The opening of assisted reproduction to all women has been a real success. “2,750 new requests have been registered with a view to having LDCs (…) for single women or women in a couple” with another woman, Olivier Véran said on Tuesday to the deputies. “It is beyond everything we had imagined,” assured the Minister of Health.
Medically assisted procreation, or PMA, has been possible since the end of September for all women, including now those who are not married or who are in a relationship with a woman. This measure, passed during the summer as part of a major bioethics law, therefore responded to a “crying need”, according to the minister.
Increase in gamete donation
However, this expansion raises the question of donation of gametes, spermatozoa and oocytes, which may no longer be sufficient to meet demand when the deadlines are already long. The Biomedicine Agency, the public body that manages LDCs, therefore launched in October a campaign to encourage sperm and oocyte donation, in order to fill this gap.
“The good news is that the centers let us know that there has already been a significant increase in proposals for donation of gametes in recent weeks,” said Olivier Véran, without citing a figure.