The beginning of EuMAR: the first pan-European cycle-by-cycle MAR registry

This episode was recorded in 2023, at the launch of the European Monitoring of Medically Assisted Reproduction (EuMAR), an ESHRE initiative to establish a pan-European, cycle-by-cycle registry of medically assisted reproduction (MAR). At the time, the project was in its early stages, with the aim of creating a harmonised system for collecting prospective MAR data across Europe, enabling cumulative outcome reporting, cross-border treatment monitoring, benchmarking, and improved quality of care. Since then, EuMAR has advanced considerably, with the successful completion of its pilot phase and the launch of EuMAR 2, marking the transition towards a permanent European registry.  

In this episode, Prof Dr Christine Wyns, Head of the Gynaecology and Andrology Department at Saint-Luc's University Clinic in Belgium, and EuMAR Steering Committee member; Prof Dr Carlos Plancha, Laboratory Director of CEMEARE Reproduction Clinic in Lisbon and EuMAR Work Package member; and Johanna Tassot, ESHRE’s Policy Officer, discuss the vision behind EuMAR, the challenges of establishing a harmonised European data collection system, and the opportunities such a registry creates for clinicians, researchers, policymakers, and, ultimately, patients. Their conversation captures the thinking and aspirations that shaped the project's early development and provides valuable context for understanding its evolution. While some project milestones and timelines discussed in this conversation have since been achieved, the principles underpinning EuMAR, high-quality prospective data collection, collaboration across countries, and the generation of evidence to improve medically assisted reproduction, remain as relevant today as when this episode was recorded.