The Beverley Laboratory Manager who is 'Mum' to many

Laura Mason is a Senior Embryologist and Deputy Lab Manager at The Hull IVF Unit which is based at the Women and Children’s Hospital, Hull Royal Infirmary.

The IVF Unit, which is a private company, but treats NHS as well as private couples, is one  of the most successful units in the country at helping childless couples have the child or children they long for. As the Unit is in an independent area, it is quite discrete for visitors.

Laura, who lives in Beverley, has always leaned towards the sciences, but she also wanted to help people, so this job ticks both boxes. As an embryologist, she is classed as a clinical scientist which means she can give clinical advice to doctors and other health-care professionals, but she can also be involved with research as the Unit has a research license.

So how did Laura get involved in this very rewarding branch of medicine? She trained initially as a Biomedical Scientist at Newcastle University which involved a small research project which lead her towards a Masters in Assisted Reproduction Technology at Nottingham. More training followed so that she could gain a Certificate of Attainment from the Academy for Healthcare Science and register as an embryologist with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC). The training is rigorous, which is why there are so few embryologists in the country.

Laura is one of a small, close-knit team of only 20 people, including directors, doctors, nurses, administrators, ultrasound technicians, counsellors and other embryologists. 

However, this means they all get to know their patients really well – so well that the new parents usually bring their babies in to show them off.

As Laura says “Seeing the new babies is lovely! This is what we are here for. Our patient satisfaction rating is 92% and we love seeing new parents with big smiles on their faces! Our live birth rate in 2014 was 37.9% which compares favourably with the national average of 31.7%”

The Unit offers a variety of different tests, treatments and services to people living in Hull and the East Riding, North and Northeast Lincolnshire and beyond. The vast majority of patients are treated with their own eggs or sperm, but they offer egg-donation for ladies (age limit 35 years) and sperm-donation for men (age limit 40 years) who generously help people who may require donations for various reasons such as premature infertility, as a result of oncology treatment or for same-sex couples. Additionally, there is the possibility of eggsharing for privately-funded patients and also surrogacy.

Laura said “We are keen to increase the number of sperm and egg donors at the Hull IVF Unit and are hoping to raise the profile in this area. This level of kindness and altruism is not often seen and many members of the public are unaware of the great need for donors.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the Hull IVF Unit and whether they can help you, have a look at their website www.hullivf.org.uk. Enquiries for more information should be made by email to hullivf@mail.com. The Unit will get back to you as soon as possible. Enquiries are met with absolute discretion. 

The Unit are hosting a free Open Evening at Lempicka Café on Thursday April 14th where you can meet fertility experts. To express your interest in attending, please email hullivf@mail.com or ring 01482 382648 as booking is essential.