Surrogacy as fertility treatment in Denmark.

Gestational surrogacy, in which an infertile couple contracts with a woman to carry a foetus that the intended parents will raise, increases worldwide, and offers a route to parenthood for individuals and couples who otherwise have limited options. However, the situation in Denmark at present is that surrogacy with the help of healthcare professionals is illegal, and international adoption is no longer available. This review gives an overview of the legal situation of surrogacy in Denmark, the impact of the legislation, and medical issues to be aware of as healthcare professionals in the future.

Impact of the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic on transnational surrogacy - a qualitative study of Danish infertile couples' experiences of being in 'exile'.

RESEARCH QUESTION: How did Danish permanently infertile couples experience surrogacy when going abroad and what impact did the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic have on this? DESIGN: A qualitative study was performed between May and September 2022. The in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 permanently infertile couples across Denmark who were in different stages of using surrogacy. The interviews were transcribed and analysed using systematic text condensation. RESULTS: All except one couple went abroad, mainly to Ukraine, to have an enforceable transparent contract, professionals to advise them and the possibility of using the eggs of the intended mother. They did not feel that this was a 'choice' but rather the only option they had to have the longed-for child. According to current Danish legislation, the intended mother could not obtain legal motherhood over the child, not even through stepchild adoption, and this increased the feeling of not being a 'worthy mother'. This study expanded on the term 'reproductive exile' by identifying four different forms of exile: the exiled Danish couple, the gestational carrier in exile, exile at home and, finally, the reproductive body in exile. CONCLUSIONS: Understanding infertile couples' experiences when crossing borders is important for several reasons. It may, among others, assist politicians and authorities in developing a sound Danish legal policy on surrogacy to address the current issues of legal parenthood and avoid missing reproductive opportunities for permanently infertile couples.

Investigation of motivations for depositing sperm during the COVID-19 pandemic.

People are becoming parents later in life and with increased parental age adverse reproductive outcomes are increased. Cryopreservation of gametes enables men and women to protect, prolong and seemingly preserve their fertility. Social freezing is an increasingly popular way of cryopreservation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the gamete bank Cryos International experienced an increased influx of men wanting to deposit their sperm. A questionnaire-based study was initiated to investigate their motivations for doing so. The results showed that the men chose to deposit mainly due to medical indications (e.g. cancer and sex change), and that the COVID-19 pandemic had no significant influence on the reason for banking their sperm. Investigations into the altruistic reasons for depositing sperm (i.e. caring for reproductive masculinity) could shed new light onto the sparsely studied topic of male reproductive journeys.

'My choice, my responsibility': views of Danish and Israeli female students on financing egg-freezing.

Over the past decade, egg freezing has evolved from being an experimental medical technology to become a commercial enterprise, accompanied by heated feminist debate. This study examined the views of Danish and Israeli female students regarding the financing of social egg freezing (SEF) (self, state, employer or family), and their correlation with country and feminist identity. A total of 569 female students (283 from Denmark and 286 from Israel) completed a questionnaire composed of closed and opened-ended questions on SEF financing under different circumstances (e.g. career advancement, lack of a partner, lack of money). The majority of female students in both countries supported SEF self-financing. They wanted to keep fertility choices in the private domain, in part by separating the bodies of women from the state and the employer. We conclude that SEF exemplifies a neoliberal and gendered responsibilisation of women's reproductive futurity, yet self-identification as a feminist was found to be correlated with stronger support for state financing. In contrast, we found no correlation between feminist identity and support for company-sponsored egg freezing. Our findings suggest a relationship between holding a feminist worldview and public policy preferences.

The Conservation of Native Domestic Animal Breeds in Nordic Countries: From Genetic Resources to Cultural Heritage and Good Governance.

Native breeds are domestic animal populations that have adapted to their habitats. The genetic value of breeds has been known for a long time, and recently more attention has been paid to their cultural value. Due to both ecological and cultural significance, it is important that native breeds continue to be bred in their native environments. This is supported by various financial support schemes. Support schemes rarely cover the financial gap in output compared to commercial breeds. A solution to this has been sought in special products, such as cheese or wool, and other businesses, such as animal-assisted care and tourism. Less attention has been paid to the role of administration and good governance in the maintenance of native breeds. In this study, a questionnaire was sent to all registered keepers of native breeds in Finland. This survey clarified their reasons for keeping native breeds and their ideas for improving governance structures and practices. The results were discussed in stakeholder workshops, and in a Nordic context. The results show that genetic and cultural values are recognised in several documents and programmes, but farmers need to be engaged more in the design of support schemes and practices.

Gamete preservation: knowledge, concerns and intentions of Israeli and Danish students regarding egg and sperm freezing.

RESEARCH QUESTION: What do Danish and Israeli students of both sexes know about age in relation to fertility and gamete preservation, and what are their concerns and intentions for the future in this regard? DESIGN: A cross-sectional comparative study of male and female Danish and Israeli students was conducted between November 2018 and April 2019. A total of 1010 students, 508 from Denmark and 502 from Israel, completed questionnaires assessing knowledge, perceptions and intentions regarding gamete preservation. RESULTS: More than 70% of both genders in Israel thought that women start experiencing fertility decline at age 35 and up. A total of 60% of Danish women and 51% of Danish men chose 29-34 as the time where fertility decline starts. Some 95% of Danish students chose 20-29 as the best age for egg freezing, while the corresponding number in Israel was 85%, regardless of gender. In total, 51% of Israeli women said they are extremely or very worried about future infertility, compared with 31% of Danish women, 26% of Israeli men and 12% of Danish men. Regarding preservation intentions, no gender differences were found. Some 3% of Israeli students said they would consider gamete preservation, as compared with 14% of Danish students. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a widespread worry among Danish and Israeli women about their future fertility. Danish students report more awareness of age-related fertility decline. Unique to this study is the inclusion of male students. The preliminary findings reveal that men are less worried about their reproductive future.

Life in the cryo-kennel: The 'exceptional' life of frozen pet DNA.

This article employs a feminist science and technology studies perspective to investigate how the cryo-vitality of frozen pet DNA is potentialized and animated. This is accomplished by empirically foregrounding the marketing material and online presence of two genetic pet preservation companies: PerPETuate and ViaGen Pets. While the allure of cryopreservation for pet owners is situated in light of the ability to re-animate and re-entangle biological matter into future (old) pets, the preservation of pet DNA is potentialized through the logics of love, sameness, purity, and kinship. The article shows how preserved dog DNA moves from a rescue discourse in which exceptional kinds of dogs are preserved to a preservation-of-kin discourse in which the preserved pet DNA is narrated in humanist kinship terms. Exploring the ways that pet DNA preservation and culturing is articulated from kin(d) to brand, the study speaks to the human-animal cryo-interface calling for scholarly attention to the emergent businesses in preserving biological material for one's future use.

Freezing for love: enacting 'responsible' reproductive citizenship through egg freezing.

The promise of egg freezing for women's fertility preservation entered feminist debate in connection with medical and commercial control over, and emancipation from, biological reproduction restrictions. In this paper we explore how women negotiate and make sense of the decision to freeze their eggs. Our analysis draws on semi-structured interviews with 16 women from the Midwest and East Coast regions of the USA who froze their eggs. Rather than freezing to balance career choices and 'have it all', the women in this cohort were largely 'freezing for love' and in the hope of having their 'own healthy baby'. This finding extends existing feminist scholarship and challenges bioethical concerns about egg freezing by drawing on the voices of women who freeze their eggs. By viewing egg freezing as neither exclusively liberation nor oppression or financial exploitation, this study casts egg freezing as an enactment of 'responsible' reproductive citizenship that 'anticipates coupledom' and reinforces the genetic relatedness of offspring.