This week at the Progress Educational Trust (5 November 2018)

The Progress Educational Trust (PET) has been exhibiting at the annual Fertility Show at Olympia London, which is attended by thousands of members of the public seeking fertility-related information and advice.

Visitors to PET's busy stand subscribed to the charity's flagship publication BioNews, which provides accurate, balanced and timely news and comment on fertility, genetics, embryo/stem cell research and related areas. You too can subscribe to BioNews for free, here.

Visitors to PET's stand were also given small sachets of salt adorned with the charity's name, as a reminder that advice offered and claims made about fertility - at the Fertility Show, and elsewhere - should often be taken with a healthy pinch of salt.

Meanwhile, PET Director Sarah Norcross chaired the 'How to Make the Most of Your Day' panel discussions that opened each morning of the event, and PET Trustee Professor Allan Pacey introduced a seminar entitled 'What Men Need to Know about Their Fertility - Testing It, Boosting It, Treating It'.

Sarah Norcross has also been busy discussing fertility across the print, broadcast and online media, in her capacity as Co-Chair of the campaigning organisation Fertility Fairness.

That organisation's latest audit of the provision of NHS-funded fertility treatment has revealed widespread - and worsening - failure to comply with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Sarah was interviewed about this situation - as was Matt Hancock, the Cabinet Minister responsible for the NHS - on the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC2.

Watch that item online here (the section featuring Sarah and the Minister begins at the 1:19:45 mark). Sarah has also been interviewed on radio by:

• BBC Essex's Dave Monk (listen here, beginning at the 0:07:40 mark)

• BBC Suffolk's Wayne Bavin (listen here, beginning at the 0:13:55 mark)

• BBC Norfolk's Graham Barnard (listen here, beginning at the 0:40:35 mark)

And you can read articles in which she discusses the IVF funding situation in BBC News, ITV News, the Guardian, The Sun, the Daily Telegraph, the Independent, iNews and Yahoo News, as well as many local newspapers. The Daily Telegraph also published a follow-up article, discussing both the Fertility Fairness data and the Fertility Show.

Meanwhile, PET is busy preparing for its Annual Conference 'Make Do or Amend: Should We Update UK Fertility and Embryo Law?', taking place in London on Wednesday 5 December. The keynote speakers will be:

• Sir James Munby
  Former President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales

• Sally Cheshire
  Chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority

Conference sessions include:

• Society Marches On: Key Social Changes
  With Baroness Ruth Deech, Natalie Gamble, Erika Tranfield, Dr Kylie Baldwin and Professor Emily Jackson

• Science Marches On: Key Scientific Developments
  With Dr Roger Highfield, Dr Evan Harris, Dr Kathy Niakan and Dr Andy Greenfield

• A Patchwork of Policies: Assisted Conception and Embryo Research in Europe
  With Tim Child, Professor Robert Spaczyński, Satu Rautakallio-Hokkanen and Professor Christian de Geyter

• 'The Future of Fertility Law: What Must Change and When?
  With Fiona Fox, Professor Ellie Lee, Natalie Smith, James Lawford Davies and Professor John Harris

The conference is supported by the Anne McLaren Memorial Trust Fund, the Edwards and Steptoe Research Trust Fund and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (silver sponsors), and by Ferring Pharmaceuticals, the European Sperm Bank, JMW Solicitors, the London Women's Clinic and Vitrolife (bronze sponsors).

Book tickets here, and email sstarr@progress.org.uk if you have any queries.