Delivering at-home access to clinical-standard fertility treatment

这个项目提出了一种解决毁灭性和不公平的不孕不育问题的方案。我们正在开发一种治疗方案，提供临床标准的生育治疗-监管的、安全的、负担得起的、有效的-在一个人的家里。不孕不育是一个全球性的问题。世界卫生组织预测，有10%-25%的妇女受到不孕不育的影响(世卫组织2020年)。在过去的50年里，男性精子数量下降了52%(Levine等人2017年)，40%的努力受孕的夫妇仍然禁忌原因不明的infertility‘(Nandi\_and\_Homburg\_2016).Infertility。在英国的性教育课程中，它没有被谈论，也没有被教授。因此，不孕不育往往会激起羞耻感或失败感(Datta等人2016年)，对个人及其关系造成严重影响。丹麦2014年的一项研究显示，当生育治疗失败时，夫妇分开的可能性是前者的3倍(Kjaer等人2014)。在英国，只有不到3%的不孕不育患者获得了临床治疗(LaingBuisson 2018)。NHS资助的生育治疗正在减少，许多人受到邮政编码、体重指数和年龄限制等因素的影响，因为临床调试小组(CCGs)希望收紧资格。私人生育治疗贵得令人望而却步；英国不孕不育夫妇在生育治疗上的平均花费为11378 GB(2016)。尽管如此，人们越来越多地在社会/职业压力和成为父母之间左右为难。这导致许多女性将受孕推迟到35岁以上(Harper等人2017年)，在这个年龄，受孕变得越来越困难(委员会意见2008)，当她们在一半的NHS CCG中变得不符合生育治疗条件时。今天，临床治疗方案的范围很窄，从宫内人工授精(IUI；GB 700-GB 1,600/轮，最多需要12轮)到试管受精(GB 5000+/轮)。对于那些确实接受临床治疗的人来说，这是非常具破坏性的，涉及双方经常前往生育诊所。一些女性报告说，花在生育治疗上的时间感觉像是一份全职工作。大多数人(70%)报告生育问题和/或治疗对他们的关系产生了一些不利影响(英国生育网络2016)。对于那些没有办法获得治疗的人来说，市场上的许多替代方案不受监管，甚至是危险的。误导性的“生育补充剂”和家庭IUI试剂盒包括只应由医疗专业人员使用的窥镜和设备。该项目基于开发人工授精治疗和数字健康体验的新概念，该概念设计为直观有效；由临床胚胎学家优化，以便在家中安全使用。在Innovate UK的支持下，我们将改善生育治疗的可及性，为不孕不育的英国夫妇提供负担得起、安全、有效和方便的治疗。是时候让人们拥有自己的身体、生育之旅和选择了。

This project proposes a solution to the devastating and unfair issue of infertility.We are developing a treatment solution that provides clinical-standard fertility treatment - regulated, safe, affordable, effective - in the privacy of one's home.Infertility is a global issue. The WHO predicts 10-25% of women are affected by infertility(WHO\_2020). Male sperm counts dropped 52% over the past 50 years(Levine\_et\_al\_2017) and 40% of couples struggling to conceive have 'unexplained infertility'(Nandi\_and\_Homburg\_2016).Infertility is still taboo. It's not talked about, or taught in the UK sex education curriculum. Consequently, infertility often stirs feelings of shame or failure(Datta\_et\_al\_2016), exacting a toll on individuals and their relationships. A 2014 Danish study revealed couples are 3x more likely to separate when fertility treatments fail(Kjaer\_et\_al\_2014).In the UK, less than 3% of those experiencing infertility access clinical treatment(LaingBuisson\_2018).NHS-funded fertility treatment is decreasing, leaving many at the mercy of factors such as postcode, BMI and age restrictions, as Clinical Commissioning Groups(CCGs) look to tighten eligibility.Private fertility treatment is prohibitively expensive; infertile UK-based couples spend an average of £11,378 on fertility treatment(FertilityNetworkUK\_2016). Still, people are increasingly caught between societal/career pressures and becoming parents. This leads many women to delay conception until 35+(Harper\_et\_al\_2017), an age at which conception becomes increasingly difficult(Committee\_Opinion\_2008), and when they become ineligible for fertility treatment in half of NHS CCGs.Today, there exists a narrow spectrum of clinical treatment options, ranging from intrauterine insemination(IUI; £700-£1,600/round, requiring up to 12 rounds) to IVF(£5,000+/round).For those who do access clinical treatment, it's highly disruptive, involving frequent trips by both partners to fertility clinics. Some women report that the time spent navigating fertility treatment feels like a full-time job. The majority of people(70%) report some detrimental impact of fertility problems and/or treatment on their relationship(FertilityNetworkUK\_2016).For those without the means to access treatment, many of the alternatives on the market are unregulated and even dangerous. Misleading 'fertility supplements' and at-home IUI kits include speculums and equipment that should be used only by medical professionals.This project builds on work developing a novel concept for artificial insemination treatment and digital health experience engineered to be intuitive and effective; optimised by a clinical embryologist to be used safely at home.With Innovate UK support, we will improve access to fertility treatment, providing infertile UK couples with affordable, safe, effective, and convenient treatment.It's time to empower people to take ownership of their body, fertility journey, and choices.