Assisted Reproductive Technology in the Era of Personalized Medicine: The Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society announces release of key studies at its annual meeting in Toronto

TORONTO, Sept. 22, 2016 /CNW/ - Some of the leading reproductive physicians and scientists in the world will talk about some of the latest advances in assisted reproductive technology in Toronto today through Saturday at the 62nd Annual Meeting of The Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society. The theme for the meeting of 600 attendees from across the country, "ART in the Era of Personalized Medicine" examines what personalized care means in the context of assisted reproduction and touches on an array of topics as diverse as ethics, genetics, patient access, counselling, and scientific innovations.

Several studies will be presented at the annual meeting that stand out in terms of public interest. 

1. Study finds that a lack of guidance in the Ontario IVF funding program resulted in a wide variation in how patients were prioritized to receive funded IVF care. The CFAS sees an opportunity to improve patient experience by working more closely with provincial authorities and clinicians to guide best practices.
   
   Drs Tom Gotz and Claire Jones of Mount Sinai Hospital, examined how fertility clinics across the province prioritized patients for in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment after the province of Ontario announced funding for 5,000 patients, far less than the actual demand.   The study revealed that there is a wide variation in how clinics interpreted the guidelines to distribute a limited resource. . The most common factors  used are age, duration of infertility, duration of treatment at the clinic time to losing their eligibility for funding .The study further provides clinics, the public, and government insight into how this new program functioned in its first few months.
   
   
2. Study aims to improve access to fertility care for young men and women diagnosed with cancer by collecting national data on referral patterns.   Until now, no data has been published on the uptake of fertility options when  young people are faced  with cancer.
   
   The Fertility Preservation Special Interest Group of the CFAS, along with Cancer Knowledge Network (CKN), reports on a  database that tracks oncofertility referrals across Canada.  Results show that women with breast cancer are the biggest users of IVF for fertility preservation. Less than half of female patients seen for fertility preservation utilized IVF, while 80% of men cryopreserved sperm.
   
3. Study highlights how an analysis of gene expression related to negative IVF outcomes has the potential to improve IVF outcomes for patients who pursue subsequent IVF cycles.

About the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS)

The CFAS is a multidisciplinary national non-profit Society that serves as the voice of reproductive specialists, scientists, and allied health professionals working in the field of Assisted Reproduction in Canada.  The mission of the CFAS is to responsibly advance reproductive science and medicine in Canada through leadership, research and guidance. Through its multidisciplinary membership, the CFAS aims to promote excellence in the field of Assisted Reproduction to the benefit of Canadians and children born of this technology.

Information about the Annual CFAS Meeting

September 22 – 24, 2016
Sheraton Hotel Toronto at 123 Queen Street, Toronto

SOURCE Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society (CFAS)

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On-Site Contact for more information and to arrange interviews: Mark Evans, CFAS Executive Director, 613-869-4396 (cell) or [email protected]