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Egg‐sharing: an evidence based solution to donor egg shortages
Author(s) -
Simons Eric G,
Ahuja Kamal K
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
the obstetrician and gynaecologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1744-4667
pISSN - 1467-2561
DOI - 10.1576/toag.7.2.112.27069
Subject(s) - egg donation , economic shortage , allowance (engineering) , payment , donation , business , oocyte donation , popularity , economics , medicine , political science , fishery , law , biology , operations management , gynecology , finance , embryo , linguistics , philosophy , government (linguistics) , oocyte
Egg‐sharing enables selected patients to receive subsidised IVF treatment in return for donating a proportion of their eggs to matched recipients. Birth rates for both parties are not compromised. However, egg‐sharing is the one form of egg donation which does not make a healthy woman a patient. Policies based on advertising and no payments generate few donors. Those based on payments disguised as an inconvenience allowance are shallow. Following guidance from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in 2000, the popularity of egg‐sharing has increased significantly. Egg‐sharing is ethically and legally sound, minimises risk and should be the only form of egg donation permitted in the UK, as is the case in some other countries.