Donor-linking provisions in New Zealand: counselling roles, concerns and needs

Donor-linking where those genetically related through donor conception (e.g. donor-conceived persons (DCP), donors and siblings), or recipient parents, search for and connect with each other, is increasingly common, both in identity-release jurisdictions where donors' identifying information may be released to DCP, usually when they become adults - and in anonymous jurisdictions, e.g. as a result of direct-to-consumer DNA testing. In this paper, we explore New Zealand fertility clinic counsellors' views regarding their donor-linking roles and their concerns and needs in relation to current and anticipated service provision. Counsellors believed that fertility service providers had a longer-term responsibility to offer donor-linking services to ensure the wellbeing of all parties affected by donor conception. They perceived their role as complex and multifaceted, encompassing psychoeducation, mediation, advocacy, facilitation, relationship counselling, and therapeutic intervention. They identified significant service provision challenges however, including inadequate staffing, training, time and prioritisation of donor-linking, and inadequate legislative provisions to support practice. Counsellors called for clarity in legislation addressing different contexts of donation and providing measures to ensure the recording of and access to identifying information. They expressed a need for comprehensive, funded donor-linking services, therefore facilitating choice, and services staffed by professionally trained and supported staff.

Extended families? Contact expectations and experiences of egg donors donating to previously unknown recipients

In New Zealand egg donation is identity-release, and donors may be known to recipients, e.g. family members/friends, or previously unknown e.g. clinic-recruited or sourced through advertising. In the case of unknown donors, New Zealand practice allows donors and recipients to meet face-to-face prior to donation in a joint counselling meeting. While contact details may not necessarily be exchanged in counselling, information-exchange and contact expectations are usually addressed. In previous papers, we explored donors' motivations and experiences of donation. In this paper, we explore donors' ideas around their role in relation to the donor-conceived person (DCP) and their expectations and experiences of information-exchange and contact. While donors did not see themselves as parents and were aware of appropriate boundaries, they described a sense of ongoing connection to DCP, often framing this in extended family terms. They desired to be kept informed about DCP, considered themselves 'on standby' for information requests or in-person contact and valued the opportunity for connection between their children and DCP. Donors were, however, cognisant of the limits to their ability to ensure information-exchange and contact and sometimes struggled with their perceived disempowered position. Meeting prior to donation may both clarify and reinforce expectations of information-exchange and contact.

We want to feel valued: eggs donors' experiences of donation

Egg donation in New Zealand is identity-release, with donor-conceived individuals having the right to access donors' identifying information at the age of 18. It also allows donors and previously unknown recipients to meet prior to donation. Further, donation is altruistic, although reimbursement of costs is possible. In our previous paper we explored the motivations of 21 egg donors in this context and reported that they are motivated to donate as an act of personal gift-giving to recipients who may become known to them through donation, and that they do not want to be compensated for this financially. In this paper, drawing on in-depth interviews, we report on donors' experiences of the donation process and subsequent to donation. Donors understood their donations to be a significant act, both for the recipients and their families, but also for themselves, particularly given the multiple sacrifices which they willingly made. Donors wished for their gift and their role to be valued and acknowledged through being appreciated, informed, involved and supported by recipients and clinics before, during and after their donations. These findings have implications for clinical practice and care, offering insight into how best to support donors prior and subsequent to donation.

Motivations for egg donation to previously unknown recipients: donation as a personal, relational act of giving

Egg donation has becoming increasingly common however there is a shortage of donors in many countries, including New Zealand. Research regarding motivations to donate in the context of New Zealand's open-identity and altruistic donation policy and practice is, thus far, limited. This in-depth qualitative study comprised interviews with 21 women to examine their motivations in donating to recipients previously unknown to them. Donors valued parenthood highly and had become aware of the fertility struggles of other women through their own experiences, those of friends or family, or through online personal accounts or advertising. The ability to select recipients and build a comprehensive picture of them, such as through reading recipient profiles or meeting them in person, as is possible in New Zealand, deepened their identification with recipients and thus their empathy and desire to help. They resisted commercial models, positioning themselves as by nature altruistic and regarding their donations as expressions of solidarity and acts of personal gift-giving to specific others who became known to them through donation. Donation was interpreted as a socially relational process, setting up expectations around relationships and ongoing connection. Such understandings have implications for recruitment as well as ongoing experiences and support needs.

Effect of swirling desolvation gas flow in an atmospheric pressure ion source

A numerical study is performed to examine the effect of introducing a swirling desolvation gas flow on the flow transport characteristics in an electrospray and an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) system. An ion source having three coaxial tubes is considered: (1) an inner capillary tube to inject the liquid sample, (2) a center coaxial tube to provide a room temperature gas flow to nebulize the liquid, referred to as the nebulizing gas flow, and (3) an outer coaxial tube having a converging exit to supply a high temperature gas for droplet desolvation, referred to as the desolvation gas flow. The results show that a swirling desolvation gas flow reduces the dispersion of the nebulizing gas and suppresses turbulent diffusion. The effect of swirling desolvation flow on the trajectory of a range of droplet sizes emitted from a source is also considered.

Human papillomavirus vaccination and the primary prevention of cancer: implications for survivors of childhood cancer

Effective vaccination is now available to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), the most common sexually transmitted infection and the cause of cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women worldwide. HPV vaccine uptake is particularly important for females surviving cancer, who are at high risk for HPV-related complication due to the direct and indirect effects of cancer therapy. Thus, Version 3.0 of the Children's Oncology Group Long-Term Follow-Up Guidelines for Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer recommends HPV vaccination for all eligible females surviving childhood cancer. Because this vaccine was only FDA approved in 2006, little is known about the complexity of vaccination uptake among those surviving childhood cancer. This chapter describes HPV vaccination and its usefulness in survivors of childhood cancer, provides a rationale for describing survivors as being at increased risk for HPV-related complication, identifies factors that are predictive of HPV vaccination, and discusses the utilization of these predictors in designing strategies to promote adherence to the HPV vaccination recommendations among survivors.

Composition and stress analysis in Si structures using micro-raman spectroscopy

Strained silicon (Si) technology enables improvements in complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) performance and functionality via replacement of the bulk, cubic-crystal Si substrate with an Si substrate that contains a tetragonally distorted, biaxially strained Si thin film at the surface. Here we use Raman spectroscopy to allow us to characterise growth processes of strained si, and to characterise the resulting level of strain/stress in the si and the effect it has on the underlying layer of graded SiGe.

Impact of engine lubricant properties on regulated gaseous emissions of 2000-2001 model-year gasoline vehicles

The impact of the sulfur (S) content in lubricating oil was evaluated for four ultra-low-emission vehicles and two super-ultra-low-emission vehicles, all with low mileage. The S content in the lube oils ranged from 0.01 to 0.76%, while the S content of the gasoline was fixed at 0.2 ppmw. Vehicles were configured with aged catalysts and tested over the Federal Test Procedure, at idle and at 50-mph cruise conditions. In all testing modes, variations in the S level of the lubricant did not significantly affect the regulated gas-phase tailpipe emissions. In addition to the regulated gas-phase emissions, a key element of the research was measuring the engine-out sulfur dioxide (SO2) in near-real-time. This research used a new methodology based on a differential optical absorption spectrometer (DOAS) to measure SO2 from the lubricants used in this study. With the DOAS, the contribution of SO2 emissions for the highest-S lubricant was found to range from less than 1 to 6 ppm on a gasoline S equivalent basis over the range of vehicles and test cycles used. The development and operation of the DOAS is discussed in this paper.