[en] Gamete donation has become a crucial part of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs), providing hope to individuals, including those who may have no other option for parenthood. This process comes with a wide range of ethical, medical, and legal challenges that need to be carefully addressed to protect the well-being and rights of all parties involved: donors, recipients, and offspring. Navigating these complexities requires strict ethical standards, robust regulatory frameworks, and international collaboration. By standardizing these, the field of gamete donation can continue to develop while ensuring that all parties are well informed and safeguarded. This paper explores the ethical concerns and core principles surrounding gamete donation, offering recommendations to ensure safe, equitable, and ethically responsible practices that protect and support all parties involved.
Disciplines :
Reproductive medicine (gynecology, andrology, obstetrics)
Author, co-author :
Henry, Laurie ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département des sciences cliniques
Antsaklis, Aris; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, IASO Maternity Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Feldberg, Dov ; Infertility and IVF Unit, Helen Schneider Hospital for Women, Rabin Medical Center, and Tel Aviv University School of Medicine, Tel Aviv, Israel
Malhotra, Jaideep; ART Rainbow IVF, Agra, India
Pandit, Suchitra; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surya Group of Hospitals, Mumbai, India
Salazar, Carlos; Hisparep Assisted Reproductive Unit, Spanish Hospital, Mexico City, Mexico
Vidaeff, Alex; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital Pavilion for Women, Houston, Texas, USA
Zadykowicz, Rafal; Department of Obstetrics, Perinatology and Gynaecology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
Hull, M Louise; Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia
Purandare, Nikhil; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Galway University Hospital, Galway, Ireland
FIGO Committee on the Ethical Aspects of Human Reproduction and Women's Health and the FIGO Committee on Reproductive Medicine, Endocrinology, and Infertility
Language :
English
Title :
FIGO position statement: Gamete donations.
Alternative titles :
[fr] Déclaration de position de la FIGO: Dons de gamètes.
Publication date :
15 May 2025
Journal title :
International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Sadeghi MR. Coming soon: disclosing the identity of donors by genealogical tests of donor offspring. J Reprod Infertil. 2019;20:119-120.
Peyser A, Brownridge S, Rausch M, Noyes N. The evolving landscape of donor egg treatment: success, women's choice, and anonymity. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2021;38:2327-2332.
Konečná H, Elišková Z, Honzová I. New recommendations for informing patients and gamete donors in assisted reproduction. Ceska Gynekol. 2024;89:66-71.
Frith L. Gamete donation and anonymity. Hum Reprod. 2001;16:818-824.
Dondorp W, de Wert G, Pennings G, et al. ESHRE task force on ethics and law 21: genetic screening of gamete donors: ethical issues. Hum Reprod. 2014;29:1353-1359.
Kirkman-Brown J, Calhaz-Jorge C, Dancet EAF, et al. Good practice recommendations for information provision for those involved in reproductive donation. Hum Reprod Open. 2022;20:1-26.
Daar J. Interests, obligations, and rights in gamete and embryo donation: an ethics committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2019;111:664-670.
AMA Council on Ethical and Judicial Affair. AMA Code of Medical Ethics: 4.2.2 Gamete Donation. AMA Principles of Medical Ethics: I,V.
Maung HH. Ethical problems with ethnic matching in gamete donation. J Med Ethics. 2019;45:112-116.
European Committee on Organ Transplantation, European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM). Guide to the Quality and Safety of Tissues and Cells for Human Application. 5th ed. EDQM; 2022.
Sabatello M. Regulating gamete donation in the U.S.: ethical, legal and social implications. Laws. 2015;4:352-376.
Chervenak EFA, McCullough LB. FIGO Ethics and Professionalism Guidelines for Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Ezeome IV. Gamete donation-a review of ethical and legal issues. Afr J Reprod Health. 2022;26:124-135.
American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Disparities in access to effective treatment for infertility in the United States: an ethics committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2021;116:54-63.
Gürtin ZB, Vayena E. Reproductive donation: global perspectives and cultural diversity. In: Richards M, Pennings G, Appleby JB, eds. Reproductive donation. Cambridge University Press; 2012:70-89. doi:10.1017/CBO9781139026390.005
ART must be accessible and sustainable. Nat Med. 2023;29:2961.
Freeman T. Gamete donation, information sharing and the best interests of the child: an overview of the psychosocial evidence. Monash Bioeth Rev. 2015;33:45-63.
McLean L, Ros ST, Hollond C, Stofan J, Quinn GP. Patient and clinician experiences with cross-border reproductive care: a systematic review. Patient Educ Couns. 2022;105:1943-1952.
American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Guidance regarding gamete and embryo donation. Fertil Steril. 2021;115:1395-1410.
Balaš N. A crusade for social anthropology: an analysis of politics in post-socialist debates. Czech Sociol Rev. 2024;60:239-266.
ESHRE Working Group on Reproductive Donation, Kirkman-Brown J, Calhaz-Jorge C, Dancet EAF, et al. Good practice recommendations for information provision for those involved in reproductive donation. Hum Reprod Open. 2022;20:hoac001.
American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology. Recommendations for gamete and embryo donation: a committee opinion. Fertil Steril. 2013;99:47-62.
Deech R. Legal and ethical responsibilities of gamete banks. Hum Reprod. 1998;13:80-83.
Shufaro Y, Hochberg A, Schenker JG. Medical, social, legal, and religious aspects of genetic donation. In: Schenker JG, Birkhaeuser MH, Genazzani AR, Mettler L, Sciarra JJ, eds. Hot Topics in Human Reproduction. Vol 3. Springer International Publishing; 2023:141-153.
Payne KS, Mazur DJ, Hotaling JM, Pastuszak AW. Cannabis and male fertility: a systematic review. J Urol. 2019;202:674-681.
Eshre Task Force On Ethics And Law. Gamete and embryo donation. Hum Reprod. 2002;17:1407-1408.
The ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law. Taskforce 7: Ethical considerations for the cryopreservation of gametes and reproductive tissues for self use. Hum Reprod. 2004;19:460-462.
Widbom A, Isaksson S, Sydsjö G, Skoog Svanberg A, Lampic C. The motives and experiences of donor-conceived persons requesting the identity of their sperm donors. Reprod Biomed Online. 2024;48:103413.
Zadeh S. Disclosure of donor conception in the era of non-anonymity: safeguarding and promoting the interests of donor-conceived individuals? Hum Reprod. 2016;31:2416-2420.
Casteels P, Nekkebroeck J, Tournaye H. Perspectives on sperm donor anonymity: insights from donor-conceived adults in Belgium. Hum Reprod. 2024;39:2021-2031.
Homburg R, Husain F, Gudi A, Brincat M, Shah A. Religious attitudes to gamete donation. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2018;231:204-209.
Sallam HN et al. Long-term pituitary down-regulation before in vitro fertilization (IVF) for women with endometriosis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;2021:259.
Deonandan R. Thoughts on the ethics of gestational surrogacy: perspectives from religions, Western liberalism, and comparisons with adoption. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2020;37:269-279.
Cohen CB. Protestant perspectives on the uses of the new reproductive technologies. Fordham Urban Law J. 2002;30:135-145.
Best M, Sleasman M, Hegedus E, Schlub TE. Protestant Christian attitudes to ART. Hum Reprod Open. 2019;19:hoz018.
Nikolaos M. The Greek orthodox position on the ethics of assisted reproduction. Reprod Biomed Online. 2008;17:25-33.
Inhorn MC, Tremayne S. Islam, assisted reproduction, and the bioethical aftermath. J Relig Health. 2016;55:422-430.
Khan MJ, Ullah A, Basit S. Genetic basis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): current perspectives. Appl Clin Gen. 2019;12:249-260.
Mascarenhas M, Mehlawat H, Kirubakaran R, Bhandari H, Choudhary M. Live birth and perinatal outcomes using cryopreserved oocytes: an analysis of the human fertilisation and embryology authority database from 2000 to 2016 using three clinical models. Hum Reprod. 2021;36:1416-1426.
Storgaard M, Loft A, Bergh C, et al. Obstetric and neonatal complications in pregnancies conceived after oocyte donation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BJOG. 2017;124:561-572.
Blazquez A, García D, Vassena R, Figueras F, Rodriguez A. Risk of preeclampsia in pregnancies resulting from double gamete donation and from oocyte donation alone. Preg Hypertens. 2018;13:133-137.