Episode 1

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Published on:

6th Jun 2022

How Green is the IVF sector?

Welcome back to The Fertility Podcast, yes it’s been a while since our main series was published and with this one, we’re going Behind The Scenes of IVF and in our first episode, we’re starting a conversation about the IVF sector’s green credentials. We hear from locum Embryologist Dani Smale, who started her training at CARE Fertility London where she undertook small research projects, including looking at the environmental impact of IVF, mainly plastic use. We also talk to Annemette Arndal-Lauritzen, the CEO of the European Sperm Bank about the Communication on Progress (COP) report and talk about how whilst their primary focus is on creating healthy babies, they also want to make sure that current, as well as future generations of donor children, grow up in a healthy world and that their families are on an equal footing with any other type of family.  You will also hear a snippet from Dr Emma Saunders and  Ricard Ledin da Rosa, Sustainability Specialist at Vitrolife. 

What was discussed: 

  • With almost 2.5 million IVF cycles completed around the world every year and the number is constantly rising - can IVF go green? 
  • It’s possible that per cycle / per consumer portion of greenhouse gas emissions could be higher than any other healthcare-related procedure
  • Dani Smale study with Care Fertility in 2018 looking at the number of cycles and the average number of different consumables for each procedure
  • 69,500 consumables about 22,800 pieces of packaging
  • Difficult for a city-based clinic to recycle. 
  • Lab mentality - just get another one, rather than recycling 
  • NHS Labs are much more conscientious in thinking about costs 
  • Using reusable caps , but not that many units use them. 
  • People are worried about infection control so they use disposables. 
  • Repurposing = Glassware might be used in arts and crafts, schools, Girl Guides 
  • The Sustainable Development Goals from the UN to choose which applied to the European Sperm Bank  - 3 Good Health and Well-being, 5 Gender Equality, 16 - Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions  
  • Recycle tanks  - don’t use dry ice as it requires a lot of plastic
  • Use large tanks that can be recycled and optimised for usage 
  • Aiming to become zero neutral in 2025 in 2022 - attempting to reduce by 50% by minimising as much as possible and for the rest, they are offsetting, by planting trees. 
  • Importance of working with a company that takes pride in protecting the environment  - perception this gives to patients.

We talked about the International IVF Initiative and a session they held called ‘How Green is your IVF’ which you can watch here

Get in touch: 

We really want to hear your thoughts on whether this matters to you. Please email 

info@thefertilitypodcast.com

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Kate 

This episode is sponsored by TMRW

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About the Podcast

The Fertility Podcast
The Fertility Podcast|Expert interviews|Women and Men sharing #TTC stories|Wellbeing support
If you’ve found your route to parenthood hasn’t been straightforward, The Fertility Podcast is for you. From how to optimise your fertility to getting pregnant naturally, navigating IVF, understanding donor conception or surrogacy to how to prepare for a life without children. Whatever your situation, you are not alone. Created by Natalie Silverman, a former fertility patient in 2014 Natalie set about speaking to experts and sharing lived experience and expert interviews In 2019 Kate Davies, an independent fertility nurse consultant joined as co-host and from 2023-2024, Kate hosted the podcast solo sharing more of her expert insight and stories from her patients. As The Fertility Podcast reached its 10th anniversary the decision was taken to cease publishing.. until now. The Fertility Podcast is proud to partner with Fertility Action, a new UK charity dedicated to supporting anyone affected by infertility, secondary infertility, or sub-fertility. Together, we aim to amplify our mission of education, empowerment, and support. Fertility Action combines patient advocacy with expert knowledge to offer peer support, therapy, and reliable information. They are also committed to improving fertility care access, raising awareness, and driving research to advance understanding and treatment.

PLEASE NOTE: The Fertility Podcast has an archive of its 300 episodes on new podcast feeds called: Getting Pregnancy Ready, Infertility Support, Male Fertility, Alternative Routes to Parenthood, and Pregnancy Loss.
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Natalie Silverman