SteadyHealth: Miscommunication Between HFEA and Fertility Clinics Obstructs Patient Access to Accurate Information

LONDON, July 18, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- A total of 75,000 IVF cycles took place in the UK in 2016 and 2017, and 60 percent of UK-based fertility treatment is currently self-funded. People seeking privately-funded IVF, by choice or necessity, lay their reproductive and financial future in the hands of the fertility clinic they choose. In twenty-first century Britain, prospective parents' mission to find the right fertility clinic for them often begins with the internet ? with fertility clinics' websites.

Can people seeking self-funded IVF rely on the information they find there?

The independent health information network SteadyHealth set out to investigate the best fertility clinics for private IVF treatment in the UK. In the process, it found that privately-governed UK fertility clinics practice aggressive and frequently misleading marketing, presenting themselves as "world-leading" clinics with "excellent success rates" that "offer the latest in scientific innovation". Numerous fertility clinics neglect to provide a complete list of treatment fees and medication costs on their websites, leaving patients unsure what their IVF will ultimately cost. While fertility clinics selectively highlight those success rates that present them in a positive light, none are transparent about success rates below the national average or report problems found during their last government inspection.

If clinics themselves were the only available source of information, prospective parents would be left in the dark. That is why patients should be able to count on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which licences and regulates UK fertility clinics, to offer unbiased governmental information. Surprisingly, SteadyHealth found a number of instances of miscommunication between the HFEA and fertility clinics that resulted in errors, confusion, or outdated information being presented by the agency.

The internet now plays a crucial role in the decision-making process for future IVF patients, and is, as such, not an obscure afterthought but a gateway to a much longed-for baby. Patients, who easily pay over £,5,000 for a single self-funded IVF cycle, deserve accurate and transparent information. With the HFEA acknowledging that the fertility industry is not yet capable of providing it, that responsibility lies squarely in their own hands. Can British bureaucracy do better?

Media Contact: 
Olivia Maloy  
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SOURCE SteadyHealth