GynecologyAccess to services at assisted reproductive technology clinics: A survey of policies and practices☆,☆☆
Section snippets
Methods
We sent a 20-minute survey to the directors of all 324 Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART)–associated ART clinics in the United States. The survey was pilot-tested to ensure face validity with the help of 8 physicians and nurses who participate in infertility care. The study had the approval of our institutional review board and of the SART Research Committee.
The survey was divided into 5 parts, only 3 of which are presented in this report. The sections included are as follows:
Results
In the spring of 1998, surveys were sent to the directors of 324 SART-associated ART clinics. As a result of the first mailing, we received 82 responses (25%); the second and third mailings resulted in the return of an additional 102 surveys, for an overall response rate of 57%.
The surveys were sent to clinic directors. Of the 324 directors, 94% are MDs or MDs/PhDs, 4% are PhDs, and 2% are DOs. In most cases responses came directly from the directors; however, in some cases questions were
Comment
ART programs are frequently confronted with patients who exhibit behaviors or conditions that raise ethical and social concerns for providers. Information regarding how clinics handle these patients is scarce. In this study we sent surveys to the directors of all US ART clinics to determine their policies on access to services for patients with a variety of complex conditions and behaviors. Our results show a great deal of variability in clinic policy and procedures on these issues.
The
Acknowledgements
We thank Barbara Hillinger and Bonnie Bragg of the Dartmouth Ethics Institute for their excellent assistance with data entry, preparation of mailings, and other administrative aspects of this project.
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Cited by (37)
Using family members as gamete donors or surrogates
2012, Fertility and SterilityCitation Excerpt :With regard to intragenerational gamete donation, a 1992 survey of members of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART) found that almost all North American ART programs accepted sister-to-sister ovum donation, but only 43.3% would allow brothers to be sperm donors (10). A 1998 survey of ART clinics found that 60% of clinics would accept sperm from brothers while many more would accept sisters (90%) and friends (80%) as egg donors (11). The number of requests for intergenerational familial gamete donation and the number of these procedures performed is also unknown.
Excluding lesbian and single women? An analysis of U.S. fertility clinic websites
2012, Women's Studies International ForumCitation Excerpt :For example, one clinic that reported serving “committed lesbian couples” appeared to be less supportive of single parenthood even though they officially accepted single women. Previously, Stern et al. (2001) found that SART-affiliated clinics were less willing to serve lesbian women than single, heterosexual women. This suggests that we need to be cognizant of different cues and resources for each of these groups of women.
Attitudes and policies regarding access to fertility care and assisted reproductive technologies in Israel
2010, Reproductive BioMedicine OnlineCitation Excerpt :Although there is some theoretical discussion in the literature on the interrelation between access to assisted reproduction treatment and the principles of justice and equality (Coleman, 2002, 2002–2003; Crossley, 2005; Daar, 2008; Elster, 2005; Fong, 2000; Inhorn and Fakih, 2006; Sato, 2001; Rao, 2008; Riley, 2007) very few studies examine the practice of such technologies in light of these principles. Most of the existing studies focus on access to IVF in the US context (Gurmankin et al., 2005; Stern et al., 2001, 2002; Storrow, 2007), revealing a tendency to turn away candidates for IVF and assisted reproduction treatment on a somewhat arbitrary basis (Gurmankin et al. 2005) following vague professional guidelines (ASRM, 2004; Steinbock, 2005). In the UK the clinicians’ code of practice issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority explicitly holds that assessment of the welfare of the child must be done in a non-discriminatory way, specifically on grounds of gender, race, disability, sexual orientation, religious belief or age (Human Fertilization, 2009).
HIV seroconversion in a woman preparing for assisted reproduction: An inherent risk in caring for HIV-serodiscordant couples
2006, Reproductive BioMedicine OnlineScreening practices and beliefs of assisted reproductive technology programs
2005, Fertility and Sterility
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Supported by a grant (No. 250-176) from the Hitchcock Foundation, Dartmouth College.
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Reprint requests: Judy E. Stern, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH 03756.