The European Fertility Society has developed and published guidance on the following topics:
Fertility Patient Care Guidance
The aim is to provide comprehensive coverage of key aspects of patient care in fertility clinics, to offer ongoing support to patient care professionals, and ultimately to contribute to the continuous improvement of care for all patients.
The Fertility Patient Care Guidance benefits both individuals undergoing fertility treatment and the clinics that support them.
For patients, it offers enhanced support throughout their journey, helping them navigate treatment with greater confidence, manage the emotional and practical aspects of infertility in daily life, and strengthen personal relationships.
For clinics, the Guidance contributes to raising the standard of patient care, reducing treatment drop-out rates, and fostering a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment.
The Fertility Patients Care Guidance is available to all the EFS members: clinical and individual.
International Recommendations
Since 2005, the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine (UARM) has supported research, professional development, education, standardisation, legislation, and other initiatives aimed at improving care and outcomes for individuals and families affected by fertility challenges in Ukraine.
In June 2022, Professor Oleksandr Yuzko, Chair of the UARM Board, endorsed the adoption of the Fertility Patient Care Guidance developed by the European Fertility Society. This recommendation was extended to professionals, experts, and fertility clinics across Ukraine. As a result of this important step, the Fertility Patient Care Guidance is now available in the Ukrainian language.
Person-centred fertility care plays a vital role in ensuring that the emotional and physical needs of each patient are recognised and addressed with compassion and respect. Through the partnership between the European Fertility Society and the Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine, fertility professionals and patients in Ukraine now have access to key EFS resources and tools—previously available only in English.
Message from Professor Oleksandr Yuzko, President of the UARM
Ukraine entered the era of reproductive medicine in March 1991, when the first child was born in Kharkiv after successful IVF treatment. Our reproduction had been on the way to this success for a good 10 years, and now, for 30 years, it has been successfully stepping forward along with the independence of the country. Today, reproductive medicine in Ukraine performs about 40 thousand cycles of assisted reproductive technologies (ART), and about 15 thousand children are born every year. The structure of the cycles and their success rate have changed significantly. At the same time, we realize that this is not enough, and Ukraine today can perform 5-8 times more ART cycles for patients who have been suffering from infertility for years. Unfortunately, the small number of ART cycles in our country is due to financial difficulties of our patients, because they pay for all the components of ART programs out of their own pockets.
Prof Oleksandr Yuzko, President of the UARM
The Ukrainian Association of Reproductive Medicine makes every effort to support our patients, so they get the desired pregnancy as soon as possible. At the same time, we are trying to support the clinics in all possible ways in the scientific, practical, and legal field. The following issues are extremely important. Training of personnel of healthcare facilities involved in preservation and restoration of fertility in women and men. On the other hand, we actively support the initiatives of our patients, who want to help themselves to overcome these complex problems, thus teaching us all to be more attentive and strive for success together.
That is why we have joined with great enthusiasm the creation of the Ukrainian version of the Fertility Patients Care Guidance presented by the European Fertility Society to ensure comprehensive implementation of good patient care practices, support for medical staff of reproductive medicine clinics, and preservation and restoration of the nation’s reproductive potential.
Fertility Patients Care Guidance Development Group
