The introduction in France in 2021 of medically assisted procreation for all had given rise to nearly 23,000 requests for first consultation from couples of women or single women at the end of 2022, according to figures published on Wednesday by the Agence de biomedicine. "We were surprised by the scale of the requests, and now we are going to enter a process of normalization," Claire de Vienne, referent doctor at the Biomedicine Agency, the structure that oversees the donation, told AFP. of gametes and medically assisted procreation or PMA.
In total there have been some 22,800 requests for first consultations for medically assisted procreation with sperm donation from female couples and single women since the implementation of this law, details the agency. The PMA, or AMP (medically assisted procreation), has been open to lesbian couples and single women since its entry into force on September 29, 2021. Until then, it was reserved for heterosexual couples with fertility problems or wishing to avoid transmit a serious disease.
In detail, in 2022 alone, nearly 9,300 requests were recorded in the first half of the year for an initial consultation with a view to ART with sperm donation for the benefit of female couples or unmarried women, followed by a slowdown to 5,800 requests in the second half. Between August 2021 and the end of December 2022, nearly 11,800 first consultations were actually carried out, continues the Biomedicine Agency in a press release.
In addition, since the law came into force, nearly 2,000 first ART attempts have been made for the benefit of female couples (47%) or unmarried women (53%). And as of December 31, 2022, nearly 5,600 people were waiting for ART with sperm donation, including 36% of female couples and 38% of unmarried women, i.e. 74% of people on the waiting list who correspond to new audiences.
The fact remains that the treatment time for ART with sperm donation continues to vary greatly from one center to another. The average time is however stabilizing and was estimated at 14.4 months at the national level, from making the appointment to the first attempt, continues the agency, which intends to reduce this time with the opening of new centers dedicated to this activity. "All these projects are only possible if there are men who give", also recalls Claire de Vienne, who renews the call for donations already launched in 2021 by the Biomedicine Agency.
