PMA: everything you need to know about medically assisted procreation

Solène Delinger 4:59 p.m., February 10, 2022, modified at 5:00 p.m., February 10, 2022

Today, in France, it is estimated that one in 28 children is born thanks to PMA.

According to the Biomedicine Agency, in 2019, there were a total of 157,593 attempts at medically assisted procreation.

Who can access PMA in France?

What are the holdups ?

And how do the different methods of assisted procreation work?

Guest in

on Europe 1, Professor Nathalie Massin, fertility doctor, tells us all about PMA. 

Who can use PMA?

MAP has long been reserved for heterosexual couples and on medical indication.

Since 2021, it has also been accessible to female couples and single women.

An age criterion was also introduced in the new law of August 2, 2021, in connection with bioethics.

A PMA can now be started from the age of 18.

The maximum age for having recourse to assisted reproduction has been set at 60 years at the latest for men and 45 years for women, knowing that there are no more possibilities of carrying out oocyte retrieval from 43 years old. 

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What are the infertility problems that lead to turning to assisted reproduction? 

For women, it is often ovulation disorders.

The periods are therefore not regular.

And then there are also the mechanical issues, like tubal obstructions.

These obstructions prevent sperm from meeting eggs.

Women with endometriosis may also have fertility problems.

In men, there may be a decline in sperm quality, or even a complete absence of sperm. 

What is the deadline for using the PMA? 

For a heterosexual couple, the doctor makes sure that there is regular sexual intercourse and that there are no menstrual problems in the woman.

In general, the period is one year, but it will be reduced to six months for women who are over 35 years old. 

How does a PMA take place? 

MAP is offered using three techniques:

- Intra-uterine inseminations (the simplest technique): with artificial insemination, fertilization takes place naturally, inside the woman's body.

The medical act consists of depositing the spermatozoa in the uterus to facilitate the meeting between the spermatozoon and the ovum. 

- In vitro fertilization (IVF) with or without micro-injection (ICSI): with IVF, fertilization takes place in the laboratory, and not in the woman's uterus.

A sperm is then injected directly into the egg to form an embryo.

- Thawing of frozen embryos for couples where both members are sterile or if there is a risk of transmission of a genetic disease to the child.

Is the PMA reimbursed? 

ART acts are 100% covered by health insurance, after prior agreement from the fund, until the mother's 43rd birthday, for a maximum of six artificial inseminations and four IVF.

This care is the same for everyone (heterosexual couple, couple made up of two women, unmarried woman).