Online Program

336718
Assisted reproductive technology and women's heatlh: Who is being helped? who is being harmed?


Wednesday, November 4, 2015 : 12:45 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Cynthia A. Pearson, National Women's Health Network, Washington, DC
As the market for eggs provided by younger women grows, more women decide to undergo multiple egg extraction as a way to earn income. What most of them don’t realize is that there are no good long term safety data that would enable informed choices about so-called “egg donation.” This presentation will explore what we do and don’t know about the potential harms of so-called “egg donation” (harms also that would also apply to egg freezing), the efforts of the one national voluntary registry created for all ART participants, and what several medical and advocacy groups are doing to draw attention to the need for more research and better informed consent practices.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Ethics, professional and legal requirements
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Explain known health risks of egg harvesting. Identify potential health risks of egg harvesting that have not been adequately studied.

Keyword(s): Women's Health, Human Rights

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: My presentation includes general information about the types of drugs that are used in an off label manner during egg retrieval procedures.

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I direct the National Women's Health Network. I have been responsible for the development of multiple articles, fact sheets and official comments on this issue.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.