Bourn Hall is known worldwide as the birthplace of IVF treatment, so it was a pleasure to welcome a delegation of IVF Consultants from leading Spanish medical centres to the clinic in Cambridge, UK. The visit was organised by Theramex, a global speciality pharmaceutical company that is committed to supporting the health needs of women through every stage of life.
Innovators in reproductive health
The team was welcomed by Dr Thanos Papathanasiou, CEO and Medical Director at Bourn Hall, who said: “In the early days of IVF, patients came from all over the world to gain treatment at Bourn Hall and we trained many of the consultants who then went on to set up their own clinics.
“International collaboration and sharing of ideas is invaluable in reproductive medicine, so we are delighted to host this meeting of practitioners, and to meet the team at Theramex who are innovators in this field.”
Rich research legacy continues
The event was set within the original Bourn Hall clinic, where the Spanish team had the opportunity to hear about the early days of IVF and the work of the IVF pioneers, Steptoe, Edwards and Purdy.
This was followed by a presentation of the rich research legacy that Bourn Hall has supported from the early days of IVF up to the present day. The final presentation provided insight into the future directions and challenges that modern IVF clinics face in the post-pandemic era.
The visit concluded with a tour of the historic premises, which provided ample opportunity for the delegates to ‘connect’ with the origins of IVF – and, of course, take plenty of memorable photos.
Supporting fertility treatment
Infertility affects around 1 in 6 couples and uterine fibroids affect 25% of women within reproductive age, many with severe symptoms that impact fertility and may require surgery.
Theramex is known for drugs that are used for ovarian stimulation during assisted reproduction techniques, such as IVF or ICSI, as well as a new treatment for uterine fibroids.
The visit was coordinated by Karen Scarle, Fertility, UK & Ireland Business Unit Director at Theramex, who has worked in fertility for over twenty years.
She comments: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to visit Bourn Hall again recently.
“It was inspirational to learn more about the history of IVF in such an historic setting. This is a visit I would highly recommend to anyone working in the field of reproductive medicine.”
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