Fertility doctor in trouble

Professor Ian Craft, the director of the London Gynaecology and Fertility Centre, London, is facing charges of professional misconduct. It is alleged that during a gamete intra-fallopian transfer (GIFT) procedure, he placed sperm and eggs into the wrong fallopian tube of a woman undergoing treatment, leading to a painful miscarriage. The tube had been damaged by an earlier ectopic pregnancy.

It is also alleged that Professor Craft used 'significantly' more than two eggs during the procedure. Although GIFT is not subject to the same regulations as IVF, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) recommends that a maximum of two eggs is used in order to prevent multiple births. Professor Craft has previously contested the HFEA's advice saying that placing such a rigid limit deprives older women of better chances of becoming pregnant. His clinic has one of the highest success rates in the UK in terms of live births following fertility procedures.

The case has been referred to the General Medical Council (GMC) and has passed an initial screening deciding whether there is a case to answer. A full professional conduct hearing is scheduled for February or March 2002. A spokesman for the clinic said the case will be 'vigorously contested'. He added 'we are hopeful of a satisfactory outcome which will enable the London Gynaecology Centre to continue to offer the very best individual treatments to each of its patients'.