embryologist at Jessop Fertility, said: “Healthcare Science Week was a great opportunity for us to celebrate the amazing work of the healthcare science workforce at Sheffield Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. People working in healthcare science don’t often get the opportunity to talk about the work we do and the difference we make to people’s lives. I love my job and being able to use science to improve the care we provide to patients every day in the NHS.” “Since the Unit opened thirteen years ago we have made over 2500 babies and techniques are advancing all the time to help even more families. We have, for example, recently started using a new piece of equipment called the Embryoscope which allows us to view embryos through a hightech time lapse camera which replaces the old method in which we would ‘disturb’ the embryos by manually checking on them outside the incubator.”
“So we are asking any interested men and women who live locally and are under the age of 40 and 35 respectively, to contact us through our website or give us a call just to discuss what being a donor involves. If you would like to explore the idea of donation further, we will then book you an appointment to talk through the process in more detail with a member of our staff, without any commitment to donate. Donation really is an altruistic gift that can lead to immeasurable joy for infertile couples, same sex couples or single people who long for a child.” Visit www.jessopfertility.org for more information or telephone: 0114 2268050 Page 23 • Link - Winter 2015