Professor John Robertson OBA From IVF waiting times in Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025 published yesterday: During the quarter ending 30 September 2025, 362 patients were screened. The 90% standard was met, with all patients attending a screening appointment within 52 weeks of referral. All patients were screened within 26 weeks at the Aberdeen IVF Centre, and most patients at the Dundee and Glasgow IVF Centres also experienced a wait of this length (88.7% and 80.7% respectively). https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland/ivf-waiting-times-in-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/ How does IVF treatment in Scotland compare with that in England? Scotland has a nationally standardized policy, offering more generous and … Continue reading Scotland’s universal and generous IVF system costs nothing in the longer term, reduces psychological distress and increases child-wellbeing

The Talking-up Scotland fund raiser, closing today at 3pm, primarily to enable the recruitment of some research assistance, in order to take pressure off me [74 in June and tiring] and hopefully to further improve the blog, has made a good start. To contribute, only if you can (!) go to: Talking-up Scotland – a Politics crowdfunding project in Ayr by Professor John Robertson By Professor John Robertson OBA From Public Health Scotland, today, 100% of patients referred for IVF treatment were seen within 52 weeks. Of these, 67.4% were seen within 26 weeks, 26.7% within 39 weeks.1 And from Fertility Scotland: Scotland … Continue reading Scotland’s unique free 100% target-busting IVF service, saving lives and the NHS millions, year after year but to absolutely no media recognition

BBC Health has this today: Women in England and Wales had an average of 1.44 children between 2022 and 2023, the lowest rate on record. Only 591,072 babies were born in 2023, fewer than in any year since 1977 and a fall of more than 14,000 on the previous year, figures from the Office for National Statistics, external showed. For countries to maintain their populations, the fertility rate needs to be around 2.1 children per woman. Experts say the government could introduce some policies to help. “The government could implement immediate interventions… such as offering longer paid parental leave, more funding for childcare … Continue reading Falling fertility rates – Scotland leads UK in progress for women, families, societies and the environment

By stewartb The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK’s independent regulator of fertility treatment and research using human embryos, has just (July 18) published this report: ‘Fertility treatment 2022: preliminary trends and figures – preliminary UK statistics for IVF and DI treatment, storage, and donation.’ (https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/publications/research-and-data/fertility-treatment-2022-preliminary-trends-and-figures/ ) The findings were the subject of a BBC Radio 4 Today programme item and they are covered in an article on the BBC News website under the headline ‘Fall in proportion of IVF cycles funded by NHS’. Both the Today programme and the BBC News website focus on the UK statistics … Continue reading Wheesht –  don’t report this! Proportion of IVF cycles funded by NHS:  Scotland (53%), Wales (34%), England (24%)