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PETBioNewsCommentA mini break at the Fertility Show

BioNews

A mini break at the Fertility Show

Published 15 November 2010 posted in Comment and appears in BioNews 584

Author

Sarah Norcross

Director, PET
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.

The Fertility Show rolled into town on 5 November. Exhibitors from acupuncturists to fertility clinics pitched their tents at Olympia to promote their goods and services. Helping people with fertility problems is big business. The Progress Educational Trust packed our suitcase and joined them on a mini-break...

The Fertility Show rolled into town on 5 November. Exhibitors from acupuncturists to fertility clinics pitched their tents at Olympia to promote their goods and services. Helping people with fertility problems is big business. We at the Progress Educational Trust (PET) packed our suitcase and joined them on a mini-break. We displayed our wares between Acumedic (who specialise in Chinese medicine, acupuncture and traditional herbal treatments) and Birmingham Women's Fertility Clinic.

You could easily have thought looking through the list of exhibitors that you had wandered into the luxury foreign holiday show in the exhibition hall next door, as clinics from Barbados, South Africa and Florida rolled out their towels. There were 25 overseas clinics exhibiting and just 15 British ones.


The show was dominated by overseas clinics last year too, which influenced the theme of our annual conference 'Passport to Parenthood: The Evidence and Ethics behind Cross-Border Reproductive Care'. This year Spanish and American clinics were well represented again. Why don't more British clinics exhibit? Is it because they don't need the business? Is it because they are unconvinced the Fertility Show will provide a return on their investment? As the traditional greeting on postcards says 'I wish you were here'!


Several professional visitors to the show voiced concern about some exhibitors - asking for evidence for some of the 'alternative' therapies and services. They seemed surprised some clinics were advertising treatments which, as far as they knew, they hadn't successfully carried out. Other clinics, they told me, offered tests that wouldn't change a patient's treatment. Visitors to our stall grumbled about the cost of treatment and nutritional supplements, and expressed confusion about widgets with questionable benefits.


The PET staff and volunteers formed their own opinions of the show. One was surprised by the young age of many show visitors. Another was angry people were being sold products or services with scant scientific evidence. The slick marketing pitches reminded some of holiday time share salesmen. The fertility astrologer evoked mixed feelings. Some thought it harmless fun - like a seaside fortune teller. Others had unrepeatable views.


PET is a cash-strapped charity: exhibiting at the show was a big outlay in money, staff and volunteer time. What did we want to achieve - what were we selling? We hoped people had forgotten to pack a good read for their fertility journey and were 'selling' BioNews as a Rough Guide.


People were suspicious because BioNews is free. They wanted to know the catch, as though they were booking a budget flight. We explained there was no small print, no 'baggage in the hold' supplements, and no paywall blocking our archive. Some visitors to our stall were incredulous and demanded to know our agenda. 'We want people to make informed choices', we replied. 'In a small way, we want to help those who may feel vulnerable and desperate'.


With more than 100 exhibitors, I felt totally overwhelmed at the end of the weekend. Many people looking for answers may have felt the same way as me and  left more confused than ever.

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10 January 2013 • 2 minutes read

Progress in the marketplace

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This year the Progress Educational Trust decided to exhibit at the Fertility Show again. The Fertility Show is a popular consumer event aimed at those who want information or advice on fertility. But as such, it evokes mixed feelings...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
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12 November 2012 • 3 minutes read

Show and tell: London's annual fertility event

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The annual show, now in its fourth year, is a unique event, where complementary therapists and crystal healers can be found rubbing shoulders with some of the country's leading fertility specialists...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
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11 April 2011 • 3 minutes read

When you've tried everything under the sun, should you look to the stars?

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At The Fertility Show in November 2010 Nicola Smuts ran a busy booth offering advice for fertility problems. She spoke to couples about finding the optimum time for trying IVF, about sperm motility and morphology, and about number and condition of eggs. She says she has helped scores of women...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
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22 October 2010 • 1 minute read

First fertility show for single and gay people

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The first parenthood show for gay and single people was held on Saturday in London. The Alternative Families Show featured seminars about fertility treatment, adoption, surrogacy and other options for starting a family...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
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9 September 2010 • 2 minutes read

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British women are prepared to spend an average of 15,000 in order to conceive, a survey has shown, with one in ten willing to spend over 50,000 on fertility treatment...

Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
CC0 1.0
Image by Alan Handyside via the Wellcome Collection. Depicts a human egg soon after fertilisation, with the two parental pronuclei clearly visible.
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27 November 2009 • 2 minutes read

Clinic offers repeat IVF cycle in exchange for lifestyle improvements

by Nishat Hyder

A central London fertility clinic is offering an IVF treatment package in return for patients signing up to a health and lifestyle improvement programme, which will require patients to stop smoking, drinking, and lose weight if necessary prior to commencing IVF treatment....

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