Centre for Reproduction Research

Centre for Reproduction Research Seminar Series; Social Sciences Research and Innovation Institute, De Montfort University. Monday 17th November - 12-1.30 GMT, online. Complex fertility journeys and employment: Research insights and real-world impact. Dr Krystal Wilkinson, Centre for Decent Work and Productivity, Manchester Metropolitan University. To register email crr@dmu.ac.uk (deadline to register 12 November).

Join us on Monday 17 November 12-1:30 online for our first Centre for Reproduction Research (CRR) seminar of the year. @DrKrysWilkinson will be speaking about 'Complex fertility journeys and employment: Research insights and real-world impact'. Email crr@dmu.ac.uk by 12 Nov to register.

World’s ‘oldest baby’: what a 30-year-old embryo tells us about the future of fertility A baby was born from a 30-year-old frozen embryo, raising questions about fertility, family and the future of donor conception.

A new piece in @uk.theconversation.com from Nicky Hudson on the birth of the ‘world’s oldest baby’

theconversation.com/worlds-oldes...

Congratulations to @cathy-herbrand.bsky.social on this thought-provoking piece for The Conversation looking at the realities behind mitochondrial donation, following the news that eight babies have now been born using the technique in the UK.
Well worth a read.

Thank you so much to Rachel for coming all the way from @kent.ac.uk to deliver this fantastic and thought provoking seminar. Rachel has just submitted her thesis and her viva is early next month. We hope you will join with us in wishing her every success with this and with her important topic.

A screen shot of Rachel Arkell's header slide on the use of sodium valproate in pregnancy and reproduction.

Today we're delighted to welcome Rachel Arkell to talk about her research on the use of sodium valproate in pregnancy. Sodium valproate is a potentially lifesaving medication for epilepsy and bipolar disorder yet is associated with risk in pregnancy, raising queries about how it should be used.

Our (@gmthomas.bsky.social Tanisha Spratt @amychandler.bsky.social) book went to print - very exciting! The @britsoci.bsky.social London MedSoc Study Group is hosting a launch event (thanks @twiterney.bsky.social) on 19 June 18:00-19:30. All welcome, register here:
www.eventbrite.com/e/bsa-london...

Egg donation: what's really being said, and not said, to potential donors?
Our new research analyzes how fertility clinics across Belgium, Spain, and the UK present medical risks and incentives on their websites- and what that means for women considering donation.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10....

Check out this paper! Exploring how direct-to-consumer genetic testing is reshaping the world of gamete donor conception — and what that means for families, professionals, and policy makers
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Exploring how direct-to-consumer genetic testing and social media are reshaping donor conception and kinship. Parents share their views on the ‘right age’ for kids to connect with donor relatives and how childhood influences these decisions🧬 journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10....

Read this paper by Nicky Hudson, Cathy Herbrand and Lorraine Culley on the emergence and use of expanded carrier screening in gamete donation. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

Celebrating the professorial inaugural lecture of Prof. Cathy Herbrand this week… 🥳

Happening this evening! Still time to book a place - check out our linktree

front page of slide deck giving the seminar title, sibling mismatches in donor conception

We are delighted to welcome Dr Sophie Zadeh @sussex.ac.uk to present a seminar on 'Sibling ‘mismatches’ in donor conception'. She looks at how challenging 'resemblance talk' is when donor siblings connect with bio family but find out they don't resemble or feel an affinity with them.

Family-making in the postgenomic era: why biology still matters Inaugural Professorial Lecture by Professor Cathy Herbrand, Professor of Medical and Family Sociology.

eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com?url=https%3A...

Join us for Cathy Herbrand’s upcoming lecture! Still time to book with the link below and on our linktree

Bupa plans to offer a new genomic screening approach to clients that, it is claimed, can evaluate an individual's risk of developing seven common diseases. Dr Joanne Delange writes in BioNews: www.progress.org.uk/polygenic-ri...
#polygenicriskscores #polygenics #genomics #genetics #healthinsurance

A white hand with pink painted nails holds up a notebook against a dark purple wall, opened at the front page. The handwritten text on this page reads: ‘BA/Lev Small Grant. Doulas as Liminal Actors. 2025-2026.

Delighted that @bevclough.bsky.social & I have received a BA/Leverhulme Small Grant for our project ‘Birth Doulas as a Liminal Actor With/in Medical Law: Identifying Regulatory & Conceptual Tensions’. We’ve been plotting this project for over 2 years & are so excited to bring it to life!

‘First-of-a-kind’ daily pill for endometriosis treatment approved for NHS in England Relugolix-estradiol-norethisterone can be taken at home, eliminating need for trips to clinics for injections

A step forward in the improvement of endometriosis management:

‘First-of-a-kind’ daily pill for endometriosis treatment approved for NHS in England

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

You can find out more about Kate’s work here: www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/ac...

CRR member Kate Pleace has this week published a book about life with premature ovarian insufficiency. This is also the topic of Kate’s PhD : olympiapublishers.com/book/progest....

Our next in-person seminar on 19th March focuses on gamete donation - come join us! Email crr@dmu.ac.uk for
more information or to book a
place

We have joined BlueSky! Now to figure things out…. 👀