About
Background
The European IVF Monitoring Programme (EIM) was established to collect, process and finally publish regional data for Europe. It gathers data on direct clinical results and side effects, follows-up children's well-being, the availability of services and their structure in the different countries.
The European IVF-monitoring (EIM) consortium of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has been collecting Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) data from numerous data collection exercises at a national level since 1997. Their Annual reports summarize the efficacy and trends of fertility treatments. While valuable, the current EIM data collection is limited in terms of the parameters that can be calculated from the collected summary data (such as cumulative pregnancy rates) and in terms of collecting data on cross-border activity.
Aim of the project
European monitoring of Medically Assisted Reproduction (EuMAR) aims to build on these national-level registries and develop a pan-European registry of prospective cycle-by-cycle data on the use and outcomes of MAR treatments.
Currently, data on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) born children is scarce and incomplete. Cross-border care and long-term storage data remain virtually unregistered as well as data collection being very diverse between countries, leading to considerable differences in data quality. EuMAR addresses the need for more transparency, surveillance and biovigilance in MAR across country borders, including better and harmonised data on the safety of MAR for offspring, donors and recipients. It also avoids the duplication of efforts in data collection and ensures accessibility.
Key steps
- Develop a tailored data flow model that meets the national requirements of all EU Member States and avoids duplication of efforts;
- Prepare a glossary of standardised parameters on which data is to be collected with corresponding definitions;
- Develop an IT solution for data collection, including an “Individual Reproductive Care Code” (IRCC) that allows prospective data collection and cumulative follow-up across different centres/countries.