On the making of a media story

This week, a fertility story appeared which must have left parents of IVF children quaking in their boots. According to a report in the Independent, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and the Medical Research Council are to 'launch a study into the potential health problems' of children born of IVF. The article talks of 'growing concerns about the likely effects of IVF on the long-term health of children'.

The article spawned many other media reports and the story ran for a few days, until the HFEA issued a statement to put the record straight. The reality is that the HFEA and the Medical Research Council have set up a working party to look at what we already know about the long term development of IVF children, what further studies are needed and how follow-up studies might be carried out given the strict confidentiality laws protecting IVF parents and children. The HFEA is not overly concerned about IVF children, but it does see the need for follow-up studies of children born after ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection), which is associated with a slightly higher rate of birth defects.

Despite the misleading headlines which accompanied many of the press reports of this story, it might have been blown over and calmed the nerves of many IVF parents, had it not been for the involvement of Lord Winston. Commenting in the Independent article and in an interview a few days later, he voiced concerns about many assisted reproductive techniques, in particular embryo freezing. He discussed his worries about the effect of freezing and thawing upon the expression of genes in the developing embryo, mentioning a study that his team is about to publish.

Lord Winston is all over the British media at present with the launch of his new BBC television series, Human Instinct. His popularity is such that when he talks, most people stop to listen, particularly those who have had children through IVF or associated techniques. There's something about being a television figure (particularly a BBC one) that confers authority and truth. And understandably, everyone assumes that because he has said it, it must be indisputable.

However, whilst there is little disagreement in the fertility world that the long-term development of ICSI children ought to be monitored, there is genuine disagreement about the safety of embryo freezing. In short, Lord Winston's views are not typical of his colleagues in reproductive medicine. Of course, he's never said that they are - nor have the journalists who have interviewed him. But the public in general, and fertility patients in particular, could be forgiven for thinking that what he says is gospel. The result may be a large group of people who are now panicking unnecessarily about the health and wellbeing of their child.