Media Blog- PGD/PGS
CHR Blog: ESHRE 2009
The Annual Meeting of ESHRE, this year in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, just commenced. Overall, it was, for lack of significant new developments, a rather disappointing meeting. A few highlights deserve mention: A debate between the European and U.S. opinions about s-ET was interesting because it well reflected still existing differences between the two sides of the Atlantic. New York’s Zeev Rosenwaks, MD, representing the American side, used data mentioned in a previous CHR Blog provided in a paper by Gleicher and Barad, to bolster the still less “s-ET-friendly” approach in the U.S.
It is difficult to argue with his recommendation of “individualized decisions,” taking a patient’s clinical and social circumstances into account when deciding how many embryos to transfer. What, however, is still surprising is the dogmatism of the European approach. s-ET is no longer an issue open to discussion: For many European colleagues it has become a matter of “absolute truth,” with them simply lacking any understanding how one can even doubt the value of s-ET?
Whenever science becomes dogma, it is time to reconsider!
Another interesting focus of the meeting was the session on cross-border medical care, often called “medical tourism.” Aside from presenting data on increasing numbers of European patients, indeed, seeking fertility services outside of their own countries, it was interesting to hear tentative explanations. Once again, the U.S. observer was struck by the lack of insight about the impact of government interventions into the practice of medicine.
When countries, like Belgium, the U.K. and most Scandinavian states regulate how many embryos legally can be transferred, and countries like Italy, Austria and Germany in their legislative mandates even go beyond that point, it should not surprise that patients seek care elsewhere.
Media contact: 212-994-4400 x.4491CHR's Media Blog is a compilation of potential story ideas gathered from infertility-related news, our research, and our opinion to facilitate open communication with the public on this increasingly relevant field of medicine.
Editors, reporters and producers are invited to contact CHR for background or clarification on any content posted here. Also, our team of fertility experts has considerable experience providing comments for publication on infertility-related subjects and participating on broadcast panels to share our expertise.
