Beyond pathology: women's lived experiences of melancholy and mourning in infertility treatment.

Throughout history, melancholy and mourning are predominantly understood within the tradition of psychopathology. Herein, melancholy is perceived as an ailing response to significant loss, and mourning as a healing experience. By taking the philosophies of Freud, Ricoeur and Kristeva together with relevant social scientific research as a theoretical framework and by drawing on women's accounts of melancholy and mourning in infertility treatment, we offer an exploration of melancholy and mourning beyond this pathological ailing/healing logic. We do so by asking what it means for women to actually live with melancholy and mourning in infertility treatment. In answering this question, we show that women in infertility treatment may have different kinds of melancholic longings: they desire their lost time as a pregnant woman, lost love life and lost future. Within these longings, women derive their sense of self predominantly from their lost past: they understand themselves as the mothers or lovers they once were or could have been. We further reveal that some of these women attempt to escape this dwelling of identity and mourn their losses by (re)narrating their pasts or through performing rituals. While these results show how melancholy and mourning are coshaped in relation to these women's embodied, temporal, sociocultural and material lived context, they also give insight into how melancholy and mourning may be understood beyond infertility treatment. We reveal how the binary dynamic between melancholy and mourning is inherently ambiguous: melancholy instigates a joyous painfulness, something that is or is not overcome through the agonising exertion of mourning. We show, moreover, that underlying this melancholy/mourning dynamic is a pressing and uncontrollable reality of not being able to make (sufficient) sense of oneself. At the end of this work, then, we argue that it follows out of these conclusions' urgency to have context-sensitive compassionate patience with those who live with melancholy and mourning.

Reproducción asistida: Profesionales que ayudan a cumplir un sueño / No disponible

No disponible

Disability rights, reproductive technology, and parenthood: unrealised opportunities.

The common attitude towards parents with disabilities is suspicious. Whereas usually, people are expected to become parents as part of a natural-social life course, disability and parenthood are conceived as contradicting terms. This is due to negative perceptions regarding the parenting capacity of people with disabilities, and lack of adequate state support for children upbringing. Disability Rights theories portray different approaches, aiming to promote equality, considering the unique life experiences of parents with disabilities. They acknowledge the discrimination that takes place whenever accommodations are denied, and they bring a universal point of view to light. Through the case of Ora Mor-Yosef, a woman with a severe physical disability who initiated the birth of a baby girl, with no genetic connection to her, the article wishes to demonstrate the potential contribution of reproductive technology, combined with legal parenthood developments, and disability studies theories, to the advancement of parenting rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities. Regrettably, Ora's case did not serve as a platform for such promotion. "Social disability obstacles", suspicion, and negative attitudes that still prevail regarding parents with disabilities, have led both the government authorities and the courts to deny Ora's attempt to accommodate reproductive technological processes and become a mother.

Do traditional sheep breeders perform conscious selection? An example from a participatory breeding program of Morada Nova sheep.

The implementation of sustainable breeding programs requires genetic breeding strategies that are appropriate for the reality production systems. It is also essential that the choice of animal selection criteria be based on breeders' knowledge and objectives. This work is an ethno-zootechnical study of the Morada Nova sheep breed and its crossbreeds. The goals of this study were to register and analyze indigenous breeders' knowledge and practices regarding animal selection criteria and to generate technical information to support a participatory breeding program of the breed. This study was conducted in the Morada Nova municipality in the state of Ceará, Brazil. Semi-structured interviews were evaluated using two groups of individuals, purebred Morada Nova sheep breeders (RMN, n = 13) and breeders of Morada Nova crossbreeds (MMN, n = 48). Interview questions were used to identify local selection criteria adopted by each group in the choice of animals for breeding. Data from the interviews were submitted to frequency distribution analysis and the Shapiro-Wilk test to verify their distribution. Later, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the two groups of farmers based on that information, in addition to multivariate statistical analysis and evaluation of Smith salience index. Breeders in the RMN group used selection criteria related to breed standards, such as pelage color. In contrast, breeders of the MMN group used criteria related to productivity, such as body conformation and milk production. Breeders should be engaged in the development of breeding programs, and it is important to consider their preferences and objectives when evaluating breeding animals.

Donor Conception and "Passing," or; Why Australian Parents of Donor-Conceived Children Want Donors Who Look Like Them.

This article explores the processes through which Australian recipients select unknown donors for use in assisted reproductive technologies and speculates on how those processes may affect the future life of the donor-conceived person. I will suggest that trust is an integral part of the exchange between donors, recipients, and gamete agencies in donor conception and heavily informs concepts of relatedness, race, ethnicity, kinship, class, and visibility. The decision to be transparent (or not) about a child's genetic parentage affects recipient parents' choices of donor, about who is allowed to "know" children's genetic backgrounds, and how important it is to be able to "pass" as an unassisted conception. In this way, recipients must trust the process, institutions, and individuals involved in their treatment, as well as place trust in the future they imagine for their child. The current market for donor gametes reproduces normative conceptions of the nuclear family, kinship, and relatedness by facilitating "matching" donors to recipients by phenotype and cultural affinities. Recipient parents who choose not to prioritize "matching," and actively disclose the process of children's conceptions, may embark on a project of queering heteronormative family structures and place great trust in both their own children and changing social attitudes to reduce stigma and generate acceptance for non-traditional families.

Obligatory Effort [Hishtadlut] as an Explanatory Model: A Critique of Reproductive Choice and Control.

Studies on reproductive technologies often examine women's reproductive lives in terms of choice and control. Drawing on 48 accounts of procreative experiences of religiously devout Jewish women in Israel and the US, we examine their attitudes, understandings and experiences of pregnancy, reproductive technologies and prenatal testing. We suggest that the concept of hishtadlut-"obligatory effort"-works as an explanatory model that organizes Haredi women's reproductive careers and their negotiations of reproductive technologies. As an elastic category with negotiable and dynamic boundaries, hishtadlut gives ultra-orthodox Jewish women room for effort without the assumption of control; it allows them to exercise discretion in relation to medical issues without framing their efforts in terms of individual choice. Haredi women hold themselves responsible for making their obligatory effort and not for pregnancy outcomes. We suggest that an alternative paradigm to autonomous choice and control emerges from cosmological orders where reproductive duties constitute "obligatory choices."

La determinación de B-HCG el día 12 de la transferencia embrionaria como predictor del resultado gestacional en técnicas de Reproducción Asistida / B-HCG levels on day 12 after embryo transfer as a predictor of ongoing pregnancy in IVF cycles

OBJETIVOS: Encontrar un valor de β-HCG que prevea el resultado evolutivo de la gestación en una única determinación hormonal en nuestra población. Como objetivos secundarios nos planteamos valorar si ese valor tiene que ser ajustado en función del IMC y de la edad de la paciente. Ámbito: Pacientes sometidas a un ciclo FIV en nuestro centro Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr. Josep Trueta, entre julio de 2010 y diciembre de 2013. DISEÑO: Estudio retrospectivo descriptivo. MATERIAL Y MÉTODOS: Se incluyen 50 ciclos con β-HCG positiva a los 12 días de la transferencia embrionaria de un total de 139 pacientes sometidas a un ciclo FIV en nuestro centro entre julio de 2010 y diciembre de 2013. RESULTADOS: Las diferencias en el nivel de β-HCG el día 12 son estadísticamente significativas entre los diferentes grupos en función del resultado gestacional (p < 0.05). Si comparamos solamente las gestaciones viables con las gestaciones no viables las diferencias son todavía más significativas. Con una β-HCG media de 300,53 para las gestaciones viables y una B-HCG media de 88,66 para las no viables (p < 0,01). La curva ROC sugiere que un valor de β-HCG de 77 mUI/ml sería un buen nivel para prever una gestación viable, con una sensibilidad del 90,63% y una especificidad del 80%. No existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas del valor de β-HCG en función del IMC ni de la edad. CONCLUSIONES: Con un valor de β-HCG igual o superior a 77mUI/ml podemos orientar mejor a la paciente, y prever una gestación exitosa, ayudando a planificar el manejo médico así como disminuir la ansiedad materna. Este valor, además, y según nuestro estudio, no necesita ser ajustado por edad o IMC de la pacientes

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study is to find a value of β-HCG to predict the outcome of pregnancies in a single hormone determination in our population. As secondary objectives, we will assess whether this value has to be adjusted for BMI and age of the patient. SETTING: Patients subjected to an IVF cycle at our center Hospital Universitari de Girona Dr. Josep Trueta, between July 2010 and December 2013. DESIGN: Retrospective and descriptive study. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 50 cycles with a positive β-HCG the day 12 after the embryo tranfer were analyzed with respect to pregnancy outcome from a total of 139 patients subjected to an IVF cycle at our center between July 2010 and December 2013. RESULTS: The differences in the level of β-HCG at day 12 are statistically significant between different groups based on gestational outcome (p < 0,05). Comparing only viable pregnancies with nonviable pregnancies the differences are even more significant. With a β-HCG 300,53 average for viable pregnancies and average β-HCG for nonviable 88,66 (p < 0,01). The ROC curve suggests that a value of β-HCG 77 mIU / ml would be a good level to predict a viable pregnancy with a sensitivity of 90.63 % and a specificity of 80 %. There are not statistically significant differences in the value of β-HCG in terms of BMI or age. CONCLUSIONS: With a value of β-HCG of 77mUI/ml or more, we can better guide the patient and provide for a successful pregnancy, helping to plan medical management and reduce maternal anxiety. This value, in addition and according to our study, does not need to be adjusted for age or BMI of the patient

La percepción del hombre cuando acude a un centro de reproducción asistida / Male perception of assisted reproduction treatments

Objetivo: El objetivo de este trabajo es describir la percepción de varones infértiles que se someten a tratamientos de reproducción asistida (RA). Se recogió información acerca de su experiencia antes y después del tratamiento, pruebas realizadas, atención médica recibida, etc. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio prospectivo, observacional y descriptivo, donde se entrevistaron un total de 46 hombres de los muchos que acudieron a la I Feria de Reproducción Asistida, celebrada en Valencia. Todos los individuos completaron un cuestionario con un total de 33 preguntas relacionadas con su experiencia personal durante el tratamiento realizado. Resultados: Durante la anamnesis, el 22% de los hombres manifiestan que no se les interrogó, y el 52% de que fue breve. No se realizó una exploración genital al 67% de los casos. Hasta el 55% de los pacientes declaran que han sido poco o nada informados acerca de la causa de su esterilidad. En la mitad de los casos con un tratamiento previo, no se explican las posibles razones del resultado fallido. Conclusiones: Aunque el número de casos es limitado, las conclusiones son claras acerca de la poca participación de andrólogos/urólogos en los centros de reproducción asistida. Se percibe una falta de información general tanto en la fase diagnóstica como durante el tratamiento. Es imprescindible mejorar esta situación, ampliando este tipo de estudios y adecuándolos como herramientas rutinarias para conocer el grado de calidad asistencial de nuestros pacientes (AU)

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the perceptions of infertile men who undergo assisted reproduction treatments. Information about their experience (before and after the treatment), diagnostic tests and medical care were collected. Material and methods: A prospective, observational and descriptive study with a total of 46 men who visited the I Assisted Reproduction Fair held in Valencia was carried out. All subjects completed a questionnaire with a total of 33 questions related to their personal experience during the treatment performed. Results: In the anamnesis phase, men reported they had not been questioned adequately in 22% of cases, and questioned briefly in 52% of cases. A genital exploration was performed in 33% of cases. Clinical information received about the cause of infertility was poor or non-existent in 55% of cases. In previously treated patients, up to 50% of cases were not informed of potential causes of failures. Conclusions: Although the number of cases is limited, the findings are clear about the low participation of andrologists/urologists in assisted reproduction centers. A general lack of information on both the diagnostic phase and during treatment is perceived. It is essential to improve this situation, to extend these studies and adapt them as a routine to determine the care quality of our patients (AU)

The Subrogacy Trap

En el presente nos dedicamos a analizar el tema de la “maternidad subrogada” y los avatares para las dos partes involucradas en el marco de una relación que se regula mediante la firma de un contrato comercial. La acción nos deja abierta la posibilidad de cuestionar el impacto de la Maternidad Subrogada sobre la función materna, el deseo materno, partiendo de la premisa de que la llamada Industria de la Fertilidad cuenta con un poder capaz de instituir un nuevo tipo de subjetividad al interior de la misma, desdoblándola al someter a los cuerpos deseantes a la lógica impuesta desde el mercado a través de su agente: el consumidor...

In this paper, we address the issue of the "Surrogate Motherhood", by analyzing the film "The Subrogacy Trap". Using it as "empirical evidence" we analyze the complexity of the phenomenon and its impact on the two parties involved in a context that is that of a relationship regulated by the signing of a commercial contract: the "contracting parents", and the "surrogate mother". The action of the film opens up to us the possibility of questioning the impact of this particular practice on key human symbolic institutions, like the "maternal function", and the "maternal desire", but also over the bodies, the material and symbolic body of a person. We based our conclusions on the premise that the so called "Fertility Industry " has the power to impact directly on them by establishing new kinds of subjectivities inside these symbolic institutions. Also, this same power tends to subdue the desiring bodies, transforming them into commodities, with the help of coercive technologies/tools, imposed from a logic that answers that of the global political-economy of our time, through his main agent: the consumer.

Ventajas e inconvenientes de la transferencia embrionaria en +3 y en blastocisto / Advantages and disadvantages of embryo transfer in day 3 and blastocyst stage

Objetivo: Entre los diversos factores con influencia en las tasas de implantación y gestación evolutiva, la calidad del embrión es uno de los factores pronósticos más importantes. Sin embargo, la elección del embrión con el mayor potencial de implantación para transferir sigue siendo uno de los puntos críticos dentro del laboratorio de fecundación in vitro (FIV). Hoy en día, a pesar de la existencia de múltiples sistemas de selección no invasivos, los parámetros morfológicos siguen siendo uno de los criterios más utilizados por los embriólogos. Los avances en los medios de cultivo embrionario han permitido a los laboratorios de FIV el cultivo óptimo de embriones hasta el estadio de blastocisto. La razón principal para realizar una transferencia en esta etapa es mejorar la sincronía entre ambiente uterino y desarrollo embrionario y la selección de los embriones más viables. El objetivo de este estudio es realizar una revisión bibliográfica con el fin de poder determinar en que situaciones la transferencia de blastocistos (día 5 y 6) mejora las tasas de implantación comparado con los embriones tempranos (día 2 y 3), y evaluar las posibles ventajas e inconvenientes en cada caso. Material y métodos: Se han analizado 10 estudios randomizados que comparan la efectividad de la transferencia de blastocistos y embriones en estadios más precoces. Conclusión: Existe una pequeña diferencia en la tasa de recién nacido vivo (RNV) y de implantación a favor del cultivo a blastocisto. Se ha observado que la transferencia en estadio de blastocisto podría incrementar las tasas de implantación en pacientes jóvenes con un mínimo de embriones de buena calidad en día 3, dando lugar a una mayor sincronía con el ambiente endometrial y coincidiendo con un menor grado de contracciones uterinas en el día de la transferencia. Este estadio permite hacer una selección embrionaria más precisa, ya que la activación del genoma embrionario se produce cuando los embriones están a 8 células aproximadamente. También se observa un menor número de embriones aneuploides, ya que la prolongación del cultivo permite incrementar la selección del embrión más viable. Es necesario establecer cuidadosamente aquellos grupos de pacientes a los que la transferencia en blastocisto representaría una mejora en los resultados del ciclo, reduciendo al máximo las posibilidades de cancelación de ciclo y favoreciendo la transferencia electiva de un único embrión (SET: single embryo transfer), el único método realmente efectivo para evitar las gestaciones múltiples, una de las complicaciones más importantes de los tratamientos de FIV (AU)

Among several factors that influence implantation rate and pregnancy outcome, embryo quality is one of the most important. However, the election of the embryo with the highest implantation potential is still a matter of debate at the vitro fertilization laboratory (IVF). Nowadays, despite the existence of multiple noninvasive selection systems, morphological parameters remain one of the main criteria used by embryologists. Advances in embryo culture media have allowed IVF laboratories to successfully grow embryos to the blastocyst stage. The main reason to perform the embryo transfer at this stage is to improve the synchrony between the uterine environment and embryonic development and the selection of the most viable embryo. The aim of this study was to review the literature in order to determine in which transfer at blastocyst stage (day 5 and 6) improves implantation rates compared to transfer at earlier stages (day 2 and 3), and to evaluate the potential advantages and disadvantages in each case. Methods:We analyzed 10 randomized trials comparing the effectiveness of early cleavage versus blastocyst stage transfers. Conclusion: There is a small difference in live birth rate (LBR) and implantation in favour of transfer at blastocyst stage. It has been observed that this could increase implantation rates in young patients with a minimal of three top quality embryos on day 3, resulting in greater synchrony with the endometrial environment and coinciding with a lower degree of uterine contractions on the day of transfer. Blastocyst stage allows more accurate embryo selection, because the activation of the embryonic genome occurs approximately at 8 cells stage. Moreover, due to the culture extension, fewer aneuploidembryos are observed. It is necessary to establish carefully those groups of patients who will benefit from a blastocyst transfer, minimizing the chance of cycle cancellation and favouring elective transfer of a single embryo (SET: single embryo transfer), which is the most effective method to avoid multiple pregnancies (AU)

Aspectos psicológicos de mulheres que se submeteram às tecnologias de reprodução assistida

A infertilidade configura-se como um problema universal, porém mais pronunciado em países em desenvolvimento. Segundo dados da Organização Mundial da Saúde, estima-se no século XXI, uma percentagem de infertilidade de 8 a 12%. Neste sentido, o presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar nas mulheres, os aspectos psicológicos que estão presentes no processo de reprodução assistida. O método utilizado teve um delineamento qualitativo de caráter interpretativo. Foram avaliadas 11 mulheres na faixa etária de 20 a 41 anos, que estavam pela primeira vez participando do processo de reprodução assistida. Estas mulheres foram encaminhadas pelo serviço de reprodução assistida do Hospital Fêmina. O instrumento utilizado foi uma entrevista semiestruturada, que foi gravada e posteriormente transcrita e a análise de dados foi realizada através do procedimento de análise de conteúdo de Bardin(2003). Este estudo constatou que a relação das mulheres entrevistadas apresenta uma relação com características da pré-genitalidade com suas próprias mães, sendo que estas demonstram um discurso que representa um pensamento de pouca subjetividade psíquica. A representação paterna dá-se com características falhas, que não cumprem o papel interditor da relação mãe-bebê. As fantasias mais frequentes encontradas foram de incapacidade de ser mãe, bem como a de ter problemas orgânicos além de psicológicos. A representação de filho se deu de uma forma idealizada, sendo que as vezes vem cumprir o papel de desejo de filho e em poucos casos o desejo de constituir família

Infertility as a psychological problem.

Recently there has been enormous progress in couple infertility treatment and diagnostics. Some couples cannot conceive despite the fact that there seems to be no objective somatic or immunologic reasons. In such situations gynaecologists are helpless and couples may be overwhelmed by a sense of defeat and hopelessness. Thus, consulting a psychologist or therapist on how to cope better with the problem may be a good solution. The objective of the following paper is to discuss the dilemmas of couples undergoing infertility treatment, related psychological problems, and to determine the need for psychological and therapeutic support. The study demonstrates numerous infertility causes and concludes that there is no universal method of dealing with them. Very frequently psychological and somatic problems overlap. Psychological causes are often the primary factors, but sometimes they are secondary derivatives of the therapeutic process. A wide scope of factors must be considered to attempt psychological analysis of patients treated for infertility including the influence of the family and relations within, reaction to the diagnosis and suggested treatment, the influence of religion on the treatment, the evaluation of the relations in the family of procreation, sexual life assessment, the sense of a woman's self-esteem and self-acceptance. Basing on empirical analysis it was concluded that all women treated for infertility want to create a full family. They have problems in coping with emotional liability during treatment and a sense of fear and failure. Understanding the psychological mechanisms observed in patients treated for infertility might help to diagnose the causes of their problems with facing the new, extremely difficult situation.

Sobre la demanda de hijos a las técnicas de reproducción asistida: aspectos emocionales en juego / On the demand of a child to assisted reproductive techniques: Emotional aspects at stake

El artículo plantea la conveniencia de ofrecer ayuda psicológica a las personas que pasan por procesos de reproducción asistida (TRA), para aliviar la presión emocional a la que se encuentran sometidos, pero no debería ser el único objetivo. A veces es perjudicial trata de conseguir que continúen con los procesos médicos después de repetidos fracasos en la consecución de un embarazo. Es preciso ofrecerles una escucha cuidadosa, priorizando las características particulares de sus subjetividad, para preservarlos de crisis narcisistas o situaciones “limite” (AU)

This paper suggests the convenience of providing psychological support to people who are undergoing processes of assisted reproduction (ART), in order to relieve the emotional pressures they are submitted to. This, however, should not be the sole objective. Sometimes, especially after repeated failures in achieving pregnancy, it can be harmful to try and persist with these techno-reproductive process. Patients should be offered careful listening, prioritizing the specific characteristics of their subjectivity as a means for protecting them from narcissistic crises or other extreme situations (AU)

Os embriões congelados: da falta ao excesso / Frozen embryos: from lack to excess

O objetivo do artigo é abordar aquilo que as novas tecnologias reprodutivas - com a separação por elas operada entre sexo e reprodução - trazem de inédito para o campo da filiação. Para isso, em primeiro lugar, serão diferenciadas, as montagens de filiação propostas por essas tecnologias das soluções encontradas em algumas sociedades tradicionais para contornar o problema da esterilidade. Será sustentado que, diferentemente das últimas, que se baseiam em uniões legitimadas pelo social, as primeiras se fundamentam na ficção da existência do ato sexual fecundo. Em seguida, serão analisados alguns aspectos da relação entre mercado, sexualidade e reprodução no contexto das chamadas "reproduções artificiais", e mais particularmente naquele das questões referentes ao congelamento dos chamados "embriões excedentes". Para isso, será, em primeiro lugar, apresentado o elo entre as evoluções sociais no campo da família e da sexualidade e os avanços científicos no campo da reprodução, e, em segundo lugar, descrito o processo pelo qual passa um casal durante o tratamento para infertilidade. Enfim, se buscará compreender a circulação destes embriões à luz da noção de "potlatch" analisada por Marcel Mauss, Georges Bataille e Jacques Lacan. Aqui, se destacará a presença, no próprio seio da lógica mercantil e do domínio/controle daquilo que se produz, de uma outra lógica: aquela que gira em torno do desperdício de um excedente.

The aim of this article is to approach what the new reproductive technologies - along with the separation operated by them between sex and reproduction - are bringing as novelty to the field of filiation. To this purpose, the filiation assemblies proposed by these technologies will be firstly distinguished from the solutions found in certain traditional societies to resolve the problem of sterility. It will be maintained that while the latter are based on legitimate unions from the social, the former ones are based on the fiction of the fecund sexual intercourse. Next, some aspects of the relationships between the market, sexuality and reproduction in the context of the so called "artificial reproductions" will be analyzed, more specifically in that aspect of the issues related to the freezing of the called "exceeding embryos". So, in first place, the link among the social evolutions in the field of family and sexuality and the scientific advances in the field of reproduction will be presented, and secondly, the process by which a couple goes through during the treatment for infertility will be described. Finally, we will try to understand the circulation of these embryos in the light of the notion of "potlatch" analyzed by Marcel Mauss, Georges Bataille and Jacques Lacan. Here, the presence of another logic, in the midst of the commercial logic and of the domain/control of that which is produced, will be highlighted: the logic that circles around the waste of an excess.

Os embriões congelados: da falta ao excesso / Frozen embryos: from lack to excess

O objetivo do artigo é abordar aquilo que as novas tecnologias reprodutivas - com a separação por elas operada entre sexo e reprodução - trazem de inédito para o campo da filiação. Para isso, em primeiro lugar, serão diferenciadas, as montagens de filiação propostas por essas tecnologias das soluções encontradas em algumas sociedades tradicionais para contornar o problema da esterilidade. Será sustentado que, diferentemente das últimas, que se baseiam em uniões legitimadas pelo social, as primeiras se fundamentam na ficção da existência do ato sexual fecundo. Em seguida, serão analisados alguns aspectos da relação entre mercado, sexualidade e reprodução no contexto das chamadas "reproduções artificiais", e mais particularmente naquele das questões referentes ao congelamento dos chamados "embriões excedentes". Para isso, será, em primeiro lugar, apresentado o elo entre as evoluções sociais no campo da família e da sexualidade e os avanços científicos no campo da reprodução, e, em segundo lugar, descrito o processo pelo qual passa um casal durante o tratamento para infertilidade. Enfim, se buscará compreender a circulação destes embriões à luz da noção de "potlatch" analisada por Marcel Mauss, Georges Bataille e Jacques Lacan. Aqui, se destacará a presença, no próprio seio da lógica mercantil e do domínio/controle daquilo que se produz, de uma outra lógica: aquela que gira em torno do desperdício de um excedente.(AU)

The aim of this article is to approach what the new reproductive technologies - along with the separation operated by them between sex and reproduction - are bringing as novelty to the field of filiation. To this purpose, the filiation assemblies proposed by these technologies will be firstly distinguished from the solutions found in certain traditional societies to resolve the problem of sterility. It will be maintained that while the latter are based on legitimate unions from the social, the former ones are based on the fiction of the fecund sexual intercourse. Next, some aspects of the relationships between the market, sexuality and reproduction in the context of the so called "artificial reproductions" will be analyzed, more specifically in that aspect of the issues related to the freezing of the called "exceeding embryos". So, in first place, the link among the social evolutions in the field of family and sexuality and the scientific advances in the field of reproduction will be presented, and secondly, the process by which a couple goes through during the treatment for infertility will be described. Finally, we will try to understand the circulation of these embryos in the light of the notion of "potlatch" analyzed by Marcel Mauss, Georges Bataille and Jacques Lacan. Here, the presence of another logic, in the midst of the commercial logic and of the domain/control of that which is produced, will be highlighted: the logic that circles around the waste of an excess.(AU)

La Psicología de la Reproducción: la Necesidad del Psicólogo en las Unidades de Reproducción Humana / Reproductive Psychology: the Need for a Psychologist in Human Reproduction Units

El presente trabajo justifica que la infertilidad es un tema central de la Psicología de la Reproducción y la necesidad del psicólogo en las Unidades de Reproducción Humana. La muestra está compuesta por 485 sujetos infértiles pertenecientes a Unidades de Reproducción Humana de dos Hospitales Universitarios españoles. Se realiza el análisis de las respuestas obtenidas en tres entrevistas semiestructuradas aplicadas en distintos momentos del proceso de diagnóstico y tratamiento de reproducción asistida. Las respuestas obtenidas a través de los instrumentos de evaluación psicológica se han agrupado en función de las siguientes variables: 1) tiempo, 2) información, 3) apoyos sociales y 4) equilibrio emocional. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de relieve algunas de las demandas y necesidades de las parejas infértiles españolas que deben ser abordadas desde la Psicología de la Reproducción (AU)

The present study justifies the relevance of infertility as a key topic in Reproductive Psychology and the need for a psychologist in Human Reproduction Units. The sample consisted of 485 infertile participants who attended two Spanish University Hospitals. The responses to three semi-structured interviews conducted in different phases of the diagnostic and treatment process of assisted reproduction were analyzed. Responses collected from psychological assessment measures were grouped into five categories: 1) time, 2) information, 3) social supports, and 5) emotional balance. Results revealed some of the demands and needs of Spanish infertile couples to be addressed by Reproductive Psychology (AU)