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BackgroundThe number of women who undergo elective oocyte cryopreservation (EOC) in the hope of preserving their fertility is increasing. Fertility clinic websites often serve as the first point of contact for women contemplating EOC. There are no guidelines for Australian fertility clinics regarding how information about procedures should be presented.AimTo assess the quality of information presented on EOC on Australian fertility clinic websites.Materials and MethodsA desktop audit was conducted of the websites of Australian fertility clinics offering EOC (n = 21) and the information provided about EOC was recorded. To allow comparison, a scoring matrix used in a study of the quality of EOC information on clinic websites in the USA was used to assess the quality of the information. The possible range of scores on this measure is 0–13.ResultsThe mean information quality score for all clinic websites was 4.3 (range 2–8). More than half of the clinic websites (57%) had scores classified as ‘poor’, indicating that women are not receiving the information they need to make well‐informed choices.ConclusionProviding information on clinic websites that is transparent and scientifically accurate, that states the risks involved in the procedure, and its full cost is essential to allow women to make informed decisions. The scoring matrix used in this study to assess the quality of information relating to EOC can guide best practice for clinics in advertising EOC to prospective customers.

Background Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is associated with deficits in the developing brain, including neurovascular unit (NVU) dysfunction. Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFC) can mediate improved vascular stability, and have demonstrated potential to enhance vascular development and protection. This investigation examined whether ECFCs from human umbilical cord blood (UCB) enhanced NVU development in FGR and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) fetal sheep. Methods Twin-bearing ewes had surgery performed at 88–90 days’ gestation, inducing FGR in one fetus. At 113 days, ECFCs (1 × 107 cells) cultured from human UCB were administered intravenously to fetal sheep in utero. At 127 days, ewes and their fetuses were euthanised, fetal brains collected, and NVU components analysed by immunohistochemistry. Results Twenty-four fetal lambs, arranged in four groups: AGA (n = 7), FGR (n = 5), AGA + ECFC (n = 6), and FGR + ECFC (n = 6), were included in analyses. FGR resulted in lower body weight than AGA (P = 0.002) with higher brain/body weight ratio (P = 0.003). ECFC treatment was associated with increased vascular density throughout the brain in both AGA + ECFC and FGR + ECFC groups, as well as increased vascular–astrocyte coverage and VEGF expression in the cortex (P = 0.003, P = 0.0006, respectively) and in the subcortical white matter (P = 0.01, P = 0.0002, respectively) when compared with the untreated groups. Conclusions ECFC administration enhanced development of NVU components in both the AGA and FGR fetal brain. Further investigation is required to assess how to optimise the enhanced angiogenic capabilities of ECFCs to provide a therapeutic strategy to protect the developing NVU against vulnerabilities associated with FGR.