Photo/Illutration Sachiko Kishimoto, center, the head of OD-NET, explains egg donations at a news conference in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward on Sept. 25. (Kenta Noguchi)

In-vitro fertilization using donated eggs has been carried out on 15 women over the past 10 years, resulting in 12 babies being born, according to a nonprofit organization.

Kobe-based NPO Oocyte Donation Network (OD-NET), which mediates free egg donations from third parties to women who are infertile due to a lack of eggs, announced the births at a news conference on Sept. 25.

The 15 women, aged between 32 and 44 whom doctors diagnosed as having no eggs due to loss of menstrual periods at a young age or for other reasons, underwent in-vitro fertilization using donated eggs and their husbands’ sperm.

The fertilized eggs were then transferred to their wombs.

Among them, 12 women gave birth and one is still pregnant. All the children are healthy, the organization said.

OD-NET began recruiting donors in 2013. It received inquiries from 464 people by September this year and registered dozens of women who met certain requirements such as being under age 35 as egg donors.

The organization says that when children turn 18 and wish to know about their origins, information such as the donor’s full name, date of birth and address at the time of donation will be provided to them.

For donors, the organization covers the costs of testing, egg retrieval and transportation for counseling sessions, as well as providing compensation for time off work. But the egg donation itself is made free of charge.

‘RIGHT TO KNOW’

In Japan, a lack of laws has brought to light issues such as being able to protect a child’s right to know their biological parents. 

The Civil Law does not account for the birth of a child through sperm or egg donation.

A related law on assisted reproduction technologies, established at the end of 2020, clarified the parent-child relationship in cases where a child is born through third-party sperm or egg donations.

However, the law did not include a guarantee for a child having the right to know their origins.

“Progress (in legal development) is slow in Japan,” said Sachiko Kishimoto, the head of OD-NET.

“I would like the government to accelerate establishing a system where anxious recipients can receive medical care with peace of mind,” she said.