Programme

Male Fertility

09:30-09.40   Chair’s welcome: Valentine Akande, Programme Chair, BFS, UK

09:40-10.10    How to make environment safe to protect male reproductive health  Jorma Toppari, Professor and Chairman or Physiology, University of Turku, Finland 

10:10-10.40    Impact of environment and lifestyle on fertility of the present and future generations  Richard Sharpe, MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, The Queen’s Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK 

10:40-11.10    Environmental influences on male infertility  Allan Pacey, Professor of Andrology, The University of Sheffield, UK

11:50 – 12:40   Bob Edwards Memorial Lecture: IVF 40 years on, Happy Birthday Louise Brown Stephen Hillier, Honorary Professorial Fellow, Emeritus Professor of Reproductive Endocrinology, University of Edinburgh, UK

12:40 – 12:50   Update on Fertility Network UK Aileen Feeney, Chief Executive, Fertility Network UK

14:00 – 15:30  Parallel Session A: 3 sessions with short oral presentations

A1 – ACE Pre-reg  Jean Purdy Memorial prize
Chair: Karen Schnauffer, Programme Chair, Association of Clinical Embryologists, UK
A1.1 Oocytes and embryos that dance around a dish: a new phenomenon for selecting embryo viability? – Susan Moran, Embryologist, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, UK
A1.2 High implantation and clinical pregnancy rates with single vitrified-thawed blastocysts and optional aneuploidy testing for all patients – Julija Gorodeckaja, Fertility and IVF Specialist, The Bridge Centre, UK
A1.3 Do slow growing embryos succeed on Day 5? – Shreena Tailor, Embryologist, Chelsea and Westminster ACU, UK
A1.4 Endometriosis is associated with reduced blastocyst formation rate – Samantha Kean, Trainee Embryologist, The Hull IVF Unit (East Riding Fertility Services Ltd), UK

A2 – BFS Young clinician prize
Chair: Valentine Akande, Programme Chair, British Fertility Society, UK
A2.1 Follicular fluid Anti-Mullerian Hormone and Progesterone and oocyte developmental competence – Yvonne O’Brien, Clinical Research Fellow, Merrion Fertility Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
A2.2 Fertility preservation in a transgender population – Yvonne O’Brien, Clinical Research Fellow, Merrion Fertility Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
A2.3 Identification of whole transcriptomic changes in mid-luteal endometrium associated with successful implantation in assisted reproductive technology – David Crosby, Clinical Research Fellow, Merrion Fertility Clinic, Dublin, Ireland
A2.4 Linking oocyte apoptosis and meiotic sister chromatid cohesion – Nikoletta Panagiotopoulou, Subspecialty Trainee in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Aberdeen Fertility Centre, UK
A2.5 A theory of survival of the fastest: A retrospective cohort analysis of 1,071,043 assisted reproductive treatment (ART) cycles and secondary sex ratio (SSR) – Prasanna Raj Supramaniam, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
BFS/FSA prize winner – Melatonin in Assisted Reproductive Technology: The MIART Trial. A pilot double-blind randomised placebo-controlled clinical trial – Shavi Fernando, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Monash Health, Australia

A3 – SRF student prize session
Chair: Kacie Thomson, Early Career Rep, Society for Reproduction and Fertility, UK  and Michelle Johnson, Early Career Rep, Society for Reproduction and Fertility, UK
A3.1 Sperm chemoattraction and mate preference in human assisted conception – Charlotte Willis, Medical Student, The University of Manchester, UK
A3.2 Maternal protein restricted diet around conception changes mouse fetal brain development with a legacy for adult memory – Joanna Gould, PhD Student, University of Southampton, UK
A3.3 Characterisation of the SCMC associated gene- PADI6 in bovine oocyte and pre-implantation embryo development – Christina Coll, PhD Student, University of Leeds, UK
A3.4 PREPARE trial: Does Omega-3 and Vitamin D supplementation in the six weeks prior to in vitro fertilisation improve embryo quality? – Alexandra Kermack, Clinical Research Fellow, Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
A3.5 Defining the impact of paternal diet on adult offspring testicular epigenetic status in mice – Sofia Akhtar, Undergraduate Student, Aston University, UK
A3.6 Effect of anti-mullerian hormone on preventing doxorubicin-induced primordial follicle loss in vitro – Xi Wei, DPhil Student, University of Oxford, UK

16:15 – 17:45  Update session 1

Reproductive Science Update ACE BAS ABA: Lifestyle impacts 

• Temporal, regional and environmental influences on sperm quality Rebecca Sumner, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Nottingham, UK
• Alcohol and smoking on sperm function Tina Kold Jensen, Professor, Syddansk Universitet, Denmark 
• You are your biochemistry: Metabolism as key player in human fertility João Ramalho-Santos, Associate Professor, University of Coimbra, Portugal   

BFS Update: Challenges in fertility practice

• Challenges in fertility practice Managing patients with recurrent implantation failure Nick Macklon, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark and Medical Director, London Women’s Clinic and The Bridge Centre, London, UK
• Understanding the role of NK cells in reproduction and infertility Ashley Moffett, Professor of Reproductive Immunology, University of Cambridge, UK
• It’s all about leadership Sally Cheshire, Chair, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, UK

SRF Update: Stem cells

•  Insights into cell fate decisions from conserved model systems Ramiro Albeiro, Associate Professor Epigenetics, University of Nottingham
• Role of endometrial stem cells in recurrent miscarriage Jan Brosens, Professor of  Obstetrics & Gynaecology, University of Warwick, UK
• Hypoxic regulation of human embryonic stem cells – Franchesca Houghton, Programme Chair, SRF and Associate Professor in Stem Cells & Developmental Biology, Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies, University of Southampton, UK

Nursing Update: Developments in fertility practice

• Pushing the boundaries in older women and poor responders undergoing IVF Harish Bhandari, Consultant Gynaecologist & Sub-specialist Reproductive Medicine and Surgery – ‎Leeds Fertility, UK
• Transfolk – what fertility services might usefully know  – James Barrett, Lead Clinician, Charing Cross Gender Identity Clinic, UK
• Use of adjuvants in fertility practice Raj Mathur, Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK

17.45-18.45    Welcome reception and an introduction to Fertility Fest

18.30-19.15  The Ferring Debate: OHSS and The Daily Mail article – another sensationalised report or evidence based fact?
Chair: Jane Stewart, Newcastle Fertility Centre, International Centre for Life
For: Raj Mathur, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester
Against: Yacoub Khalaf, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital

20.00-00.00   Social: Comedy Club Night – The Blundell Street Supper Club

Female Fertility

08.00-09.00   Registration, refreshments, exhibition and poster presentations

08.10-08.55    Merck symposium
Optimising Time to Live Birth: The ART of Incremental Gains – Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director of The London Women’s Clinic, and Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Copenhagen

08.20-08.50    SRF – Reproduction Journal prize session
Spatiotemporal dynamics of Oct4 protein localization during preimplantation development in mice – Atsushi Fukuda, Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA

09.00-09.05   Chairs welcome: Karen Schnauffer, Programme Chair, ACE, UK

09.05-09.35    Impact of stress on fertility outcomes Kavita Vedhara, Professor of Health Psychology, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, UK

09.35-10.05    Impact of microbiomes on female infertility Speaker TBC

10.05-11.05   Obesity, oocyte quality and inheritance of mtDNA Rebecca Robker, Associate Professor, University of Adelaide, Australia

11.15-11.55   BFS Patrick Steptoe: Preconception Interventions for women with PCOS – Richard Legro, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Public Health Sciences, Penn State University College of Medicine, USA

12.05-13.15  Society AGMs

14.15  Parallel sessions B – 5 sessions with short oral presentations

B1. Embryo and culture
Chair: Virginia Bolton, Treasurer, British Fertility Society, UK
B1.1 Metabolomics as a tool to identify biomarkers to predict and improve outcomes in reproductive medicine: a systematic review – Timothy Bracewell-Milnes, Clinical Research Fellow, Imperial College London, UK
B1.2 A prospective randomised trial comparing embryo development in the EmbryoScope incubator versus the MINC incubator (PROMOTE trial) – Alexandra Kermack, Clinical Research Fellow, Southampton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK
B1.3 Characterising the effects of hyaluronan-containing embryo transfer medium on human embryo gene expression and implantation in an in vitro model – Peter Ruane, Research Associate, University of Manchester, UK
B1.4 Impact of VLMWHA on sheep blastocyst formation in vitro, viability after cryopreservation and pregnancy rate after embryo transfer – Ali A Fouladi-Nashta, Reader in Reproductive Biology and Technology, Royal Veterinary College, UK
B1.5 Does the extent of expansion or hatching at the time of blastocyst vitrification affect clinical outcome after warming? – Yaser Dajani, Clinical Embryologist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, UK
B1.6 Higher birth weight with the use of time lapse imaging incubators than with standard culture incubators (an analysis of 875 singleton live births following IVF) – Mariano Mascarenhas, Specialty Registrar, Leeds Fertility, UK

B2. Sperm
Chair: David Miller, Reader in Molecular Andrology and HABSelect Chief Investigator, University of Leeds, UK
B2.1 Onco-microTESE: an option for fertility preservation in azoospermic men with testicular cancer – Majid Shabbir,Consultant Urologist, Guy’s Hospital London, UK
B2.2 Diagnostic findings and reproductive outcomes in men undergoing testicular mapping using FNA – Sheba Jarvis, Clinical Research Fellow, Imperial College London, UK
B2.3 Characterisation of [Ca2+]i oscillations induced by progesterone and effect on human sperm swimming behaviour – Elis Nitao, PhD Student, University of Birmingham, UK
B2.4 Motile sperm from the 40% interface show higher lactate production compared to those from the 80% pellet – Sarah Calvert, Research Associate, University of Sheffield, UK
B2.5 Sperm preparation for bovine intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) – Judith Gomez-Martinez, PhD Student, University of Nottingham, UK
B2.6 PLCζ is the physiological trigger of the calcium oscillations that induce embryogenesis in mammals but natural conception can occur in its absence – John Parrington, Associate Professor, University of Oxford, UK

B3. Ovarian biology
Chair: Suman Rice, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Physiology, St George’s, University of London, UK
B3.1 In-vitro exposure to Benzo[a]pyrene results in follicle loss in the developing mouse ovary – Agnes Stefansdottir, Lecturer, University of Edinburgh, UK
B3.2 Characterisation of ovine GV and MII oocyte RNA polyadenylation length modifications using single cell RNA-sequencing – Jianping Lu, Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK
B3.3 High linoleic acid concentration in porcine follicular fluid and maturation medium affects oocyte maturation and cumulus expansion – Selene Jarrett, PhD Student, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK
B3.4 Quantification of c-Jun expression in oocytes provides evidence of spatial regulation of primordial follicle activation in the mouse ovary – Daniel Stark, Undergraduate Student, Imperial College London, UK
B3.5 Maternal vitamin d status influences anti-mullerian hormone expression and germ cells reserve in sheep foetal ovaries – Edmund Mbegbu, PhD Candidate, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, UK
B3.6 Extracellular localisation of the C-terminus of DDX4 confirmed by immunocytochemistry and fluorescent activated cell sorting – Yvonne Clarkson, Post-doctoral Research Associate, The University of Edinburgh, UK

B4. IVF outcomes
Chair: Jason Kasraie, Chair, Association of Clinical Embryologists, UK
B4.1 Novel measures of sperm DNA damage increase its usefulness to diagnose male infertility and predict live births following both IVF and ICSI – James Nicopoullos, Consultant Gynaecologist, The Lister Hospital London, UK
B4.2 Male partner age influence on the pregnancy outcome after in vitro fertilisation – Ioannis Gallos, Sub-specialty Trainee in Reproductive Medicine and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR)
B4.3 The effect of alcohol, smoking and male age on semen parameters and IVF/ICSI outcome: is there a correlation? – Timothy Bracewell-Milnes, Clinical Research Fellow, Imperial College London, UK
B4.4 The under-performance of overweight women during IVF is likely treatment-dependent –  Athanasios Papathanasiou, Regional Lead Clinician, Bourn Hall Clinic, UK
B4.5 Cumulative live birth rates in women with low ovarian reserve are higher with IVF after ovarian stimulation than after repeated natural cycle IVF attempts – Marco Gaudoin, Medical Director, GCRM, UK
B4.6 Effects of Luteal Phase Progesterone Dosage on FET Cycle Outcome – Shaun McGowan, ST5 Trainee, Belfast Health & Social Care Trust

B5. Pregnancy outcomes
Chair: Raj Mathur, Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, Saint Mary’s Hospital, Manchester, UK
B5.1 Differential glycosylation of hCG associated with normal and abnormal pregnancies: Can we find an accurate early pregnancy marker to reliably predict an abnormal pregnancy – Linda Ibeto, Doctor, Chelsea and Westminster ACU, Imperial College London, UK
B5.2 The optimal endometrial thickness to maximise live births and minimise pregnancy losses with fresh embryo transfers in invitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment: A multicentre cohort study –Ioannis Gallos, Sub-specialty Trainee in Reproductive Medicine and Associate Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Institute of Metabolism and Systems Research (IMSR)
B5.3 Luteal phase progesterone decreases miscarriage rate after frozen embryo transfer of blastocysts in natural cycles – Georgios Christopoulos, Consultant, Thames Valley Fertility, UK
B5.4 Chronic endometritis and recurrent reproductive failure – Michael Rimmer, ACF in O&G, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, UK
B5.5 The effect of prednisolone on high uterine Natural Killer (uNK) cells and pregnancy outcomes in women with recurrent reproductive failure – Sophie Cooper, Medical Student, The University of Sheffield and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, UK
B5.6 Birth weight in women with asherman’s syndrome post hysteroscopic adhesiolysis: Case-control study – Saeed Baradwan, Doctor, King Fahad Medical City, Saudi Arabia

16.30-18.00   Update session

ACE Update: How to identify the best sperm

• Hyaluronic acid binding sperm selection for ICSI (HABSelect): Study outcomes and conclusions David Miller, Reader in Molecular Andrology and HABSelect Chief Investigator, University of Leeds, UK  
• SPERM: Spectroscopic Probes of Energy Regulation and Metabolism Steven Reynolds, Research Fellow,Magnetic Resonance Expert, The University of Sheffield, UK 
• The mathematical sperm “X-ray” machine Hermes Gadêlha, Lecturer, University of York, UK 

BFS Update: Surgical aspects of reproductive medicine

• Surgical aspects of Reproductive Medicine Endometriosis and infertility Ying Cheong, Professor of Reproductive Medicine within Medicine, University of Southampton, UK
• Managing uterine problems in fertility – Fibroids, polyps, anomalies Yacoub Khalaf, Director of the Assisted Conception Unit and HFEA Person Responsible, Guy’s and St Thomas’ Private Healthcare, UK
• Surgical sperm recovery: Indications and options Kevin McEleny, Consultant Urologist/Andrologist, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

SRF Update: Microbiomes

• Endometrial microbiome and transcriptomics guiding personalise embryo transfer Carlos Simón, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Valencia, Spain
• Impact of caesarean section on the gut microbiome and health status of the developing infant – John Cryan, Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, University of Cork, Ireland
• Understanding the implications of the vaginal microbiome in poor pregnancy outcomes – Phillip Bennett, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology (IRDB), Imperial College London, UK

Ultrasound Update: ISUOG ultrasound session

• 3D/4D ultrasound Nick Raine-Fenning, Clinical Director, Nuture Fertility, UK
• HyCosy v HSG Thierry Van den Bosch, University Hospitals KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
• Early pregnancy problems Tom Bourne, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Surgery & Cancer within the Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, UK

18.10-18.50  Sponsor’s symposium

19.30  Social: Conference Dinner – ACC Hall 

Offspring

08.55-09.00   Chairs welcome: Franchesca Houghton, Programme Chair, SRF and Associate Professor in Stem Cells & Developmental Biology, Deputy Director of Postgraduate Studies, University of Southampton, UK

09.00-09.50   Anne McLaren Distinguished Scientist Lecture – One orchestra, three conductors: How to fine tune early follicle development Kate Hardy, Professor of Reproductive Biology, Imperial College, London, UK

09.50-10.20    Fertility in male ICSI children Willem Verpoest, Belgium

10.20-10.50 Effect of culture medium on the phenotype of IVF children – John Dumoulin, Clinical Embryologist,

Head IVF – Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Netherlands

11.20-12.35     Parallel sessions C  – 5 sessions with short oral presentations

C1. Embryo morphology
Chair: Helen Priddle, Treasurer, Association of Clinical Embryologists, UK
C1.1 Side by side: Angle of extrusion of second polar body, relative to position of the first, is significantly associated with clinical outcome – Mercedes Regueira, Embryologist, CARE Fertility Manchester
C1.2 Should embryos with the following pronuclear characteristics be considered for treatment:  Z4 score, asymmetric syngamy, micronucleation? – Cristina Hickman, Consultant Embryologist, London, UK
C1.3 Embryo grading at the compaction stage is highly predictive of outcome – Sue Montgomery, Laboratory Manager, CARE Manchester, UK
C1.4 What is the evidence base justifying blastocyst morphology as an embryo selection tool: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis – Cristina Hickman, Consultant Embryologist, London, UK
C1.5 Fresh versus Frozen: Are the morphokinetic profiles of implanting embryos different? – Nikita Patel, BSc Candidate, London, UK

C2. Socio-economic aspects
Chair: James Nicopoulos, Consultant Gynaecologist, The Lister Hospital London, UK
C2. 1 Does a postcode lottery for IVF funding exist in England?: A dataset analysis looking at IVF policy and activity in the years 2012-2014 – Susan Gorman, Medical Student, St George’s, London, UK
C2.2 ‘It didn’t make me feel less of a man’: How does the diagnosis of azoospermia affect masculine identity? – Stamatios Karavolos, Aberdeen Fertility Centre, UK
C2.3 Infertility and Donor Conception: Pregnancy is Just the Beginning! – Wendy Kramer, Director, Donor Sibling Registry, USA
C2.4 The effect of fertility education on fertility-related cognitions, emotions and planned behaviour in adolescents and emerging adults – Jacky Boivin, Professor of Health Psychology, Cardiff University, UK
C2.5 Have we left “family” out of “family planning”? – Bola Grace, Researcher, University College London, UK

C3. Uterine biology
Chair: Ali Fouladi-Nashta, Reader in Reproductive Biology and Technology, Royal Veterinary College, UK
C3.1 Adult uterine size depends on pubertal oestrogen – Elizabeth Burt, Specialist Registrar, University College London Hospital, UK
C3.2 In vitro model of uterine dysfunction as a result of chlamydial Infection – Nick Wheelhouse, Lecturer, Edinburgh Napier University, UK
C3.3 Defining the transcriptome of the human endometrium at single-cell level – Emma Lucas, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, University of Warwick, UK
C3.4 Aged endometrium displays perturbations of inflammation-related molecular pathways compared with fertile endometrium in the bovine species – Olivier Sandra, Research Director, INRA, France
C3.5 An association between foetal size and sex, and placental and endometrial angiogenesis in the pig – Claire Stenhouse, PhD Student, The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK

C4. Ovarian physiology and pathophysiology
Chair: Bob Robinson, Lecturer, University of Nottingham, UK
C4.1 Decoding the role of follicle stimulating hormone glycosylation in ovarian ageing – Kim Jonas, Lecturer, St George’s, University of London, UK
C4.2 Molecular and morphological assessment of cryopreserved ovarian tissue, follicles and oocytes – Georga Longhurst, PhD Student, University College Dublin, Ireland
C4.3 The association between endometritis and ovarian activity in dairy cows during post-partum period – Zeravan Mohammed, Lecturer, University of Duhok, Iraq
C4.4 Androgens modulate extracellular matrix (ECM) in mouse ovary, implications for PCOS – Thomas Hopkins, PhD Student, Imperial College London, UK
C4.5 G4, a new transgenic mouse model for polycystic ovaries syndrome – Mostafa Esmael, PhD Student, University of Quebec, Montreal, Canada

C5. Clinical infertility
Chair: Ian Aird, Consultant Obstetrician & Gynaecologist, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK
C5.1 A randomised controlled trial of intrauterine insemination with clomiphene stimulation compared with expectant management, for women with unexplained infertility and a low probability of natural conception (The TUI study) – Sarah Lensen, Researcher, University of Auckland, New Zealand
C5.2 Does controlled ovarian stimulation adversely affect the uterine environment? A multistage modelling study –   Jack Wilkinson, Medical Statistician, University of Manchester, UK
C5.3 Should we use a GnRH antagonist protocol for frozen embryo replacement to keep our patients and our embryologists happy? – Georgios Christopoulos, Consultant, Thames Valley Fertility, UK
C5.4 Adenomyosis – is it tip of the iceberg in subfertility? – Nirmal Felix, Consultant, CREATE Fertility, UK
C5.5 The impact of male factor infertility on secondary sex ratio outcomes following assisted reproductive techniques (ART) – Prasanna Raj Supramaniam, Specialist Registrar in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

13.50     Update session 3

Clinical Update

• Time-lapse; then, now and next Amy Barrie, Senior Clinical Embryologist, IVI Cheshire, Chester, UK
• Re-evaluating PGS: Current thoughts and controversies Sesh Kamal Sunkara, Consultant Gynaecologist and Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine and Surgery, King’s College London, UK
• Mitochondrial donation in practice Jane Stewart, Consultant in Repro Med and Gynae – Head of Department, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Scientific Update

• Effect of prenatal exposures to environmental toxins on female reproduction Paul Fowler, Chair in Translational Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK
• Dads, diet and disease: the paternal programming of offspring health Adam Watkins, Assistant Professor of Reproductive Biology, University of Nottingham
• The obesity epidemic: Could it be an oocyte issue? Kelle Moley Washington University School of Medicine

15.05-15.35    Saving rhinos and exotic species – Thomas Hildebrandt, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin

15.35-15.55    Prize Giving

16.00-16.05   Closing remarks Jason Kasraie, Chair, ACE, UK

Close of conference