Aberdeen Fertility Centre celebrates 37 years and issues a new plea for egg and sperm donors
Published: 01/08/2022 08:00Aberdeen Fertility Centre is celebrating almost four decades in operation this week, as it formally becomes part of NHS Grampian.
While colleagues from the NHS and University of Aberdeen have worked in partnership for many years, the move will bring the centre in line with Scotland’s other fertility centres. The ambition is to be recognised as the best in Scotland for patient outcomes by the time the centre moves into its new home as part of The Baird Family Hospital in 2024.
The celebration coincides with the retirement of centre manager Alison McTavish who has led an impressive run of fertility firsts in Aberdeen. The centre was founded primarily as a research facility in 1985 and while its role in globally significant research will continue, its primary role is as a provider of clinical services to NHS Grampian, Highland, Orkney, Shetland and self-funding patients.
The team helped the first Scottish baby to be born following egg donation in 1993 and the first after surgical sperm retrieval in 1996. Since then, their pioneering approach has continued, most notably for diagnostic semen analysis and more recently for leading a trial evaluating the clinical and cost-effectiveness of freezing all embryos.
There will be a continued focus on excellence in research and training in partnership with the University of Aberdeen. This, alongside an aim to attain levels of service delivery excellence which will rank the facility as ‘first in Scotland’.
Director of the facility, Professor Abha Maheshwari commented: “We are here to provide the best possible treatment we can and support the creation of families. We have an excellent team who are always willing to go that extra mile to support your journey.
“Every healthy live birth is a huge achievement for us. In some cases, people undergoing fertility treatment cannot use their own sperm or eggs but need help to start a family using eggs or sperm donated by others. Donation has the power to give the gift of becoming parents to those who need help to conceive. I would urge anyone who is interested to learn more about donating eggs or sperm to get in touch.
“A big thank you to Alison who has done a significant amount of work with the Scottish Government on egg and sperm donation.”
Adam Coldwells, Director of Strategy and Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Grampian added: “We are committed to continuing to deliver a first-class service. Our strong partnership with the University will continue as we bring the facility under the NHS Grampian umbrella, and we are looking forward to its future as part of The Baird Family Hospital in 2024.”
Professor Siladitya Bhattacharya, Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen said: “We are immensely proud of our long history in fertility research and the pioneering work which has evolved over the years into standard practices across the world. Our partnership with our NHS colleagues is key to these ongoing successes and we look forward to the next chapter in this journey. I’d like to pass on a huge thank you to Alison McTavish and her team who have done so much to get us to where we are today.”
Aberdeen Fertility Centre brings together nurses, medics, scientists and business support colleagues to provide first-class services to those who can access NHS funded treatment as well as those who wish to fund their own. The service provided to both NHS funded and self-funded patients is identical, it is rooted in kindness and includes access to free counselling. The centre is also fully licenced by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). To find out more, visit: www.aberdeenfertility.org.uk