Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 19 June 2008 (WA 178–86) and by Earl Howe on 22 November 2010 (WA 263), how many incidents of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) causing a patient to be hospitalised have been reported by clinics in each of the past five years; in how many treatment cycles at least 20 eggs were collected over each of the last five years; how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) ensures that it is aware of all adverse incidents that require a hospital admission due to OHSS; what assessment the HFEA has made of the figure described in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183–7) that 14.5% of women from whom more than 20 eggs are retrieved in a given treatment cycle are admitted to hospital; and what policy and care implications these findings have.[HL1211]
Answer
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the number of cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) reported as adverse incidents to the authority by its licensed clinics for each of the past five years is set out in the following table:
| Year | Number
of cases of OHSS reported as adverse
incidents |
| 2007 | 0** |
| 2008 | 64** |
| 2009 | 114* |
| 2010 | 176* |
| 2011 | 238 |
Notes:* Information as previously provided in the Written Answer of 22 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 263)** The requirement to report adverse incidents was confirmed by HFEA General Direction 0011, which came into force on 1 October 2009. Reporting of OHSS may have been variable before 1 October 2009 and explain the lower numbers in 2007 and 2008.
Source: the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Under the HFEA's General Direction 0011, licensed centres are required to report to the authority the occurrence of any adverse incident, which includes OHSS that requires a hospital admission, and has a severity grading of severe or critical.
The HFEA has also advised that the number of licensable treatment cycles in which at least 20 eggs were collected during the years 2006 to 2010 (the most recent five years of verified data collected on its register) is set out in the following table:
| Number
of eggs
Collected | Number
of treatment cycles in each
year | ||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| 20-29 | 2,246 | 2,429 | 2,617 | 2,817 | 3,053 |
| 30-39 | 349 | 357 | 330 | 335 | 418 |
| 40-49 | 42 | 37 | 45 | 48 | 50 |
| 50-59 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 16 |
| 60-69 | 3 | 4 | Nil | Nil | 4 |
| 70-79 | 1 | Nil | Nil | Nil | Nil |
Source: the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
The HFEA has advised it has made no assessment of the figure described in the journal Human Fertility (volume 10, issue 3, pages 183-7) to which the noble Lord refers.