April 12
,
2012
by: ASRM Office of Public Afairs
Published in ASRM Press Release
Embargoed for release: 12:01 am EDT, Thursday, April 12, 2012
Washington, DC- As part of their on-going mission to help member physicians provide the best in patient care, the joint Practice Committees of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) are pleased to announce the publication of a new document- Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers.
In 2010, SART member clinics reported 2652 gestational carrier cycles resulting in the births of 1353 babies, about 2.4% of the babies reported born from assisted reproductive technologies that year.
Gestational carriers help people with a biologic inability to conceive or bear a child have a child of their own by becoming pregnant through the transfer of embryos created in vitro from the eggs and sperm of the intended parents or donor gametes. The gestational carrier gives birth to the child, but she and the child are not genetically related to one another.
The Practice Committees developed the Recommendations in order to help ensure the health and safety all participants, including the children who are born through the procedure. They cover elements for the evaluation of gestational carriers and intended parents, the circumstances when it is appropriate to consider using a gestational carrier and detailed guidelines for screening and testing both genetic parents and gestational carriers. The most recent information was used by the ASRM and SART Practice Committees in the formulation of these recommendations.
In addition to covering the medical screening and testing criteria that should be met by gestational carriers and gamete providers, the Recommendations emphasize the importance of psychosocial education, evaluation and counseling for all of those participating in this form of assisted reproduction. The relationship between the gestational carrier and intended parents is discussed, as are legal issues and informed consent.
Glenn Schattman, MD, President of SART, remarked, “We appreciate the work the practice committees have put into formulating this comprehensive set of recommendations. When assisted reproductive technology procedures involve participants in addition to those who are trying to have a child, the interplay of medical, psychological and social considerations can become very complex. The new Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers will provide valuable guidance to our members who provide care for patients in gestational arrangements, both those who are gestational carriers and the intended parents working with them.”
All of the Practice Committee documents are available to the public to read on the ASRM website, www.asrm.org, in the News & Publications area.
The Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Practice Committee of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, Recommendations for Practices Utilizing Gestational Carriers, Fertility and Sterility, in press.
To access a pre-publication copy, please go to http://www.asrm.org/Recommendations_practices_utilizing_gestational_carriers/ and click on the link or contact Eleanor at enicoll@asrm-dc.org to request the pdf be emailed to you.
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine, founded in 1944, is an organization of 8,000 physicians, researchers, nurses, technicians and other professionals dedicated to advancing knowledge and expertise in reproductive biology. Affiliated societies include the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, the Society for Male Reproduction and Urology, the Society for Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, the Society of Reproductive Surgeons, and the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists.
The Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology, an ASRM affiliate, is the primary organization of professionals dedicated to the practice of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) in the United States. The organization includes more than 393 member practices, representing more than 85 percent of the ART clinics in the country. SART’s mission is to set and help maintain the standards for ART in an effort to better serve its members and their patients.