Assisted Reproduction

Assisted reproductive technologies, like in vitro fertilization (IVF), are used to treat medical infertility and to help single and LGBTQI people form families. They have provided welcome opportunities for millions, but their significant safety risks are often downplayed or overlooked by the fertility industry. For example, egg retrieval for IVF relies on injections of powerful hormonal drugs which can cause ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a serious condition that can require hospitalization and in rare cases has resulted in death.

Regulation and oversight of the fertility sector varies widely among countries and sometimes within them (as in the U.S.). The same is true of costs. Together, these differences encourage “cross-border reproductive care,” especially for surrogacy arrangements. Yet weak or laxly enforced policies can harm all parties – intended parents, children, egg providers, and surrogates. Power imbalances among these parties increase the potential for exploitation.

Video Story Series: What Egg Providers Want Intended Parents to Know

By Emily Galpern | 08.11.2020

Biopolitical Times

Each year, an untold number of women around the world undergo egg retrieval procedures so that other women wanting to raise a child can try to get pregnant using in vitro fertilization (IVF), or for people hiring surrogates. But egg providers and their experiences are usually invisible

Last week, a series of six video shorts launched, each featuring an egg provider telling her story and recommending how intended parents (IPs) can advocate for the health, rights, and humanity of egg...

New Data Confirm the Need to Regulate the US Assisted Reproduction Industry

By Pete Shanks | 02.10.2021

Biopolitical Times

The United States fertility market is growing very rapidly, and is projected to reach $15.4 billion in 2023, more than double what it was in 2017. That increase derives partly from a larger customer base and partly from a considerable expansion of the services being sold. Yet the sector remains curiously under-regulated, despite many calls to confront the numerous known issues, including health risks, financial exploitation, and repeated scandals in which doctors have surreptitiously used their own sperm...