Meeting top ART professionals in Barcelona, Spain

I spent an exciting and privileged few days in Barcelona, Spain where some of the world’s top experts in assisted reproduction gathered for the EBART International Congress.

EBART stands for Evidence Based Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and it is the sixth meeting of its kind.

My main contribution was on stage in a live conversation on the main stage alongside Peter Humaidan and Mats Brännström, moderated by Amelia Rodríguez-Aranda and sponsored by Ferring.

Peter is a specialist in reproductive endocrinology, professor at The Fertility Clinic Skive Regional Hospital, Aarhus University, Denmark. He spoke about  personalization of care and what is possible today with the latest technology.

Mats, who has over 40 years of experience of research in obstetrics and gynaecology, talked briefly about his work on uterus transplantation. He had a world first with the first birth using a transplanted uterus and he talked about how this is developing for the future.

He asked me about my memories of Bob Edwards and the discussion had the title “From First IVF to the future” looking at how things around my birth related to the incredible breakthroughs likely in the future.

Amelia, is Chief Medical Officer of the Eugin Group. Later in the day I looked around the group’s clinic in Barcelona. I have looked around so many IVF clinics but the laboratory there is one of the biggest and most advanced I have seen.

There was a lot of media interest in my visit and I chatted to a number of major Spanish newspapers as well as spending brief time with those attending

Thank you to all those who helped organise and specially Meritxell Reina Martin of Eugin, who made all the arrangements.