Fertility 2025 is the joint conference of the British Fertility Society, the Association of Clinical and Reproductive Scientists and the Society for Reproduction and Fertility. It is the biggest UK conference for those working in fertility clinics or research labs.
PET director Sarah Norcross was excited about attending the conference which took place in Liverpool. The weather may have been freezing but there was a warm welcome for the delegates at the PET exhibition stand.
There was a packed programme of presentations at the Fertility 2025 but one that captivated many of the delegates was by Dr Kay Elder. Dr Elder worked for many years at the UK's first fertility clinic Bourn Hall founded by Sir Bob Edwards, where she is still a research scientist there.
So it was very fitting that she gave the Bob Edwards Memorial Lecture 'On the shoulders of giants...Historical perspectives in assisted reproduction'. Her painstaking research documenting the early days of fertility treatment was fascinating. The photograph of random handwritten notes scattered across the floor as she tried to make sense of them and put them in chronological order gave an insight into the amount of work required.
Dr Elder also talked about Ruth Fowler Edwards, Edwards' wife, who was a geneticist and worked with Edwards on ovulation induction in mice in the early days. In her later years she used her knowledge of reproductive science to breed angora goats. You can read a review of this lecture on BioNews.
Sarah was delighted to meet lots of BioNews subscribers and people who regularly attend PET's online events.
PET is already looking forward to Fertility 2026 in Edinburgh!