Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of research from King’s College London, Anglia Ruskin University and the University of Leeds entitled Comparing the Outcomes of In-Vitro Fertilization in Same-Sex Female Couples Using Their Partner's Egg Versus Their Own Egg: A Systematic Review, published on 19 August 2025.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s (HFEA) Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee reviews the published evidence of health outcomes for those having fertility treatment. The last 10 years of evidence were reviewed in June 2025, and further information on the findings of this review can be found at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/about-us/our-authority-committees-and-panels/scientific-and-clinical-advances-advisory-committee-scaac/#hidden-text-3c9ac9c7-54e1-4578-abb2-b49a73b68140-2

HFEA changed the information on its website relating to the risks of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) because of this review, including risks associated with reciprocal IVF. Further information can be found at the following link:

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/explore-all-treatments/risks-of-fertility-treatment/

The study had not been published at the time of the review and will be included in the next review by HFEA.