New hope for childless couples

Childless couples have been given new hope in their battle to start a family after a decision to relax rules surrounding fertility treatment.

In a significant social shift, embryos left over by couples who have successfully undergone in vitro fertilisation (IVF) will be made available to others trying to have a child.

The new rules, released by the National Ethics Committee on Assisted Human Reproduction, provide a fresh avenue for couples desperate to have a child and could save them thousands of dollars otherwise spent on IVF.

Embryo donation will be subject to strict conditions and approved case by case because of the ethical and social issues it raises.

It effectively involves the separation of children from their genetic parents and siblings and sees them raised by "social parents".

Professor Sylvia Rumball, chairwoman of the committee behind the decision, said the main consideration was the future welfare of any child resulting from embryo donation.

"Under the guidelines, donor couples and recipients will be required to undergo counselling so that they are fully informed about the psychological, social and ethical aspects of embryo donation before beginning the donation process," she said.

The new rules say donor couples will be able to donate to only one family.

They will have to wait at least two years after they have decided their own family is complete before being able to proceed with an application to donate surplus embryos.

Dr Richard Fisher, director of IVF clinic Fertility Associates, said the introduction of embryo donation had not been hurried because of the difficult issues surrounding a couple essentially donating a sibling of their existing child to another couple.

He said embryo donation was unlikely to become widespread but there were a limited number of cases where "it fits people who have religious or ethical reasons for opposing the discarding of embryos".

Embryo donation has been under discussion informally in New Zealand for more than 10 years.

It is common in most Western countries, though not in widespread use, and the guidelines here have been finalised after public consultation over the past two years.

The new rules were approved by Health Minister Annette King.

Under the guidelines, clinics providing the service will have to keep information on the donor couple, including names and current addresses; ethnicity and cultural affiliations; and any significant medical history of the donors, their parents and grandparents, other children and donor siblings.

Embryo donation is another significant shift in rules governing fertility technology, after the Government last year said state funding would be extended to cover a second cycle of IVF treatment.

IVF in NZ

* About 15 per cent of NZ couples have problems conceiving and about 5 per cent have in vitro fertilisation treatment.

* Each year about 450 IVF children are born in New Zealand.

* IVF costs between $7000 and $9000.