Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545828
3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 JULY 2026 NEWS Call for Applications For more info visit micas.art/get-involved or contact people@micas.art micas.art Closing at noon on Friday 24 July 2026 Administrator (Retail) Jobsplus Permit Number: 592/2025 dure has already delivered suc- cessful outcomes in Malta. "PGTM is being done. We've had successful cases here; we've had the first successful births in the country," she says. However, she argues that broadening the list of condi- tions for which doctors could test will allow more couples carrying serious inherited diseases to have healthy chil- dren. "Increasing the number of diseases, we can test for via PGT-M benefits the patient," she says. "It enables more peo- ple with different diseases to have children born free of dis- ease." However, she notes that un- der the current framework, pa- tients are not entirely excluded if their condition does not ap- pear on the approved list. Cur- rently, fertility specialists can apply to the Embryo Protec- tion Authority on a case-by-case basis to seek approval for testing in exceptional circumstances. "If there is a known genetic condi- tion that is incompatible with human life or results in very se- vere defects... we can still apply to the Embryo Protection Au- thority… however, a broader list of approved conditions would be a nice thing." Turing to Pre-implantation Genetic Testing for Aneuploidy (PGT-A), Schembri Deguara is cautious. She is not against its introduction but stresses that it is a "tool" rather than a universal solution. She says that no major fertility organisation recommends it as a standard practice because it car- ries risks and does not increase the overall likelihood of taking home a baby. She explains that PGT-A in- volves removing cells from an embryo for genetic testing be- fore it is frozen, a process that can weaken the embryo or even result in its loss. She warns that the test is not always accurate, with the possibility of false pos- itive and false negative results. "It is not risk-free to the embryo, and in reality, doesn't guarantee you a baby." Schembri Deguara also says that some clinic fails to highlight the number of embryos that do not survive the testing process. However, she says PGT-A should be considered where there is a strong medical justi- fication, such as recurrent mis- carriages linked to suspected genetic abnormalities or old- er patients with a higher risk of chromosomal disorders. "I would happily see a change in that, but I would be very cau- tious about blanket policies," she adds. "It should be a case-by- case basis where there is a solid medical foundation to do it." Egg fertilisations There have been calls to in- crease the number of eggs that can be fertilised. A woman aged under 39 can have up to five fer- tilised eggs and if the patient is between 39 and 45 it is eight. Schembri Deguara does not find this regulation limits doc- tors. She says the current sys- tem does not reduce success rates when supported by care- ful egg selection and effective freezing techniques. She points to HOPE, which she says has an embryologist, who assesses the quality of eggs before fertilisation occurs. "Our data has shown no differ- ence in success rates compared to cases abroad." She adds that the clinic col- lects as many eggs as needed, fertilises them in batches and freezes the remainder without disadvantaging patients. She says this approach also helps avoid the ethical and legal di- lemmas associated with creat- ing surplus embryos that may never be used. Rather than fertilising all available eggs, pa- tients are counselled on how many children they hope to have before treatment begins, with additional eggs kept fro- zen if needed. Schembri Deguara warns pa- tients to look beyond headline IVF success rates, arguing that statistics can sometimes be in- fluenced by the number of em- bryos created. She says clinics that create large numbers of embryos may report higher success rates be- cause they measure outcomes per embryo transfer, but this does not necessarily translate into a higher overall chance of having a child. "Creating 20 embryos gives them a higher chance of suc- ceeding with the first transfer," she says, adding that patients may achieve the same outcome through multiple transfers while avoiding the creation of excess embryos. "What you're interested in is creating a family, not creat- ing embryos… I would rather transfer twice... making peo- ple comfortable that they don't have surplus embryos rather than creating 15-20 embryos which I know I'm not going to use." Over 1,000 babies Figures tabled in parliament by Health Minister Ian Borg show that in 2013, just 100 prospective parents accessed IVF services and government's annual budget then stood at €75,000. More than a decade later, IVF has become a signif- icantly larger public service, with government funding ris- ing to €6.7 million and thou- sands of prospective parents benefiting from treatment. Borg was replying to a series of parliamentary questions put to him by Labour MP Romilda Zarb. The number of people turn- ing to IVF to start a family has also shot up. A total of 4,757 prospective parents benefited from the service between 2013 and 2025, with annual num- bers rising from 100 users in 2013 to 774 in 2025. Since the last amendments to the IVF law in 2022, the gov- ernment has offered up to five free IVF cycles to prospective parents regardless of sexual orientation or gender. The increase in access has coincided with a steady rise in IVF births, with data show- ing that 998 babies were born through IVF procedures be- tween 2013 and 2026, while another 111 births are expect- ed from ongoing treatment cy- cles. A further 50 babies were born through intrauterine in- semination (IUI), bringing the total number of babies born through assisted reproduction procedures to 1,109 over the period. Borg told parliament the take-home baby rate has also improved, increasing from 18% in 2013 to 45% in 2025. changes to recognise same-sex families IVF consultant Christine Schembri Deguara, medical director at HOPE Fertility Clinic