26 April 2021
More same sex couples are accessing IVF treatment to start a family. In some of these cases, women are choosing to provide eggs (or embryos created with their eggs) for their partner’s treatment and it is their female partner who will carry the pregnancy. We currently ask clinics to register egg providers in these circumstances as ‘donors’ on the HFEA Register, and the egg provider is asked to complete the donation consent form (WD form) and specify their partner as the recipient of their eggs.
One of the changes we will be bringing about as part of the HFEA’s new data submission system, PRISM, is to change the way we register these egg providers to more accurately reflect their status and intended role in the child’s life. Therefore instead of being registered as a donor, the egg provider will be registered as a patient/partner.
In line with this change we have produced a dedicated consent form for women providing eggs or embryos created with their eggs for use in their partner’s treatment entitled ‘Your consent to providing eggs or embryos created with your eggs for your partner’s treatment’ (WPT form) which is attached to this letter in Annex I. From 1 June 2021 these women will no longer be required to complete the WD or ED forms. Instead a woman wishing to consent to her partner using her eggs or embryos created with her eggs must complete the new WPT form. If your patients are currently going through this treatment and have already signed the WD or ED forms they do not need to complete this new consent form. However, the WPT form should be used for all future patients in this treatment scenario.
Additionally, we have introduced very minor changes to the WT, WC, PBR, WGI and GS forms (including the gender-neutral versions) to ensure that these forms reflect the introduction of the new consent form. These new versions will also come into effect on 1 June 2021 and can be found in Annex VI.
We have produced a set of FAQs which can be found at Annex II of this letter, and shared motherhood and legal parenthood scenario tables which can be found at Annex III.
- Annex I: New WPT consent form version 1
- Annex II: FAQs
- Annex III: Shared motherhood and legal parenthood scenario tables
- Annex IV: Consent forms – a guide for clinic staff version 7
- Annex V: How to use HFEA consent forms version 5
- Annex VI: Revised General Direction 0007
- Annex VII: New versions of consent forms
Please speak with your inspector if you have further questions about the new WPT consent form.
Yours sincerely
Chair, Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.