Soon, you will be able to access our international guidelines for improving the infertility journey across Europe. But before we share them with you, let’s take a moment to reflect on our methodology and accomplishments thus far.
Infertility is a global health issue affecting millions of couples and individuals worldwide, with significant social, economic, psychological, and physical effects on those affected. Furthermore, there are significant inequalities in the diagnosis, referral, and treatment of infertility, as well as potential health risks associated with treatments for infertility. To address these issues, the B2-InF research project was funded by the European Union to explore how young people perceive and think about medically assisted reproduction (MAR) and how MAR clinics can better align their services with the views, concerns, and expectations of citizens.
B2-InF collected and analyzed knowledge, expectations, and concerns about MAR from young people in eight European countries and compared this information with the information provided by clinics on their websites. The results of the project will be used to improve the scientific information offered by MAR clinics to society from sociocultural, legal, and gender perspectives through the application of citizen-validated national and international guidelines.
The project involved conducting 98 semi-structured interviews and exploring 38 clinics’ websites in Albania, Belgium, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. The data was analyzed independently by specialized research teams focusing on sociocultural, gender, and legal aspects, and a legal analysis was conducted to determine the regulation of MAR in each country. Based on the analysis, the University of Navarra developed national guidelines for each country that provide recommendations for improving the scientific information offered by MAR clinics to society.
The guidelines are organized into two sections, one that deals with matters related to sociocultural factors and gender, and one that deals with legal questions. The first draft of the national guidelines was developed in September 2022 and presented at an internal workshop held in Pamplona, Spain, with subsequent revisions made based on feedback from young people and research partners involved in B2-InF. The result is a set of citizen-validated national and international guidelines that will help to promote proactive and anticipatory policy-making and align research developments with the needs, expectations, and values of society. Overall, B2-InF promotes responsible research, innovation, and public participation in the field of MAR, and its findings have important implications for promoting sexual and reproductive health and rights.
