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Paper Presentation

Clinical Ethics

Session: Reproductive Ethics

A Mother's Womb, A Daughter's Egg and the Husband/Stepfather's Sperm: A Case Study of Negotiating Family Dynamics in the IVF Clinic

Thursday, October 23, 2025
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Pacific Time
Location: A106
Gihan Bareh, MD, PhD – Director, Center for Fertility and IVF, OB/GYN, Loma Linda Univeristy Health
Abstract: A 47-year-old woman and her 30-year-old husband sought infertility treatment. The wife, a 47-year-old female, had already experienced three complication-free pregnancies in her twenties and thirties with her prior spouse. Her current husband, a 30-year-old male, had never been married before and had no children.

The woman was still experiencing regular menstrual cycles, and her hormone levels were conducive to carrying a healthy pregnancy, but her AMH levels was below 0.2 ng/ml and it was deemed that she was no longer producing viable eggs. The reproductive endocrinologist suggested that the couple use a donor egg. The couple asked for time to consider their options.
When the couple returned to the follow-up appointment they were accompanied by the wife’s 25-year-old daughter who was willing to serve as the egg donor. The family wanted to use the 25-year-old’s ovum, the 30-year-old husband’s sperm, and perform a round of IVF with the understanding that any resulting embryos would be transferred into the uterus of the 47-year-old wife/mother.

This paper presentation will discuss the clinical consult that followed and present a proposed normative framework for addressing scenarios in which there is a) legal allowance in the jurisdiction for immediate family members to contract with one another for the use of each other’s gametes, b) discuss the nuances and psychological ramifications of such a decision and c) discuss the appropriate legal steps to ensure a mutually agreeable outcome for all parties.

Keywords: In-vitro fertilization, Donor Ovum, Gametes under Property and Contract Law

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this conference, attendees should be able to:
  • Understand the practical reasons a mother would prefer to use her daughters donor ovum rather that pursue adoption?
  • Analyze the psychological ramifications of allowing a woman to use her genetic child's ovum to achieve a "biological child" with her second spouse.
  • Review a normative framework for approaching reproductive endocrinology cases that involve the sharing of gametes between immediate family members.