History of oocyte and embryo donation

Abstract

Both oocyte and embryo donation will soon be celebrating thirtieth anniversaries as viable treatments for human infertility. This also means, of course, that the original children conceived as a result of these novel experiments are approaching middle age! It seems hard to believe that so much time has passed for those of us lucky enough to be a part of the early development of these methods, but soon, we will be entering the twilight of our own professional years. Humbly speaking on behalf of those who were truly the pioneers of this noteworthy medical achievement, I think it is important to point out that many aspects of modern assisted reproductive care were either directly or indirectly attributable to developments within the field of egg and embryo donation. To that end, I wish to reflect back on some of these noteworthy achievements and highlight the events that, in my opinion, were integral to the evolution of today's modern practice.