Controversial issues in assisted reproductive technologies: global legislation and regulation experience
Romanova D.M., Dolgushina N.V.
The rapid development of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has been accompanied by an expansion in the range of clinical and embryological interventions, which requires a constant review of existing regulatory approaches.
The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the legal regulation of ART in various countries around the world and in the Russian Federation. Based on the analysis of regulatory documents and scientific literature, data have been summarized on the legal status of ART in different jurisdictions with regard to program accessibility, funding arrangements, the use of donor biomaterials, surrogacy, and the storage and transport of biological materials.
Conclusion. The current legislation in the field of ART has been shown to vary from country to country, owing to a combination of ethical, religious, cultural and demographic factors. The most significant differences relate to the availability of ART, government funding, the permissibility of donor programs, and the legal status of surrogacy. According to the analysis, the Russian model is characterized by a high level of availability of modern ART methods in clinical practice.
Authors’ contributions. Romanova D.M. – validation of the research concept, collection, analysis and systematization of literature data, writing and editing the text of the article; Dolgushina N.V. – developing the concept and design of the research, scientific consulting, critical revision of the manuscript text, approval of the final version of the article.
Conflicts of interest. Authors declare lack of the possible conflicts of interests.
Funding. The work was carried out without financial support.
Generative Artificial Intelligence. No generative artificial intelligence technologies were used in the preparation of this article.
For citation: Romanova D.M., Dolgushina N.V. Controversial issues in
assisted reproductive technologies: global legislation and regulation experience.
Akusherstvo i Ginekologiya/Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2026; (10): 5-10 (in Russian)
https://dx.doi.org/10.18565/aig.2026.113
Keywords
assisted reproductive technologies
ART
legal regulation of ART
funding for ART
gamete transport
embryo transport
gamete storage
embryo storage
oocyte donation
sperm donation
surrogacy
mitochondrial donation
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Received 03.04.2026
Accepted 14.09.2026
About the Authors
Daria M. Romanova, PhD, obstetrician-gynecologist, Senior Researcher, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics, Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 4, Oparina str., Moscow, Russia, 117997, dm_romanova@oparina4.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8558-4687Nataliya V. Dolgushina, Dr. Med. Sci., Professor, Deputy Director for Research, Academician V.I. Kulakov National Medical Research Center for Obstetrics,
Gynecology and Perinatology, Ministry of Health of Russia, 4, Oparina str., Moscow, Russia, 117997, n_dolgushina@oparina4.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1116-138X
Corresponding author: Daria M. Ermakova, d_ermakova@oparina4.ru
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