Donation Debate

Oocyte banking and donation has been met with both positive and negative feedback and has multiple aspects of it that need to be addressed. Because of the ongoing concerns and considerations involved with oocyte banking and donation, there has been a need to compile the necessary information about oocyte banking and donation for the purpose of physicians having an adequate amount of knowledge about the subject and patients having the proper amount of information to make an informed decision about whether or not to donate and bank their oocytes. My goal with completing a research report about the topic of oocyte banking and donation was to provide a comprehensive review of the process, the benefits and drawbacks, and the ethical considerations that need to be made when it comes to oocyte banking and donation. The full research report can be found here, but the slideshow above summarizes the main points covered within the research report. 

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The topic of oocyte banking and donation is heavily involved in my future field of study because of it being a potential outcome of recommendations I would give to a patient as a prenatal genetic counselor. My role as a prenatal genetic counselor is to assist couples, parents, and families determine the probability of their child or a future child having a certain type of disease or disorder. The recommendations I give might include assisted reproductive technologies such as in-vitro fertilization and preimplantation genetic diagnosis testing which could subsequently lead to the possibility of a patient donating their oocytes to an oocyte banking facility. After completing the research report, I feel like I have a significantly better understanding of the benefits of oocyte banking and donation as well as the ethical implications it may pose in today’s current society so when I make these recommendations to future patients, I have a more well-versed perspective on the issue and can bestow that knowledge onto future patients.

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After reflecting on this research report, I feel inspired to investigate even further about the regulation of oocyte banking and donation as well as the fate of extra oocytes, fertilized ova, and early embryos. There is so much more material that could be covered about oocyte banking and donation, but the minimal amount of current information out there makes it difficult to understand and to have questions answered. I hope to be able to revisit this research topic in the future when there is more information being distributed and more technology being advanced.

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