A brief account of the assessment of the human assisted reproduction technology in China / 中华医院管理杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To find out about the current situation of the human assisted reproduction technology(ART) in China so as to provide basis for the formulation of relevant policies. Methods Investigations were conducted by means of epidemiological and sociological surveys. Results By the end of 1999, the number of institutions delivering IVF reached 70 or so and some other institutions were starting to or preparing to start to deliver it. However, the number of ART centers that were big in scale was very limited and the rate of complications of pregnancy via IVF was much higher than that of natural pregnancy. In addition, there were problems in the control of sperm, ovum, and impregnated ovum and many issues of ethicality and laws and regulations remained to be resolved in delivering ART. Overdevelopment of the technology resulted mainly from the drive for profits. Conclusion It is extremely urgent to strengthen control of ART. In particular, great attention must be paid to the safety of the IVF technology. Also, more efforts need to be made to speed up the formulation of relevant laws and regulations concerning ART.