Oocyte donation--implications for fertility treatment in the nineties

In the past decade, oocyte donation has become a widely used assisted reproduction technique with reported pregnancy rates often higher than those for conventional in-vitro fertilization. Recipients of donated oocytes include women with premature ovarian failure or severe genetic disorders, those who respond poorly to ovarian hyperstimulation, women over 40 years of age, and, recently, postmenopausal women. The donation of oocytes to older women raises many medical and social issues which have to be addressed.