Publicaties

In this paper, we aim to stimulate ethical debate about the morally relevant connection between ectogenesis and the foetus as a potential beneficiary of treatment. Ectogenesis could facilitate foetal interventions by treating the foetus independently of the pregnant woman and provide easier access to the foetus if interventions are required. The moral relevance hereof derives from the observation that, together with other developments in genetic ...

BACKGROUND: Trophectoderm (TE) biopsy and next generation sequencing (NGS) are currently the preferred techniques for preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidies (PGT-A). Although this approach delivered important improvements over previous testing strategies, increased sensitivity has also prompted a rise in diagnoses of uncertain clinical significance. This includes reports of chromosomal mosaicism, suggesting the presence of ...

The field of reproductive medicine has been criticized for introducing ARTs without systematic research on possible safety risks and for failing to meet the standards of evidence-based innovation held elsewhere in medicine. In this paper, firstly, we ask whether U+2018responsible innovationU+2019 has been a concern for the field, and if so, how it has understood the practical implications of this idea for the development and introduction of ...

In the ongoing discussion on the rights and obligations of gamete donors, scant attention has been paid to the decisional authority of gamete donors over the disposition of the embryos created with their gametes. This paper analyses four different positions: three cases relate to the disposition options for surplus or unused embryos by the first recipients, and one case relates to the use of the embryos stored by the first recipients for ...

Research question: To what extent does vitrification affect the Ca2+-releasing and activation potential of mouseoocytes, which are commonly used to determine the oocyte activation potential of human spermatozoa?Design: The effect of mouse oocyte vitrification on Ca2+ dynamics and developmental competence after oocyteactivation was assessed and compared with fresh mouse oocytes. Moreover, the Ca2+ store content of theendoplasmic reticulum was ...

Uterine lavage is presented as a way to perform aneuploidy screening without IVF. The feasibility of this method was tested in a research study. This study combined a number of highly contentious ethical issues: the creation of embryos for research (very early), abortion and (moderate) payments to research participants. It is concluded that the study largely fulfils the criteria of ethical research but that the researchers should have avoided a ...

More and more centers are imposing expanded carrier screening (ECS) on their gamete donors. In some clinics and gamete banks, gamete donors are not given this right, contrary to the freedom to decline genetic screening in the general population. The possible social and psychological burdens that are recognized for infertility patients and the general population are downplayed for gamete donors. The procedure of imposing ECS on gamete donors ...

The increasing commercialization of oocyte donation is a source of concern. This evolution is expressed in the fact that oocyte donorsU+2019 interests are not a priority. For decades now, people mention that oocyte donation holds serious health risks for donors, as if this is an unavoidable given. However, most of the harm is caused by high hormonal stimulation. The risk/benefit balance of high stimulation compared to the risk/benefit balance of ...