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An Australian researcher says demand for eggs for stem-cell research will put vulnerable women at increased pressure to sell their ova to unscrupulous dealers.
The University of Sydney's Associate Professor Catherine Waldby says the problem is most likely to affect women in poorly regulated countries who already supply eggs to rich nations for IVF programs and whose health can suffer as a result.
"There have been various serious medical problems develop in women involved in selling eggs," she said.
Assoc Prof Waldby's findings will be published in the New Genetics and Society journal.
The life sciences sociologist says she is concerned about the effect of stem-cell research on an already stretched global supply of women's eggs.
She is worried about the implication of obtaining eggs for therapeutic cloning, which are already in short supply because of the popularity of IVF.
Therapeutic cloning involves removing the nucleus from an egg and replacing it with one from a non-reproductive cell, of a patient for example, to produce an embryo for stem-cell research.
Assoc Prof Waldby says the onerous nature of procuring eggs...
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