Dr. Patsama Vichinsartvichai
MD, MClinEmbryol, EFOG-EBCOG, EFRM-ESHRE/EBCOG, FACOG
Thailand's Protection of Children Born Through the Use of Assisted Reproductive Technology Act B.E. 2558 (2015) strictly regulates gamete donation.
1. Egg Donation
Donor Requirements
- Woman aged 20–35
- Good health, no genetic disease
- Maximum 3 donations in a lifetime
- Physical, psychological, and genetic screening
- Spousal consent if married
Recipient Requirements
- Legally married couple only
- Wife unable to produce eggs or has medical contraindication
2. Sperm Donation
- Donor age 20–45
- Donation limit: no more than 10 families with children from same donor
- Screening for infectious and genetic diseases
- Mandatory 6-month quarantine of frozen sperm before use, with repeat HIV/viral testing
3. Embryo Donation
- Usually from couples with excess embryos after successful IVF
- Written consent from both husband and wife of donor couple
- Recipient must be legally married couple
Legal Prohibitions
Commercial sale of gametes prohibited — only reasonable compensation for damages permitted
Sex selection prohibited — except for medical indication
Commercial surrogacy is illegal — surrogacy allowed only between blood relatives without commercial compensation
Process
- Medical evaluation confirms donation is needed
- Application to hospital ethics committee
- Donor screening (medical, lab, psychological)
- Signed consent from both donor and recipient
- Procedure (retrieval, fertilization, transfer)
- Pregnancy and birth follow-up
Anonymity and Legal Parenthood
Donor identity is confidential — anonymous donation. Children born from donation are considered legitimate offspring of the recipient couple from birth.
