Early bird registration for ASPIRE’s 2027 Congress in Japan will be open until 18 December offering significant savings for early registration.

The Congress, to be held in the beautiful coastal city of Yokohama from 6 to 9 May, will build on the momentum of the successful 2026 ASPIRE Congress in Beijing that attracted 3,300 delegates from over 60 countries.

It will be presented to the theme Zen and Innovation: Harmony in Reproductive Medicine reflecting the spectacular advances of reproductive medicine while embracing the wisdom, precision and humanity that underpins our commitment to best outcomes for the patients we serve.

Fittingly, the 2027 Congress will welcome the first child born from IVF, Louise Brown, who was delivered to global acclaim in England on 25 July 1978. As an ambassador for the International Federation of Fertility Society’s More Joy Campaign, Louise travels the world supporting policies that reduce infertility risk factors and make fertility care more accessible, affordable and fairer.

ASPIRE President, Dr Haroon Latif, said: “As we approach the 50th anniversary of assisted reproduction, we are honoured to welcome Louise. This is a rare and moving opportunity for our delegates to meet her in person and hear in her own words the journey that began with a single breakthrough and has since given millions of families around the world the gift of a child.”

Attendees at the Yokohama Congress will have ample opportunities to engage with Louise and reflect on the frontiers crossed in assisted reproductive technology over the past five decades.

Louise, the proud mother of two naturally conceived children, has been invited to participate in a range of official and social activities at the Congress, including:

• a pre-Congress dinner with ASPIRE Past President and Board members;
• a short opening address at the Congress on Friday 7 May and joining President Latif in greeting delegates at the welcome reception that evening;
• attending the gala dinner on 8 May to participate in a warm and insightful conversation about her own life journey and the evolution of IVF over the years; and
• attending the closing ceremony on Sunday 9 May to present the Young Investigator Awards.

Fifty copies of Louise’s autobiography My Life as the World’s First Test-Tube Baby will be available for purchase at the ASPIRE booth in the Congress exhibition area.

Louise said: "I am looking forward to the ASPIRE Congress and visiting Japan once again. My parents took me to Japan when I was a baby as there was so much curiosity about my birth. 

“All these years later Japan is one of the world leaders in technology for the fertility industry and I am interested in meeting the doctors, embryologists, scientists and others who bring hope and joy to those seeking fertility help in the Asia Pacific region of the world. 

“It is going to be a great few days."

Registration at the 2027 Congress in Yokohama entitles delegates to attend the main conference program, including opening and closing ceremonies, lunch with morning and afternoon refreshments, the welcome reception along with access to the exhibition and poster displays.

Professor Yutaka Osuga, Chairman of the ASPIRE 2027 Local Organising Committee, says Yokohama – a short train ride from the heart of Tokyo – is a city reflecting a perfect blend of innovation and culture with May being an enchanting time to visit Japan.

For more information on joining us in Yokohama, go to https://aspire2027.com/registration

ASPIRE members are encouraged to have their say about draft global consensus guidelineson minimal standards of surrogacy.  

It is an initiative propelled by the Asia Pacific Initiative on Reproduction and a global collaboration between ASPIRE, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and the International Federation of Fertility Societies (IFFS).

Consultation on the draft statements (which number 21) is open for feedback for a limited period between 7 November 2026 and 21 November 2026. They can be accessed at https://aspire.quickridge.in/survey/global-consensus-surrogacy

The statements attempt to tackle inconsistent or inadequate regulation of surrogacy, particularly in settings where there is disempowerment of women and girls including violenceand/or abuse and exploitation of surrogates.

Australian fertility specialist, Dr Clare Boothroyd, the Immediate Past President of ASPIRE, said the guidelines address specific issues including:

• awareness and avoidance of human trafficking;
• the welfare of children born as a result of surrogacy;
• conditions regarding consent and support for surrogates, including their physical and psychosocial welfare; and
• the physical and psychological status of intending parents and their capacity to raise children resulting from surrogacy into adulthood.

“These are truly landmark guidelines applying to surrogates, surrogacy agencies, commissioning parents and medical experts, and they will provide guidance for policy makers,” Dr Boothroyd said.

“It is a unique document representing an international consensus of the professionals involved in surrogacy and I urge members of all the societies and the IFFS to participate in the consultation period to provide perspectives from the Asia Pacific region and beyond.”

ASPIRE was well represented at the 2026 Scientific Congress and Expo of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland from 24 to 28 October.

Dr Clare Boothroyd, ASPIRE’s Immediate Past President attended the Congress with other Board members Professors Arthur Chung, Jung Ryeol Lee and Yutaka Osuga.

Additionally, Professor William Huang presented on behalf of ASPIRE in an ASRM Congress roundtable session entitled Decoding Spermatogenesis: Real Time Assessment of Meiotic Activity During TESE.

The roundtable session featured researchers and clinicians evaluating the quality and quantity of spermatogenesis in a testicular sample.

Professor Huang from the National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taipei has renowned clinical expertise in male reproductive medicine and andrological surgery.

He said: “The roundtable session demonstrated how to conduct an onsite, real-time assessment of the quality and quantity of spermatogenesis in a given testicular sample retrieved via testicular biopsy, TESE or mTESE. 

“Interpretation can be completed in less than three minutes. This approach offers solid evidence of the presence of mature sperm or post-meiotic germ cells and fosters better communication between andrologists and embryologists. 

“It also significantly saves time and cost while providing high sensitivity and specificity for confirming mature sperm. The methodology is particularly useful for intraoperative decision making during mTESE.”

The ASRM Scientific Congress and Expo were presented to the theme of Discovery, Innovation and Advancement featuring dynamic sessions, global perspectives, real-world approaches and collaboration on the discoveries and innovations that are driving our field forward.