Legal framework

The Federal Act on Medically Assisted Reproduction (Reproductive Medicine Act – RMA) came into force on 1 January 2001. It allows us to offer care using the most modern MAR techniques.

Female married couples can have access to sperm donation in Switzerland from 1 July 2022, following the acceptance by the Swiss population of the same-sex marriage law on 26 September 2021. 

Our unit has an ISO 9001:2015 certificate and our laboratory is accredited to ISO 15189:2013. This provides a guarantee of excellence of the treatments we offer you.

The major provisions of the RMA:

  • The couple must be able to raise the child until his/her majority.
  • Any treatment requires consent by both partners.
  • Psychological support must be offered before, during and after the treatment.
  • The culture of embryos is authorised during a treatment cycle up to the 5th or 6th day of development.
  • The cryopreservation of embryos is authorised for a maximum period of 10 years.
  • Only a married couple can benefit from sperm donation.
  • Sperm donation is not anonymous: at 18 years of age the child can obtain information about the donor's identity from the Office de l’état civil (Civil Services Centre).

In particular, the RMA forbids:

  • determination of sex (except to exclude a serious disease)
  • egg cell donation
  • surrogate motherhood

Changes introduced with the revision of the RMA

From 1 September 2017, important changes have allowed couples to maximise their chances of becoming a parent

These changes include:

  • The number of embryos that can be developed during a treatment cycle increases from three to 12.
  • Unused embryos can be frozen with a view to later treatment for a duration of five years, renewable on request (maximum duration of 10 years).
  • Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is authorised*.

*PGD is a procedure that is authorised in two cases: only couples carrying a severe hereditary disease (preimplantation diagnosis) and couples who cannot reproduce naturally can decide to have this examination (preimplantation genetic screening).

Contact

Fertility Medicine and Gynaecological Endocrinology
CHUV Maternity Unit
Av. Pierre-Decker 2
1011 Lausanne
Fax +41 21 314 32 74
 Last updated on 12/08/2022 at 08:40