Stem cell center studies ways to protect egg donors

Officials at California_s new stem cell institute say they are determined to figure out the best way to protect the health of women who donate their eggs for medical research, the first time a public agency in the U.S. has addressed that question.

Currently, said Zach Hall, president of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, there is no consensus about how egg harvesting affects a woman_s health, and whether some egg-inducing hormones pose a serious risk to donors. The CIRM, which was created after state voters approved Proposition 71 last fall, must have a better understanding of those risks before it can set policies governing egg donations, Hall said.

_We believe it is our responsibility to become better informed _ to look critically at the evidence,_ Hall told the CIRM board at its meeting in San Francisco on Wednesday. _What is the data? What is the best end? What are the best practices to reduce risks?_


To answer those questions, Hall said, the CIRM must first simply study the science. To that end, the agency will organize a one-day scientific...