Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
De Montfort University, Leicester, UK.
Sociol Health Illn. 2023 Feb;45(2):259-278. doi: 10.1111/1467-9566.13590. Epub 2022 Nov 28.
IVF treatment involving donated eggs increases yearly. Numerous technical and commercial transformations have reshaped how eggs are retrieved, stored and managed. A key transformation is vitrification; a 'fast freezing' method that allows efficient preservation of eggs, and therefore more flexibility in use, giving rise to new commercial possibilities. There has been limited focus on egg providers' experiences in the context of vitrification and related commercialisation. We report findings from a study in the UK, Spain and Belgium, where we interviewed 75 egg providers. Comparing experiences within different donation 'regimes' allows an exploration of how varying national practices and policies shape information-giving and women's experiences. In the UK, a system of 'informed gift-giving' was described, where egg providers saw their actions as not-for-profit and felt relatively well informed. In Belgium, the system was presented as 'trusted tissue exchange': with less information-giving than in the UK, but clinics were trusted to act responsibly. In Spain, a 'closed-door, market-driven' system was described, whereby egg providers received little information and expressed concerns about generation of excess profit. Our findings extend understandings of how egg donation is managed at the national level and how donation regimes produce specific experiences, expectations and subjectivities amongst tissue providers.
体外受精治疗中涉及捐赠卵子，其数量逐年增加。众多技术和商业变革改变了卵子的获取、存储和管理方式。其中一个关键的变革是玻璃化，这是一种“快速冷冻”方法，可以有效地保存卵子，从而在使用上更加灵活，带来新的商业可能性。然而，在玻璃化和相关商业化的背景下，人们对卵子提供者的体验关注有限。我们报告了在英国、西班牙和比利时进行的一项研究的结果，我们采访了 75 名卵子提供者。通过比较不同捐赠“制度”下的经验，可以探讨不同国家的实践和政策如何塑造信息提供和女性的体验。在英国，描述了一种“知情馈赠”制度，卵子提供者将自己的行为视为非营利性的，并感到相对知情。在比利时，该系统被描述为“可信赖的组织交换”：与英国相比，信息提供较少，但诊所被认为是负责任的。在西班牙，描述了一种“闭门造车、市场驱动”的系统，卵子提供者获得的信息很少，并对产生过多利润表示担忧。我们的研究结果扩展了对国家层面卵子捐赠管理以及捐赠制度如何在组织提供者中产生特定体验、期望和主体性的理解。
