Third Party Reproduction

Abstract

Infertility is a life crisis which may disrupt the stability of individuals, relationships and societies. During the last twenty-five years medical science has expanded and today there are nearly forty ways to have a baby without sexual intercourse. Nearly half of these ways involve third-party reproduction such as donated gametes, embryos and/or gestational carrier. Together with third-party reproduction infertility counseling has emerged as a recognized specialty within the mental health profession. The role of the infertility counsellor is to meet the psychological challenges of assisted reproduction and includes assessment, support, treatment, education, research and consultation. It has been suggested that all patients considering the use of donor gametes to achieve parenthood should be seen by a counsellor with the focus on preparation for parenting involving third-party reproduction. The major psychological tasks for couples considering the use of donated gametes include acknowledging the individual loss of reproductive capacity and what this means to them individually and as a couple. Grieving the hoped for genetically-shared pregnancy and examining the acceptability and suitability of gamete donation as a family-building alternative for them as individuals and as a couple. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)