Regulations at Cambridge IVF
IVF and other fertility treatments are strictly controlled. The regulator is the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (opens in a new tab) (HFEA). You’ll find information about the HFEA in this section, along with other legal detail relating to;
- Our requirement to assess future parents, ensuring the welfare of children born following treatment.
- Establishing who are the legal parents of a child conceived following fertility treatment.
- How we look after your information.
Please contact us, if you need any more information.
HFEA's role and responsibility
The HFEA is the UK’s independent regulator of treatment using eggs and sperm, and of treatment and research involving human embryos. Its responsibilities include;
- Setting standards for centres carrying out IVF and issuing their licences.
- Inspecting centres carrying out fertility treatment, rating those services and sharing the reports
- Setting policies for complex fertility issues.
The HFEA website also provides a wealth of information about fertility treatments in the UK, including information for patients, donors and donor conceived people.
Welfare of the child
Fertility clinics have a responsibility to consider the welfare of any child who may be born as a result of IVF treatment. As a licensed centre, we have to take into account the child’s need for supportive parenting. We also need to examine factors which are likely to cause serious physical, psychological or medical harm to the child or to any other child in the family.
Before you start your treatment, we will ask you to complete a form which includes questions dealing with these issues. In some cases, we may need to seek further information, for instance from your doctor, social services or other professionals.
If we decide that we are not able to offer you treatment, we will always provide you with the reasons for making that decision. We will also outline what, if anything, you could do for us to reconsider our decision.
Becoming the legal parents of your child
It is important to understand legal parenthood before you start any fertility treatment. If you’re not married or in a civil partnership and you’re having fertility treatment with donated sperm or embryos at a licensed UK clinic, it’s very important you both give consent if you want your partner to be a legal parent of your child. Find out more about legal parenthood and why it’s so important here: Becoming the legal parents of your child | HFEA (opens in a new tab)
How we look after your information
Clinical information is held about you to ensure clinicians have a complete and continuous record about your past, current and future treatment.
The Trust actively implements and regularly audits security measures to ensure your information is safe.
We are legally obliged to collect certain information about you and your treatment and pass it to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). This includes personal data such as your name and address, the type of treatment you had, the number of embryos transferred and whether your treatment led to pregnancy. You can find out more about how the HFEA manage your information here: How we manage your information | HFEA (opens in a new tab)
At Cambridge IVF, all of our notes are filed separately from your general hospital notes and are kept in locked cabinets in a locked room. There are a limited number of personnel who have access to your file all of whom are bound by the Human Fertilisation Act and HFEA Code of Conduct. We are unable to correspond with your GP or any other third party concerning your treatment unless you give your written permission.