Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 10 February (HL4443) and 9 March (HL5132), to what extent miscarriages and stillbirths are considered by the HFEA to be abnormalities; and when they will place in the Library of the House a full copy of the correspondence between the member of the HFEA’s Expert Panel and the Zhang research group.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it uses standard definitions for miscarriages and stillbirths: miscarriage is a pregnancy loss up to 24 weeks gestation and a stillbirth after 24 weeks completed gestation.

‘Abnormalities’ are considered depending on the specific details and circumstances of the case.

As stated in my written answer of 10 February 2015 (HL4443), I have nothing further to add to the answers given previously on the subject of the published abstract of the Zhang research group.