IN VITRO GAMETOGENESIS & THE FUTURE OF REPRODUCTION

Abstract

In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) is an experimental laboratory process that creates artificial eggs and sperm from ordinary body cells, such as skin or blood. IVG is pioneered by Japanese scientists, notably Mitinori Saitou and Katsuhiko Hayashi. The Japanese team managed to produce healthy mouse offspring from two biologically male parents. If this tech advanced and reached humans, it could provide tons of benefits in different fields, such as treating infertility, restoring fertility, letting same-sex couples have children genetically related to both partners, and even being an alternative for STERILE couples. This emerging tech also has to face some constraints and problems, such as two biological females being unable to provide the Y chromosome necessary for the birth of a biological male child, the problem of surrogacy, moral constraints and more. This article provides a general overview of how IVG works, how breakthroughs in this tech were achieved, what it means for LGBT couples, how the Y-chromosome barrier might be approached, what it offers for other fields of medicine such as cancer research, and why ethics and law must move before the science does.