IVF staff attitudes towards oocyte donation: a multi-centric study from Iran and Turkey

Providers' attitudes towards payment to egg donors: an international survey

The research question 'How do fertility professionals worldwide perceive the issue of payment for egg donation and does this view change under different circumstances?' was addressed. A worldwide online survey was conducted between January and March 2023, focusing on the views of fertility providers concerning egg donor payments. From the 3,790 IVF-Worldwide.com members invited, 532 (14%) from 88 countries responded. The majority of participants, primarily from Europe (38.9%) and Asia (20.1%), were fertility specialists, embryologists, and fertility nurses. Most (60.3%) favoured regulated donor compensation, with only 13% advocating for unrestricted amounts. Compensation opposition (22.4%) was often rooted in concerns about donors' best interests. When considering egg donation from low-resource to high-resource countries, 38.5% were opposed. When asked about compensating women who underwent elective, non-medical egg freezing should they choose to donate their unused oocytes, most responders supported it to some degree, with only 28.4% opposing any compensation. The survey revealed that a significant majority of fertility professionals worldwide are supportive of some form of compensation for egg donors. However, perspectives diverge depending on the specific scenario and the country of practice.

Impact of egg donation deliveries from domestic and overseas sources on maternal care: a questionnaire survey of Japanese perinatal physicians

OBJECTIVES

Recent demographic changes, such as marriage at later ages and delayed childbearing, have contributed to the increased demand for ovum donation. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the frequency and impact of egg donation deliveries on maternal care using a questionnaire survey of Japanese perinatal care providers.

METHODS

A quantitative survey was conducted from October to November 2012 using self-administered anonymous questionnaires. We asked 2,693 obstetrics clinics/hospitals throughout Japan to complete the survey: 679 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 25.2 %).

RESULTS

Of the respondents, 15.8 % answered that they had handled egg donation deliveries in the past. With regards to the country in which patients received egg donation services, the most frequent was the United States, including Hawaii. Asian countries, such as Thailand, Korea, and Singapore, were also reported; only two cases in Japan were reported. "Advanced age/menopause" was the most frequent reason for egg donation, and the mean age at egg donation delivery, because of advanced age/menopause, was 48.3 years.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings will increase public awareness of the legal issues related to assisted reproductive technology and cross-border reproductive care, as well as care of the mother and child in pregnancies resulting from reproductive technologies such as egg donation overseas. People should be aware of the issues involved in egg donation abroad and the resulting deliveries, and should implement specific care for women bearing children at later ages.

Banning reproductive travel: Turkey's ART legislation and third-party assisted reproduction

In March 2010, Turkey became the first country to legislate against the cross-border travel of its citizens seeking third-party reproductive assistance. Although the use of donor eggs, donor spermatozoa and surrogacy had been illegal in Turkey since the introduction of a regulatory framework for assisted reproductive treatment in 1987, men and women were free to access these treatments in other jurisdictions. In some cases, such travel for cross-border reproductive care (CBRC) was even facilitated by sophisticated arrangements between IVF clinics in Turkey and in other countries, particularly in Cyprus. However, new amendments to Turkey's assisted reproduction legislation specifically forbid travel for the purposes of third-party assisted reproduction. This article outlines the cultural context of assisted reproductive treatment in Turkey; details the Turkish assisted reproduction legislation, particularly as it pertains to third-party reproductive assistance; explores Turkish attitudes towards donor gametes and surrogacy; assesses the existence and extent of CBRC prior to March 2010; and discusses some of the legal, ethical and practical implications of the new legislation. As CBRC becomes an increasingly pertinent issue, eliciting debate and discussion at both national and international levels, it is important to carefully consider the particular circumstances and potential consequences of this unique example.