Fertility preservation provision in the NHS in Scotland: guidance

Information provision

Patients should be provided with clear written and verbal information at all stages, i.e. both in the referring clinic and in the assisted reproduction clinic. Patients must be provided with culturally appropriate and culturally sensitive care. Fertility preservation can be challenging emotionally and physically which means that excellent communication, culturally competent, compassionate, high-quality care and appropriate support should be provided for all patients at every point of contact. If required interpretation services, including British Sign Language (BSL) should be available for patients, in-person where possible, throughout their assessment and care, ensuring this is delivered compassionately.

Patient information leaflets for sperm and egg storage in line with this guidance have been developed and are available digitally to issue to patients and translated versions will be available. A training webinar will also be developed by Fertility Scotland National Network to complement the publication of this guidance. Information is available from the HFEA website (including information specific for transgender people):

https://www.hfea.gov.uk/treatments/fertility-preservation/

Decision aids can help patients make decisions in complex areas and have been shown to reduce decisional regret. A decision aid specific for women with cancer has been developed at Cancer, Fertility and Me:

https://cancerfertilityandme.org.uk/

A version of this for younger people with greater inclusivity is currently in development.