Allan Pacey
@allanpacey.bsky.social
Deputy Vice President and Deputy Dean of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester. Views all my own
This week I attended the @timeshighered.bsky.social World Academic Summit in Cape Town along with academic leaders from 60 countries. The theme was “Knowledge, justice and futures: Universities in the age of intelligence”. Cape Town is a great city, although I only had chance to see it in the dark!
Spent the last couple of days in London giving lectures at the British Fertility Society 2026 Study Week. Having been involved in the setting up of this study week over 20 years ago when I was Honorary Secretary it's great to see it going from strength to strength.
Great to attend the opening of "The Student Body" exhibition a few days ago on the themes of "Head, Heart and Movement". The exhibition showcases some of the objects from the @fbmh-uom.bsky.social Museum of Medicine and Health. Further details about the museum at: www.museum.bmh.manchester.ac.uk
We've just published a paper looking at the recruitment of egg donors in a large sperm and egg bank in the USA. To cut a long story short, only 2.5% of women who applied to be an egg donor finally made it and had their eggs frozen for donation. The paper is free to view at: doi.org/10.1186/s129...
An analysis of the outcome of 2,443 women applying to be donors at a commercial egg bank in the USA - Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology
Background Donated eggs are essential for a range of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) procedures, but relatively little has been written about how donors are recruited. This study examined egg donor recruitment processes at a commercial egg-bank in Florida (USA). It documents what proportion of applicants were ultimately accepted and, if rejected, at what step, whether this was by choice or selection, whether their initial ID-release choice was important, and how this compares to the recruitment of sperm donors. Methods Anonymised records of all egg donor applicants in 2018 and 2019 (n = 2,443) were examined to determine the number passing through (or lost) at each stage of the recruitment process and ultimately how many had successful egg retrieval and cryopreservation. Statistical analysis was carried out to examine differences between the initial ID-release choice made by egg donor applicants (ID-release vs. non-ID release). Results Few applicants (2.5%) were accepted and had eggs frozen for donation. This did not differ between applicants who opted at the outset to be ID-release (2.94%) compared to those who didn’t (2.12%) (X2 = 1.682; Df = 1; Z = 1.297; p = 0.1947). Most were lost during recruitment because they: (i) did not meet the eligibility criteria at the outset (51.17%); (ii) withdrew, failed to respond, did not attend an appointment, or did not return a questionnaire (26.36%); or (iii) reported a disqualifying health issue or failed a screening test (19.69%). There were no significant differences between the initial ID choice of egg donor candidates and the reason for their loss from the process. This differed from what we know about sperm donor recruitment during the same period at the same clinic. Only two women who were accepted to donate failed to do so because of a poor ovarian response. During recruitment, some egg donors decided to change ID-type and it was more common for them to change from non-ID release to ID release (53.57%) than the other way around (9.09%) (X2 = 14.920; Df = 1; Z = 3.863; p < 0.0001). Conclusion This study demonstrates how challenging egg donor recruitment processes are, with only a small fraction of those who initially apply ultimately being accepted and having samples certified as safe for use in treatment. The initial ID-release choice of egg donor applicants in the USA has no bearing on whether they were finally accepted as donors or not and is unrelated to their reason for rejection from the program.
doi.org
My comments in @theguardian.com about whether the world is facing a male fertility crisis www.theguardian.com/society/ng-i... with other comments from @rodtmitchell.bsky.social thanks to @hannahdevlin.bsky.social for pulling it together!
‘Spermageddon’: is the world facing a male reproductive crisis?
Reports of falling sperm counts and testosterone levels have fuelled fears over chemicals, pollution and modern lifestyles. But how much do scientists agree on what is affecting male fertility?
theguardian.com
In a recent BBC article, Professor @allanpacey.bsky.social shared his expertise as a leading voice in male fertility research. The article discusses the very real infertility issues people face, the current situation in policy, as well as the need for research. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
How male infertility is still not getting enough attention
How could the system better support men who have been told they might have a fertility issue?
bbc.co.uk
I’ll be speaking at this years Fertility Show about how to improve sperm quality focussing on clear, research-backed guidance; from lifestyle and environmental influences to addressing common misconceptions. Join me on Saturday 16th May 2026 at 4:30 at Upper West Hall, Olympia London, W14 8UX.
Spent the last couple of days at the #EBART2026 conference in Barcelona where I gave a talk about latest advances in sperm selection methods. Great programme and speakers and of course what is not to love about Barcelona in the spring time?
My comments in @theguardian.com about whether or not men need to stick to the 2 to 7 day abstinence rule before they produce a sample for IVF ... www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
More frequent ejaculations may boost men’s fertility, research suggests
Need for abstinence before fertility treatment questioned as study finds sperm deteriorates as it stays in body
theguardian.com
My comments in @dailymail.co.uk about why pre-conception health is as important for men as it is for women .... www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic...
Fathers' fitness may influence babies' development, experts discover
Preparing for a healthy pregnancy has traditionally been seen as a woman's responsibility - with expectant mothers urged to overhaul their lifestyle to give their baby the best possible start in life.
dailymail.co.uk
It was great to be part of this celebration and to help announce the partnership with colleagues from Frederick University at this wonderful event!
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health@fbmh-uom.bsky.social · 8mo agoMedical students at Frederick University are to develop their knowledge and expertise to become medical practitioners using the world renowned undergraduate medical degree programme at @manchester.ac.uk.
This week I attended the 60th anniversary celebrations of Frederick University in Nicosia, Cyprus to announce a landmark licensing agreement to develop a new medical school at their Limassol campus by 2028. Further details at: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/news/m...
Manchester to license medical teaching programme to Frederick University in Cyprus
Medical students at Frederick University in Cyprus are to develop their knowledge and expertise to become medical practitioners using the world renowned undergraduate medical degree programme at The ...
manchester.ac.uk
A few months ago I worked with @adance.bsky.social to create a science comic for @knowablemag.bsky.social about the journey sperm makes to reach the egg. Little did I know that that this would involve me being immortalised in cartoon form. Check it out .... knowablemagazine.org/content/arti...
Journey to the egg: How sperm navigate the path to fertilization
COMIC: Male cells must survive twisty passages, strong currents and immune attacks; millions enter, but only one can finish
knowablemagazine.org
A busy day giving lots of comments on a tragic story of 197 children born using donor sperm with an undetected mutation now putting them at risk of cancer. My interview with the BBC World Service (available for the next 29 days) gives more details about the case. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Newshour - Sperm with cancer-causing gene used to conceive almost 200 children - BBC Sounds
A sperm donor unknowingly had a genetic mutation raising the risk of cancer
bbc.co.uk
Quick break from the day job and a trip to London to give a talk at the British Fertility Society fertility preservation conference about when it’s safe for men to father children after chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Thanks for inviting me!
Busy day today at the Fondation pour la Recherche Médicale in Paris reviewing grants in reproductive medicine and biology. Some great projects funded. What a great team led by Catherine Racowsky and involving Adam Balen, Virginia Bolton, Eve Feinberg, Richard Legro, Anja Pinborg & Nicolas Plachta.
From Manchester for the world. We are proud to launch our bold strategy to 2035. Together, we're redefining what a great civic University looks like for the 21st century. Visit our webpage to explore our ambition in full: www.manchester.ac.uk/about/manche...
This is what an official dinner with the Austrian ambassador to Saudi Arabia looks like … thanks for inviting me!
Last week I spent three days at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology) attending the @timeshighered.bsky.social World Academic Summit. The theme was "Universities as Agents of Progress" and it was therefore fitting that the conference was held at KAUST. What an amazing campus.
Looking forward to speaking at this event in Manchester on Thursday. Come join us if you are free. Register at: events.teams.microsoft.com/event/a606e8...
Had a great day on Friday at @cam.ac.uk celebrating what would have been the 100th birthday of IVF pioneer Bob Edwards. Some great talks and it was interesting to see some of the information held in @chuarchives.bsky.social
Great to give a lecture at the British Fertility Society study week in London yesterday on my favourite topic “Male fertility after cancer treatment”. Good to catch up with old friends and colleagues too!
Busy day today but still time to pop into BBC Radio Sheffield and have a chat with the lovely Paulette Edward’s about 3 parent babies and other things IVF related!
Great article from the good folk at @newcastleuni.bsky.social reporting the first UK births from mitochondrial donation www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
nejm.org
Busy week in Paris last week and not much time to post anything, but I did manage to attend a reception on the Champs-Élysées courtesy of my collaborators at Cryos International. We have more papers coming, watch this space!
My comments in @theguardian.com courtesy of @hannahdevlin.bsky.social concerning the prospects for lab grown sperm (and eggs) "I’m ready for it. Whether society has realised, I don’t know.” Other comments from the super @rodtmitchell.bsky.social too! www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Lab-grown sperm and eggs just a few years away, scientists say
Quest to create viable human sex cells in lab progressing rapidly, with huge implications for reproduction
theguardian.com
My comments on BBC News (who I can't find on bluesky) concerning the 'Notable' rise in dads over 60 in England and Wales www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'Notable' rise in dads over 60 in England and Wales
Official figures show that the birth rate in England and Wales went up for the first time since 2021.
bbc.co.uk
My comments in @dailymail.co.uk about sperm quality in older men and whether or not there are merits in getting it tested regularly www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic...
ALL young men need regular sperm checks, says top reproductive expert
Most men only think about getting the quality of their sperm checked when they have tried unsuccessfully with a partner to start a family.
dailymail.co.uk
It was great to give a keynote at The Fertility Show this weekend in London and have the opportunity to catch up with @fertilityalliance.bsky.social (of which I'm Patron), as well as the gents from The Male Fertility Podcast. Great to see male infertility coming out of the shadows!
