OOCYTE DONATION - IMPLICATIONS FOR FERTILITY TREATMENT IN THE NINETIES

In the past decade, oocyte donation has become a widely used assisted reproduction technique with reported pregnancy rates often higher than those for conventional in-vitro fertilization. Recipients of donated oocytes include women with premature ovarian failure or severe genetic disorders, those who respond poorly to ovarian hyperstimulation, wome n over 40 years of age, and, recently, postmenopausal women. The donat ion of oocytes to older women raises many medical and social issues wh ich have to be addressed.