BFS recommendations for good practice on the screening of egg and embryo donors

Abstract

Egg donation is the only method by which some women will be able to carry a healthy pregnancy. Such women include those who have premature ovarian failure, poor quality eggs or who carry a genetic disorder. Under these circumstances, egg donation is, and should remain, an acceptable treatment. However, it raises many legal, practical and ethical issues, one of which is the method by which donors are recruited and assessed. This article addresses the questions relating to the screening of donors and gives some background information relating to the ‘Recommendations for Good Practice’ agreed by the British Fertility Society. Some of the recommendations follow the same guidelines agreed for the screening of sperm donors (American Society for Reproductive Medicine, 1998; Barratt et al., 1998; British Andrology Society, 1999), although it is recognized that the differences between egg and sperm donors in terms of the availability and method of collection is such that it may not be appropriate for the same criteria to be applied in each case. In particular, the major shortage of egg donors means that many recipients will be denied treatment if the regulations are applied rigidly. The overwhelming guiding principle must be the interests of the child. Both donor and recipient couples are able to make an informed choice about whether treatment is provided. They are also interested in the child and it is imperative to give evidence to them to ensure that appropriate fully informed decisions are made. Unfortunately, egg donation is a relatively new technique and consequently some of the evidence that we would like to be able to give to patients is simply not available.