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The present investigation was conducted to determine how individual European states rank with respect to quantitative productivity in research and publication on IVF. A search in MEDLINE was performed in August 2007 and the number of entries under the MeSH 'Reproductive Techniques, Assisted' was registered for each individual year 1990-2006 for 19 European countries. Countries with a total number of >60 publications between 1990 and 2006 were further evaluated. Publication productivity was assessed by three measures: absolute numbers of scientific articles published in MEDLINE, mean number of publications published per year normalized to population size, and mean number of publications published per year normalized to gross domestic product (GDP). The Benelux and Scandinavian countries lead the field, with a median of 26 publications per year per 107 population in Belgium, followed by Finland, The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden with 12, 11, 10, and nine publications respectively. This compares with a median of three and two entries from Italy and Germany respectively. After normalizing the publication number to GDP, Belgium leads the field with a median of 10 publications per year per 1011 € GDP, followed by Greece, Sweden, UK and Finland with six, six, five and five publications respectively. The back markers are Switzerland and Germany (one publication each). In conclusion, drastic differences between individual European countries exist in terms of publication activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Task Force document discusses ethical issues arising with requests for medically assisted reproduction from people in what may be called 'non-standard' situations and relationships. The document stresses that categorically denying access to any of these groups cannot be reconciled with a human rights perspective. If there are concerns about the implications of assisted reproduction on the wellbeing of any of the persons involved, including the future child, a surrogate mother or the applicants themselves, these concerns have to be considered in the light of the available scientific evidence. When doing so it is important to avoid the use of double standards. More research is needed into the psychosocial implications of raising children in non-standard situations, especially with regard to single women, male homosexual couples and transsexual people., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This Task Force document explores the ethical issues involved in the debate about the scope of genetic screening of gamete donors. Calls for expanded donor screening arise against the background of both occasional findings of serious but rare genetic conditions in donors or donor offspring that were not detected through present screening procedures and the advent of new genomic technologies promising affordable testing of donors for a wide range of conditions. Ethical principles require that all stakeholders' interests are taken into account, including those of candidate donors. The message of the profession should be that avoiding all risks is impossible and that testing should remain proportional.

Objective: To summarize data from completed phase II and III clinical trials on children born after controlled ovarian stimulation using the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone antagonist cetrorelix., Design: All children born after ovarian stimulation in patients treated for infertility who were in prospective studies until March 23, 1999., Setting: Academic research center., Patient(s): Children born after IVF or IVF plus ICSI., Intervention(s): Controlled ovarian stimulation with cetrorelix in a multiple-dose or single/dual-dose protocol., Main Outcome Measure(s): Outcome of pregnancy and, in deliveries, the date of birth, number and sex of children born, birth weight, body length, and abnormalities were recorded. At approximately 1 year of age and 2 years of age, body weight and length and abnormalities in physical and mental development were recorded., Result(s): Two hundred nine and 18 children were born after fresh and frozen embryo transfers, respectively. Of the pregnancies, 76.2% (179 of 234) resulted in live birth and ectopic pregnancy occurred in 3.4% (8 of 231); one heterotopic pregnancy and four induced abortions were recorded. The malformation rate among all live births, stillbirths, and aborted fetuses was 3.1%., Conclusion(s): Use of cetrorelix in controlled ovarian stimulation does not harm the subsequently born children.