Ten years of fertility center: unique family stories bloom

Ten years of fertility center: unique family stories bloom

In 2025, the fertility center in Vienna is celebrated with an anniversary: ​​ten years after its foundation, the facility has established itself as a contact point for couples with desire to have children. as the Kurier reported. The opening took place just a few months after a change in the law, which enabled same -sex couples to use donor seeds. Since then, over 1,300 pairs have been treated, with the number increased steadily annually. While only 50 couples a year came to the center at the beginning, there are now many more.

The prerequisites for treatment are the same for queer couples and heterosexual couples, apart from the need to use donor seeds. Before the insemination, an act of notaries is required to clearly regulate the rights and obligations of the donor. The costs for the treatment must be borne privately, but there is the IVF fund, which pays up to 70 percent of the costs for four treatment cycles in certain cases.

fears and support

The social climate and political developments affect the fears of couples who want to start a family. This is particularly evident in many queer couples who often come from Vienna or abroad. You are looking for support due to the political Situation in your home countries. Kerstin and Sonja, a lesbian couple who contacted the center in 2020, are an example of this. In 2021 her daughter Iva was born and they emphasize that their families and friends often support their desire to have children.

For Kerstin and Sonja, open communication with her daughter is important. You explain Iva that she has two mothers and that she may get to know her sperm donor once she is 14 years old. Despite the fears of possible teasing at school, the two emphasize the loving upbringing of their daughter.

reproductive medicine in change

In the context of progressive reproductive medicine, it is important to also look at the institutions and laws that accompany these developments. Another article by LMU Klinikum emphasizes that many legal regulations are no longer up to date. This law does not cover the latest developments in reproductive medicine and thus leads to unnecessary risks for mother and child.

The expert group under the direction of Prof. Dr. Christian Thaler also calls for a new law that also deals with topics such as egg donation for women after cancer treatments and dealing with excess embryos. In view of the increasing variety of family forms in Austria and worldwide, it is time to adapt the legal framework accordingly.

ethical dimensions of the family foundation

An important topic in reproductive medicine is the ethical questions that result from new opportunities for starting a family. The ethikrat comes up with interesting aspects: the artificial fertilization, the freezing of germ cells and embryos as well as the possibility of sperm donation often decouple biological and social parents. These developments raise questions, such as those of the origin and identity of children whose parenthood is not necessarily biological.

The discussion about regulated procedures when using surplus embryos after treatments is also relevant. Ethical concerns also often arise surrounding the topics of anonymous child's submission and the possible selection of children with special properties or genetic manipulation of embryos.

Overall, it can be seen that the Wienwunsch Center Vienna not only offers important medical services, but is also active in the burning social and ethical discourse around reproduction and family start -up. The path to the family remains full of challenges, but institutions like this play a decisive role in supporting couples in this way.