The fertility watchdog has warned women about the risks of donating their eggs for scientific research into therapeutic cloning.
Initiating a public consultation yesterday on the issues surrounding egg donation, the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority expressed concern that donors could be vulnerable to risks in the egg-collection process, and feel coerced into donating eggs.
The consultation paper questions whether IVF patients, as well as women not having fertility treatment, should be allowed to donate eggs for research. Key concerns raised by the authority include the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a life-threatening condition that can affect women whose eggs are to be collected for fertility treatment or donation.
Currently women cannot donate eggs to research unless they are already undergoing fertility treatment or are about to have treatment that could lead to them becoming sterile.
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Consultation on the issues will run until December, with final recommendations to be made in February.