5.9 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assisted reproductive technology | 4/5 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_reproductive_technology | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T14:56:25.441832+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== United Kingdom === In the United Kingdom, all patients have the right to preliminary testing, provided free of charge by the National Health Service (NHS). However, treatment is not widely available on the NHS, and there can be long waiting lists. Many patients, therefore, pay for immediate treatment within the NHS or seek help from private clinics. In 2013, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published new guidelines about who should have access to IVF treatment on the NHS in England and Wales. The guidelines say women aged between 40 and 42 should be offered one cycle of IVF on the NHS if they have never had IVF treatment before, have no evidence of low ovarian reserve (this is when eggs in the ovary are low in number, or low in quality), and have been informed of the additional implications of IVF and pregnancy at this age. However, if tests show IVF is the only treatment likely to help them get pregnant, women should be referred for IVF straight away. This policy is often modified by local Clinical Commissioning Groups, in a fairly blatant breach of the NHS Constitution for England, which provides that patients have the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by NICE for use in the NHS. For example, the Cheshire, Merseyside and West Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group insists on additional conditions:
The person undergoing treatment must have commenced treatment before her 40th birthday; The person undergoing treatment must have a BMI of between 19 and 29; Neither partner must have any living children from either the current or previous relationships. This includes adopted as well as biological children; and, Sub-fertility must not be the direct result of a sterilisation procedure in either partner (this does not include conditions where sterilisation occurs as a result of another medical problem). Couples who have undertaken a reversal of their sterilisation procedure are not eligible for treatment.
=== Canada ===
Some treatments are covered by OHIP (public health insurance) in Ontario, and others are not. Women with bilaterally blocked fallopian tubes and are under the age of 40 have treatment covered, but are still required to pay test fees (around CA$3,000–4,000). Coverage varies in other provinces. Most other patients are required to pay for treatments themselves.
=== Germany === On 27 January 2009, the Federal Constitutional Court ruled that it is unconstitutional, that the health insurance companies have to bear only 50% of the cost for IVF. On 2 March 2012, the Federal Council has approved a draft law of some federal states, which provides that the federal government provides a subsidy of 25% to the cost. Thus, the share of costs borne for the pair would drop to just 25%. Since July 2017, assisted reproductive technology is also allowed for married lesbian couples, as German parliament allowed same-sex marriages in Germany.
=== France === In July 2020, the French Parliament allowed assisted reproductive technology also for lesbian couples and single women.
=== Cuba === Cuban sources mention that assisted reproduction is completely legal and free in the country.
=== India === The Government of India has notified the Surrogacy (Regulation) Act 2021 and the Assisted Reproductive Technology (Regulation) Act 2021 to regulate the practice of ART. Before that, the National Guidelines for Accreditation, Supervision and Regulation of ART Clinics in India, published by the Ministry for Health and Family Welfare, Government of India in 2005, governed the field. Indian law recognises the right of a single woman, who is a major, to have children through ART.
=== Switzerland === In Switzerland, since July 1, 2022, same-sex marriage has provided children of lesbian couples, one of whom is infertile, with the emotional and financial support of both parents. However, the gender inequality it enshrines could be further exacerbated by access to assisted reproductive technologies (ART) for single individuals. Reconsidering the framework for ART, previously reserved for couples, would also represent an additional financial burden for municipalities, as child support payments prevent the financial burden of single-parent families from being transferred to public authorities. Indeed, genetic tests conducted in paternity cases are not solely intended to allow the child to learn the identity of their biological father, but primarily serve to justify the child support payments that a reluctant father would have to make. In September 2025, the Federal Council announced its intention to amend family law to adapt it to the situation of parents who have used ART abroad. The ban on egg donation and surrogacy in Switzerland generates problematic reproductive tourism, as many intended parents circumvent the law by going abroad. In practice, for the child's own well-being, the child is rarely removed from its intended parents. According to Samia Hurst, it would be possible to guarantee the rights of surrogate mothers by increasing the number of parents a child can have through the adoption of a three-parent model that includes two intended parents and the mother.
== Society and culture ==
=== Ethics ===
Some couples may find it difficult to stop treatment despite very bad prognoses, resulting in futile therapies. This has the potential to give ART providers a difficult decision of whether to continue or refuse treatment. Some assisted reproductive technologies have the potential to be harmful to both the mother and the child, posing a psychological or physical health risk, which may affect the ongoing use of these treatments. In Israel, there is research supporting using ART, including recycled lab materials from the IVF process, to help women work through some of these mixed emotions.