The use of donor eggs and embryos in the management of human infertility.

The use of donor eggs and embryos is indicated in those infertility cases where the recipient's eggs are either absent, unavailable or inappropriate for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and embryo transfer (ET) programmes. Donor eggs may be fertilized by either the sperm of the recipient's husband (donor egg programme) or by donor sperm (donor embryo programme), in vitro or in vivo and may be transferred as either fresh or frozen-thawed embryos. Human pregnancies and livebirths have recently been reported following the donation of embryos fertilized both in vitro and in vivo. The development of this new technique will allow the achievement of normal pregnancy in infertile women who hitherto had no possible chance of pregnancy.