Appendix C
Summary of Medically Assisted Conception: An Agenda for Research
The following is a reprinted summary of the Institute of Medicine report Medically Assisted Conception: An Agenda for Research, which was published in 1989. Although focused on research pertaining to in vitro fertilization, the recommendations regarding research policy and coordination are still useful and applicable to the topics discussed in the present conference report. A review of the research agenda offered in this 1989 report will reveal that progress has been made in some areas, but is still lacking in others. For example, the success rates of in vitro fertilization (IVF) have not changed appreciably since 1989. Likewise, little progress has been made in developing new contraceptives. In contrast, there has been progress in maturing oocytes in culture and in analyzing genetic abnormalities in early embryos. It is hoped that the inclusion of this summary will help to deepen the readers' appreciation of issues, from both the science and the public policy arenas, that still confront the fields of fetal research and fetal tissue transplantation.