16 - ART Surveillance in Europe

Summary

Over the past few decades, the number of in vitro fertilization clinics in the Middle East has significantly increased. The practice remains however poorly regulated because of the quasi-absence of governmental legislative control. Instead, religious morality has influenced much of the practice in ways not seen elsewhere. ART surveillance is completely absent in most Islamic countries of the region, except for Egypt. This is the only country in which an IVF registry was established, which collects data in collaboration with ICMART in a retrospective voluntary manner. The process of data collection however has suffered a major set-back over the past few years. This chapter will discuss the history of ART surveillance in the Middle East, the governance of ART practice and the influence of culture and religion, the proper interpretation of data collected through ICMART, the challenges facing the implementation of properly designed surveillance systems, and the strategies proposed to ensure success and long-term sustainability.