scholarly journals Queering reproductive access: reproductive justice in assisted reproductive technologies

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle W. Tam
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
White Supremacy ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Marginalized Communities

Abstract Background Advancements in assisted reproductive technologies (ART) and policy development have enabled more people to have biologically related children in Canada. However, as ART continues to focus on infertility and low fertility of heterosexual couples, ART access and research has been uneven towards meeting the reproductive needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQ2SIA +) people. Furthermore, experiences of reproduction are impacted by intersectional lived realities of race, gender, sexuality, and class. This commentary utilizes a reproductive justice (RJ) framework to consider reproductive access for LGBTQ2SIA + Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC), while simultaneously engaging through a critical lens RJ has on ART. An RJ framework considers the constitutive elements of reproductive capacity and decision making that are not often at the forefront of reproductive health discussions. Additionally, this commentary discusses reproductive rights violations and reproductive violence such as coerced and forced sterilizations that have and are currently occurring in Canada. This article considers systems of access and structures of regulation that seek to control the reproductive capacities of marginalized communities, while empowering accessibility and upholding white supremacy and heteronormativity. In thinking through research and access in ART, who are ART users and whose reproduction is centered in research and access in Canada? Conclusion A reproductive justice framework is urgently needed to address inequities of sexual and reproductive health access in Canada.

scholarly journals Rerception of assisted reproductive technologies by Russian student youth

POPULATION ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 34-46
Author(s):  
Olga Isupova ◽  
Nina Rusanova
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Free Access ◽  
Health Disorders ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
The Impact

Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are an innovative area of medicine having the potential to positively influence population fertility. However, this potential is limited, among other factors, by values and ethical barriers to their use in prospective patients. Decisions on whether to use them or not, in the case of reproductive health disorders, may be associated not only with the high cost of such intervention and/or complicated geographical accessibility, but also with ideas about their insufficient "naturalness" or moral burden associated with certain methods, such as surrogacy. In the conditions of low fertility and increase of the average age of mother at birth of her first child in Russia, the question of the reproductive values of young people in this area is becoming more and more urgent. The article is based on a questionnaire study of students of both sexes in Moscow and Novosibirsk on the issues related to ideas about the ethics of certain ART methods and the willingness to use them in case of reproductive health disorders. As a result of the study, it was found that students, on average, have rater a positive attitude to the use of all fairly widespread and well-known methods, although with regard to surrogacy, as the method, the ethics of which is most widely covered in media discussions, there is polarization of views. However, still, there are more of those who have positive attitude to this method than those who adhere to a negative point of view. Thus, the main barriers to the use of reproductive technologies by young Russians continue to be economic and geographic circumstances, the impact of which is currently diminished due to the government's policy of providing free access to IVF programs to all who need them for medical reasons.

scholarly journals Acceptability of assisted reproductive technologies in Hong Kong, a very low fertility Asian city

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Kim ◽  
S Y S Wong ◽  
R Chan ◽  
R Y Chan ◽  
T S Sumerlin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Public Support ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Heterosexual Couples ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks

Abstract Background Although advances in medical technologies now allow greater reproductive options, the social acceptance of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has not been examined in East Asian countries which currently have the lowest fertility rates in the world and highly prohibitive regulations. Methods A cross-sectional telephone surveys interviewed 990 among Hong Kong Chinese adults (>18 years of age) in 2015 who were asked about their knowledge and attitudes towards various ART and their inclination to use ART. A focus group was conducted (n = 30) on physicians to examine the perceived barriers and benefits of integrating ART as routine offerings. Results Although nearly all adults (>92.0%) were familiar with ART procedures such as in vitro fertilization, sperm banking, and gestational surrogacy, attitudes supporting the use of these services and the inclination to use these services varied widely by socio-demographic attributes. Nearly one-third (31.5%) of women said that they would consider cryopreservation of their oocytes or embryos if they could afford it and 21.9% would encourage their female family members to do so. Although respondents considered sperm donation and embryo preservation to be well-accepted practices, support for these services was noticeably lower than in Western countries for unmarried individuals and homosexuals. Also, the vast majority of respondents were much more disinclined to use anonymous donor gametes than in Western countries. Among medical practitioners, the primary barriers to routine offering of these services to their clients was the perceived lack of cultural acceptance of these types of services. Conclusions Public support of assisted reproductive services for genetic offspring is well-accepted for heterosexual couples. Main Messages: Asian countries with sub-replacement fertility levels may consider integrating ART into their mainstream health services and updating their regulatory frameworks. Key messages Public support for assisted reproductive technologies is high for married couples only in Hong Kong. Given the sub-replacement fertility levels, cities in East Asia should consider updating regulatory frameworks to allow expansion of ART services.

Novel aspects of endometrial function: a biological sensor of embryo quality and driver of pregnancy success

2012 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivier Sandra ◽  
Nadéra Mansouri-Attia ◽  
Richard G. Lea
Keyword(s):  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Uterine Cavity ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Biological Properties ◽  
Reproductive Capacity ◽  
Epigenetic Alterations ◽  
Uterine Receptivity ◽  
Blastocyst Development ◽  
Developmental Potential

Successful pregnancy depends on complex biological processes that are regulated temporally and spatially throughout gestation. The molecular basis of these processes have been examined in relation to gamete quality, early blastocyst development and placental function, and data have been generated showing perturbations of these developmental stages by environmental insults or embryo biotechnologies. The developmental period falling between the entry of the blastocyst into the uterine cavity to implantation has also been examined in terms of the biological function of the endometrium. Indeed several mechanisms underlying uterine receptivity, controlled by maternal factors, and the maternal recognition of pregnancy, requiring conceptus-produced signals, have been clarified. Nevertheless, recent data based on experimental perturbations have unveiled unexpected biological properties of the endometrium (sensor/driver) that make this tissue a dynamic and reactive entity. Persistent or transient modifications in organisation and functionality of the endometrium can dramatically affect pre-implantation embryo trajectory through epigenetic alterations with lasting consequences on later stages of pregnancy, including placentation, fetal development, pregnancy outcome and post-natal health. Developing diagnostic and prognostic tools based on endometrial factors may enable the assessment of maternal reproductive capacity and/or the developmental potential of the embryo, particularly when assisted reproductive technologies are applied.

scholarly journals Lessons Learned from Longer Acting Reversible Contraception Applied to Longer Acting HIV Prevention Technologies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Logan ◽  
Dominika Seidman
Keyword(s):  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual Health ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Holistic View ◽  
Marginalized Communities ◽  
Exposure Prophylaxis

Abstract Purpose of Review This review describes lessons learned from longer acting contraception and employs a reproductive justice lens to inform expansion of emerging HIV prevention technologies. Recent Findings Reproductive justice is a framework that advocates for the promotion of universal sexual and reproductive freedoms, particularly among historically marginalized communities. This framework takes a holistic view of individuals and sees the interconnections between sexual health, reproductive health, and overall health. Employing a sexual and reproductive justice perspective is essential to understanding and helping to mitigate the role intersecting structural, sexual, and reproductive oppressions, including those demonstrated through promotion of longer acting contraception, and can critically inform rollout of future prevention technologies, such as longer acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis. Summary This review highlights the need for researchers, clinicians, and policymakers to apply lessons learned from contraception and specifically focuses on principles of reproductive justice to offer expanding HIV prevention options.

Infecundity and Infertility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Thoma ◽  
Carie Cox ◽  
Jasmine Fledderjohann ◽  
Rudolph Kantum Adageba
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Global Epidemiology

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health. Please check back later for the full article. Infertility remains a neglected area in sexual and reproductive health, yet its consequences are staggering. Infertility is estimated to impact about 15% (estimates range from 48 million to 180 million) of couples of reproductive age worldwide. It is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes, financial distress, severe social stigma, increased risk of domestic abuse, and marital instability. While men and women are equally likely to be infertile, women often bear the societal burden of infertility, particularly in societies where a woman’s identity and social value is closely tied to her ability to bear children. Despite these consequences, disparities in access to infertility treatment between low- and high-income populations persist, given the high cost and limited geographic availability of diagnostic services and assisted reproductive technologies. In addition, a significant proportion of infertility arises from preventable factors, such as smoking, sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy-related infection or unsafe abortion, and environmental contaminants. Accordingly, programs that address the equitable prevention and treatment of infertility are not only in keeping with a reproductive rights perspective, but can also improve public health. However, progress on infertility as a global concern in the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights is stymied by challenges in understanding the global epidemiology of infertility, including its causes and determinants, barriers to accessing quality infertility care, and a lack of political will and attention to this issue. Tracking and measurement of infertility is highly complex, resulting in considerable ambiguity about its prevalence and stratification of reproduction globally. A renewed global focus on infertility epidemiology, risk factors, and access to and receipt of quality of care will support individuals in trying to reach their desired number and spacing of children and improve overall health and well-being.

scholarly journals “Man Cannot Exist Alone”: The Challenge of Health Care to Honor the Role of Women in Society

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-330
Author(s):  
Jonathan Scrafford
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Natural Family Planning ◽  
Social And Emotional ◽  
Emotional Bonds ◽  
Parents And Children ◽  
Women's Role ◽  
Over Time

Women’s roles in society are changing. While most of those changes recognize and enhance the contributions of feminine ingenuity to human development, some threaten to isolate women physically, socially, and emotionally. Developments in reproductive health care, and the writings of Pope Saint John Paul II, offer lenses by which to evaluate the shifting landscape of women’s role in society. On the one hand, practices such as contraception, abortion, surrogacy, and assisted reproductive technologies over time will weaken the physical, social, and emotional bonds that procreation has held between man and woman, parents and children, and families and society. On the other hand, the expansion of different modes of natural family planning and pregnancy support centers offers to preserve those bonds. Summary: Women’s role in families, and therefore society, is invaluable. Several approaches to reproductive health offered by medicine may isolate women over time, and some evidences suggest we are already seeing that effect. Other approaches to women’s health may be able to preserve the physical, emotional, and social bonds that integrate women to the family, and therefore society.

scholarly journals Assisted reproductive technologies in Russia: medical breakthroughs and social problems

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 5-18
Author(s):  
Nina E. Rusanova
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Professional Associations ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Reproductive Disorders ◽  
Hospital Statistics ◽  
Qualitative Characteristics ◽  
Demographic Policy

The paper considers the role of assisted reproductive technologies in changing the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of Russian fertility. The author analyzes the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of ART in Russia in 1986-2020, their public perception and current problems based on the data of national ART registers, reviews of international professional associations of reproductive specialists, secondary sociological information and hospital statistics. The general trend is the expansion of the geography of reproductive centers and the diversification of services, but the growing demand for ART as methods of alternative conception in the absence of reproductive disorders intensifies public debate around them, especially in the context of religion and children’s health. Nevertheless, in conditions of low fertility, the state considers ART as instruments of a pronatal demographic policy and finances them even against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic.

scholarly journals In the Pursuit of Reproductive Justice in Lebanon

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Winter) ◽  
pp. 151-172
Author(s):  
Rola Yasmine ◽  
Batoul Sukkar
Keyword(s):  
Partner Violence ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Reproductive Justice ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Multiple Systems ◽  
Movement Building ◽  
And Gender

Reproductive justice is a framework encompassing reproductive and sexual health and rights in a social justice lens that targets reproductive oppression inflicted through multiple systems of oppression of race, class, and gender. In this paper, we aim to highlight the importance and relevance of adopting a Reproductive Justice framework, as opposed to a reproductive rights one, in order to build cross-movement solidarities that organize against the multiplicity of oppressions and inequalities facing women and trans* persons in Lebanon. Through a Reproductive Justice lens, we analyze the points of convergence of citizenship, migration, refuge, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, access to sexual and reproductive health services, in addition to gender identity and sexual orientation, adoption and assisted reproductive technologies, and environmental justice. Mobilizing under Reproductive Justice as a holistic framework, and away from operating in silos within the confines of singular rights, connects different struggles and creates a remarkable opportunity for cross-movement building and solidarities.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on assisted reproductive technologies and its multifacet influence on global bioeconomy

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 92-104
Author(s):  
Olugbemi Tope Olaniyan ◽  
Charles O. Adetunji ◽  
Gloria E. Okotie ◽  
Olorunsola Adeyomoye ◽  
Osikemekha A. Anani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Work Load ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Active Constituent ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Travel Restrictions ◽  
Reproductive Services

Several nations of the world have issued instructions such as travel restrictions, border closure, and lockdown, plus other directives proposing that non-essential care must be withdrawn including assisted reproductive services, in an attempt to identify resources to ascertain the dissemination of SARS-CoV-2. This has led to massive shortage in medical supplies, inappropriate service delivery, hike in price, decrease in staff work load, salary cut, decrease in the utilization of qualitative maternal, and reproductive health-care services thereby creating high risk on reproductive health and global bioeconomy. The search for right candidate for the management of coronavirus disease 2019 and several reproductive health challenges begins with the screening of natural products to identify novel active constituent. Moreover, there is need to pay more attention to crucial phytochemical, bioactive fractions, phytoanalysis, and phytopharmacological investigation for effective drug discovery most especially these bioresources from beneficial microorganisms, plants, and ocean deposits that could help in mitigation of SARS-CoV-2 and reproduction health challenges through chemoinformatics, informatics, synthetic biology, nanotechnology, and metabolomics hence boosting the global economy.

scholarly journals Inositol and folates in the restoration of reproductive function in women and prevention of congenital malformations

2021 ◽  
pp. 95-100
Author(s):  
H.I. Reznichenko ◽  
Y.H. Reznichenko
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Congenital Malformations ◽  
Ovarian Function ◽  
Assisted Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Polycystic Ovary ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Late Gestation ◽  
Trophoblast Invasion ◽  
Pregnancy And Childbirth

In recent years, Ukraine has seen a significant deterioration in the reproductive health of women in the face of declining birth rates. One of the main causes of comorbidity of infertility and background pathologies is the insufficient supply of a woman's body in the pre-pregnancy period with micronutrients – folate, vitamins, myo-inositol and others. This increases the risk of complications during pregnancy and childbirth and congenital malformations.Literature analysis showed that myo-inositol in combination with folate are an extremely important way to prevent fertility disorders, complications of pregnancy and childbirth, congenital malformations and support the reproductive health of the next generation. Myo-inositol in combination with folic acid promotes the effects of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones, normalization of ovarian function, oocyte quality, trophoblast invasion during blastocyst attachment, prevention of congenital malformations by neutralizing the action of homocysteine with metafolin in the pregravid period and during pregnancy and assisted reproductive technologies, reducing the incidence of miscarriage, preeclampsia and other complications. The neuroprotective effect of myo-inositol indicates the importance of its use for fetal neuroprotection in late gestation, especially in hypoxia.Fertifolin, which contains an improved combination of natural nutrients as myo-inositol 1000 mg and folic acid 100 µg in the form of metafolin (calcium L-methylfolate), successfully copes with this goal. Metafolin has greater bioavailability and more actively helps to increase the level of folate in blood plasma, in contrast to folic acid. Metafolin is characterized by fewer drug interactions and less often masks the symptoms of B12-deficient anemia, reduces the risk of anemia, placental dysfunction, malformations of the neural tube. Fertifolin is also effectively used as an adjunct in polycystic ovary syndrome and in assisted reproductive technology protocols.

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