A questionnaire based survey was done to assess the views of fertile individuals, infertile individuals, egg donors and recipients towards gamete donation. The survey showed that fertile individuals were significantly less inclined towards the use of donated eggs in research and treatment, compared to infertile individuals. Acceptability of gamete donation was found to be very high in all groups regardless of their fertility, but the majority of individuals, whether fertile or infertile, were opposed to the use of fetal and cadaveric sources of obtaining eggs. The effect of modifications of the freeze-thaw process was investigated in the mouse model. It was seen that slight modifications of the slow freeze protocol affected survival rates and that ultrarapid freezing achieved better survival rates than slow freezing. Human oocyte cryopreservation was performed using a slow freeze-rapid thaw protocol. In total, 34.4% of oocytes survived cryopreservation and these were randomly allocated for fertilisation by conventional <I>in vitro</I> fertilisation (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Resulting embryos were spread for chromosomal analysis. ICSI significantly improved the rates of normal fertilisation (43.2% versus 2.7%) compared to IVF (P<0.001). A normal diploid karyotype was achieved by ICSI. These studies show that oocyte donation is acceptable to the majority of both fertile and infertile individuals. Further research is required to improve the methods of oocyte cryopreservation. Once the techniques of cryopreservation have been established, ICSI may successfully be applied to enhance subsequent fertilisation rates.

Openness about sperm and egg donation and the regulation of donor anonymity or non-anonymity are new phenomena. How do affected families, clinics, and regulators deal with information about gamete donors and the donation itself? And how does this knowledge management contribute to the creation and enactment of kinship? Addressing these questions in Germany and Britain, this ethnography makes a comparative contribution to the empirical and theoretical analysis of kin-formation and social change. Maren Klotz reveals a contemporary renegotiation of the values of privacy, information-sharing, and connectedness as they relate to the social, clinical, and regulatory management of kinship information. Transparency, not genetics, is the moral imperative, and instead of an unambiguously discernible “geneticization,” her findings on donor non-anonymity and parental openness display a pattern of “transparentization.” This pattern represents a shift in authority over kinship away from the sometimes highhanded reproductive medical profession towards concerned groups, parents-by-donation, and policymakers.

With effect from 1st April 2005, UK law was amended such that gamete donors must now consent to their identity being released to their donor offspring, should they request it after the age of eighteen. This qualitative study investigates the views and experiences of those donating in this new context. Drawing primarily on twenty-four in-depth interviews with donors, supplemented by twenty staff interviews and observation in two fertility clinics, I examine how donors make sense of their role in relation to offspring, recipients and the wider community. I argue that donors make sense of their role as “biological” parents to offspring through creative reference to kinship repertoires, drawing on their own experiences of “doing family.” However, crucially, kinship connections are always qualified in some way to show that they are not quite family to donor offspring, and certainly not their “real” parent. Often this discursive work involved emphasising their relationship to recipients or the wider community (rather than offspring), framing the donation as a gift or a public act. In addition, donors drew on their kinship expertise to dilute, reshape or “re-route” their connection to offspring. Ultimately, this is a thesis about the limiting work involved in “doing kinship.” I demonstrate that donors did this limiting work in highly creative ways, not restricted to forgetting or ignoring connections. Instead, I show that not constructing kinship claims can be as active a process as making them.

<p>Syftet med studien var att beskriva vilka attityder som finns bland recipienter och donatorer angående de riktlinjer som bör efterföljas för ägg- och spermiedonation. Syftet var även att undersöka om det finns skillnader i attityder inom grupperna recipienter kvinnor respektive män och donatorer till huruvida barnet har rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung.</p><p>Studien blev en del av ett stort nationellt projekt. Data samlades in med enkäter som berörde de tidigare beskrivna områdena. Enkäterna var utformade med påståenden att ta ställning till som ”instämmer” eller ”instämmer inte”. Antal deltagare var 333 stycken och data samlades in från april 2005 till och med våren 2008.</p><p>Huvudresultatet som framkom i studien var att för donatorernas attityder gällande barnets rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung så visade det sig att kvinnorna var i flera påståenden i signifikant högre grad mer positiva än männen. I resultatet angående attityder till riktlinjer som bör efterföljas för könscellsdonation så hade recipienter och donatorer snarlika inställningar, om än inte fullt ut. Gällande för recipienter så var det endast kvinnorna som hade en signifikant skillnad i ett påstående, i övrigt fanns det inga skillnader för de båda grupperna i attityderna till barnets rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung.</p> / <p>The purpose of the study was to describe what attitudes there were among recipients and donors about the guiding principles that should comply with oocyte- and sperm donation. The purpose was also to investigate if there were any differences within the groups of recipient women and men and the donor group considering disclosure to the child about their origin.</p><p>The study became a part of a national project. Data were collected with questionnaire that included earlier described aspects. It was formed with statements to take stands towards in form of “agree” or “disagree”. Number of participants were 333 and data were collected from April 2005 until spring 2008.</p><p>The main results found that among donors and the attitudes toward the child’s right to get knowledge about their origin showed that women was significantly more positive in several aspects then the men. The results also showed that considering the guiding principles that should comply with gametes donation the recipients and donors had just about similar attitudes. For the recipients there was only the women who had a significant difference in one of the statements, otherwise there was no difference in either of both groups for the attitudes about disclosure to the child.</p>

Syftet med studien var att beskriva vilka attityder som finns bland recipienter och donatorer angående de riktlinjer som bör efterföljas för ägg- och spermiedonation. Syftet var även att undersöka om det finns skillnader i attityder inom grupperna recipienter kvinnor respektive män och donatorer till huruvida barnet har rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung. Studien blev en del av ett stort nationellt projekt. Data samlades in med enkäter som berörde de tidigare beskrivna områdena. Enkäterna var utformade med påståenden att ta ställning till som ”instämmer” eller ”instämmer inte”. Antal deltagare var 333 stycken och data samlades in från april 2005 till och med våren 2008. Huvudresultatet som framkom i studien var att för donatorernas attityder gällande barnets rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung så visade det sig att kvinnorna var i flera påståenden i signifikant högre grad mer positiva än männen. I resultatet angående attityder till riktlinjer som bör efterföljas för könscellsdonation så hade recipienter och donatorer snarlika inställningar, om än inte fullt ut. Gällande för recipienter så var det endast kvinnorna som hade en signifikant skillnad i ett påstående, i övrigt fanns det inga skillnader för de båda grupperna i attityderna till barnets rätt att få kunskap om sitt ursprung. / The purpose of the study was to describe what attitudes there were among recipients and donors about the guiding principles that should comply with oocyte- and sperm donation. The purpose was also to investigate if there were any differences within the groups of recipient women and men and the donor group considering disclosure to the child about their origin. The study became a part of a national project. Data were collected with questionnaire that included earlier described aspects. It was formed with statements to take stands towards in form of “agree” or “disagree”. Number of participants were 333 and data were collected from April 2005 until spring 2008. The main results found that among donors and the attitudes toward the child’s right to get knowledge about their origin showed that women was significantly more positive in several aspects then the men. The results also showed that considering the guiding principles that should comply with gametes donation the recipients and donors had just about similar attitudes. For the recipients there was only the women who had a significant difference in one of the statements, otherwise there was no difference in either of both groups for the attitudes about disclosure to the child.

This thesis deals with legal and ethical aspects of assisted reproduction. The aim of the thesis is to analyse the current legal regulation of assisted reproduction in the Czech Republic, in comparison with the legal system of selected countries. Further aim is to expose the legal regulation's deficits and suggest possible solutions de lege ferenda, particularly with regard to scientific developments and ethical attitudes of the current society. The thesis is divided into six chapters, including the introduction and conclusion. The introductory chapter outlines the issue of assisted reproduction and denotes individual areas on which the thesis will focus. The first chapter deals with the various methods of assisted reproduction and with the term of infertility from the perspective of medical and historical perspective. The second chapter focuses on the legal regulation of individual areas of assisted reproduction in the Czech Republic. Among others, these areas consist of the constitutional protection of the human embryo, the determination of parenthood, the issue of surrogacy, gamete donation and disposition of embryos. The third chapter deals with a comparison of legal framework in selected states. As a representative of the Anglo-American system was chosen United Kingdom of Great Britain and...

This study examined mothers who have undergone gamete donation treatment and lack a genetic connection to their adolescent children. The study examined the mothers experience of closeness and similarity with their child, as well as their feelings regarding the child's ability to seek information and contact the donor. Experiences regarding talking to the child and others, as well as their potential desire for support were explored. The study is based on data from the longitudinal study Swedish Study of Gamete Donations (SSGD), which has collected data in five rounds since 2005. Using a mixed-methods design the current study compared egg donation mothers in heterosexual couples (n=41) and non-carrying mothers in lesbian couples (n=59). Participants responded to surveys containing rating scales and free text responses. The material was analyzed using chi2-, Mann-Whitney U-, and t-tests, as well as qualitative content analysis. The majority in both groups reported high levels of closeness to their children and more often perceived similarity in personality than appearance. Participants primarily reported positive emotions related to their child’s ability to access information about and contact the donor. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups. Some qualitative differences emerged regarding feelings about discussing the donation. A few mothers from both groups expressed a need for support. The study contributes to a broader understanding of mothers who have undergone gamete donation treatment and how interventions for these mothers can be devised. Additionally, the study confirms that these groups generally have close relationships with their children. / Studien har undersökt mammor som genomgått donationsbehandling och inte har genetisk koppling till sitt, idag tonåriga, barn. Studien undersökte mammornas upplevelse av närhet och likhet med sitt barn samt vilka känslor de har inför barnets möjlighet att söka information och ta kontakt med donatorn. Även upplevelser kring att prata med barnet och andra om donationen samt vilket eventuellt stöd mammorna önskar undersöktes. Studien bygger på data från den longitudinella studien Swedish Study of Gamete Donations (SSGD) som samlat in data i fem omgångar sedan 2005. Studien använde en mixad design för att jämföra grupperna äggdonations-mammor i heterosexuella par (n=41) och icke-bärande mammor i lesbiska par (n=59). Deltagarna har besvarat enkäter som innehöll skattningsskalor och öppna frågor. Materialet analyserades genom chi2-, Mann-Whitney U-, och t-test samt kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Majoriteten i båda grupperna upplevde hög nivå av närhet till sina barn och upplevde oftare likhet i personlighet än utseende. Deltagarna rapporterade primärt positiva känslor relaterade till barnens möjlighet till information om och kontakt med donatorn. Det fanns inga statistiskt signifikanta skillnader mellan grupperna. Dock fanns vissa kvalitativa skillnader gällande känslor och motivation till att prata om donationen. Ett fåtal mammor ur båda grupperna efterfrågade stöd. Studien bidrar till en bredare förståelse för mammor som genomgått donationsbehandling och hur insatser för dessa kan utformas samt bekräftar att dessa grupper generellt har nära relationer till sina barn.

Reproductive Medicine currently represents one of the fastest growing medical fields. The birth of Louise Joy Brown as the first baby conceived in vitro fertilization or in vitro, is considered being the historic milestone in development of the treatement methods in assised reproducion. Ethical discussions regarding the admissibility of these methods have developed as a result of technological advance of the infertility treatment. Adequate response of applicable law was required on the currant state of medicine which resulted in the need to regulate legally this field whether it's about establishing of assumption of fatherhood with regard to determination of fatherhood of a child conceived through artificial insemination, as well as determination of the basic conditions for the access to assisted reproductive techniques. Originally, the legislation of artificial insemination was defined only in the implementing regulation of the Ministry of Health, as the reproductive technologies were entirely new area. Today, the area of assisted reproduction is regulated in Act no. 373/2011. This thesis deals with the regulation of the assisted reproduction and it focuses on the controversial methods and procedures which are based on child sex selection, gamete donation and donor anonymity and also it deals with...

Ce travail de recherche propose une première approche pour penser la paternité d’hommes transgenres ayant eu recours à un don de spermatozoïdes par l’aide médicale à la procréation (AMP). Vingt années après l’engagement du premier Centre de conservation des œufs et du sperme (CECOS) d’accompagner ces demandes de couples, et la publication de la seule étude sur la qualité du développement de ces enfants, une réflexion sur la paternité de ces hommes nés femmes et aujourd’hui pères se révèle nécessaire. Pour cheminer autour de ces réflexions, une revisite des considérations psychanalytiques freudiennes et lacaniennes de l’identité, mais également du genre grâce aux apports des Gender Studies et de la paternité articulée aux structures anthropologiques de la parenté, nous a permis de discuter des possibles reconsidérations théoriques actuelles. La pratique du don de gamètes est aussi abordée en lien avec les questionnements cliniques autour de la transmission, et des réflexions bioéthiques qui émergent. Depuis un paradigme analytique, admettant une alliance avec les méthodes phénoménologiques, un outil initialement quantitatif, le Five Minute Speach Sample (FMSS) fut adapté dans sa méthode d’analyse pour répondre à la question : Comment un sujet homme né femme, définit-il sa paternité à la suite d’un contexte d’accès à la parentalité par le recours à une insémination artificielle avec tiers donneur anonyme de spermatozoïdes (IAD) ? Le recueil des discours en libre association de seize pères transgenres et son analyse de contenu thématique ont permis de constituer une représentation de l’expérience de paternité de ces hommes transgenres.L’émergence de points de tension au sein de ses discours nous a amenés à repérer trois ensembles de signes d’intranquilité qui peuvent, pour certains être rencontrés spécifiquement sur ce cheminement de la paternité. Le repérage de ces points d’intranquilité est discuté dans l’intérêt de l’accueil des demandes et de l’accompagnement de la transidentité. / This study allows a first reflection on the fatherhood of transgender men who have used sperm donation with medically assisted procreation. Twenty years ago, the first French sperm bank offered to accompany the request of heterosexual couples which transgender men. To this day only one study about these couples has been published but focused on the development of their children. A reflection on the fatherhood of these men born as women and who are now fathers appears to be necessary. To study this new situation, we have reviewed the psychoanalytic concepts of identity brought to us by Freud and Lacan, and the concept of gender brought to us by the Gender Studies. Also, fatherhood is discussed with the anthropological approach on structure of kinship. The gamete’s donation is addressed in relation to the clinical concept of transmission and the bioethical questioning that it rises. From a psychoanalytical paradigm, we admit a relationship with the phenomenological approach. A quantitative tool (the Five Minute Speech Sample) was adapted in its analysis method to answer: how does a person born as a women and now living as a man will define his fatherhood when benefitting of anonymous sperm insemination in medically assisted procreation? We analyzed the free speech of sixteen transgender men to build a representation of fatherhood in these specific experiences. Points of tension have allowed to identify three sets of disquiets’ signs. Some of them can be encountered in the process toward this specific kind of fatherhood. Being aware of these disquiets’ signs could help us accompany more appropriately people in the quest of their transgender lives.

Infertility politics implies a role for the state in regulating the relationships between different parties involved in the medicalized process of reproduction, namely would-be-parents (infertile couples or individuals), gamete donors, surrogate mothers, fertility specialists, etc. Policies adopted by the Canadian federal government in 2004 as regards assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) were largely inspired by British regulations. Despite this similar start, Canadian policies never lead to implementation; the province of Quebec rapidly contested the federal Assisted Human Reproduction Act before the courts; and many issues of assisted conception were regulated in a heterogeneous manner by the provinces. Meanwhile in Britain, the implementation of the policies created many disparities among the regions of the country; the principle of the law was thoroughly contested and scrutinized; and the sites of deliberation were multiple in spite of the existence of a national regulatory agency. First, the author argues that assisted reproduction technologies cannot be taken as one policy domain, but is an umbrella label for a variety of policy issues. In that context, ARTs are unpacked in order to study, at the system level, the practices related to the overcoming of infertility. I focus on three sub-issues: access to fertility treatments, including the question of public funding and access criteria; gamete and embryo donation, including the question of filiation and donor conceived children’s right to know their biological origins; and surrogacy or the enforcement of pre-natal gestational surrogacy arrangements. Second, by mapping the variety of discourses and arenas mobilized by a range of actors, this study shows how framing and reframing dynamics influence public policies and their implementation. Third, by comparing frame mobilization and discursive dynamics between Quebec, Ontario and England this analysis demonstrates how frame alignment can be a necessary condition for a frame to be performative and influence policy outcomes. Depending on the context in which it occurs, frame transformation, amplification, extension or bridging can induce stability or trigger a cascade of events that will lead to policy change or to a change in the implementation of a policy.