Group identifies need for education.

2003 NOV 6 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- According to new data from the first-ever national survey of Americans (ages 18-45) regarding their beliefs, understanding, and attitudes towards freezing and the use of frozen embryos, the majority of the general public (63%) believes that embryo donation, in which infertile couples receive and use excess frozen embryos from another couple, is "a good thing" to help them have a baby.

The survey was commissioned by RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association and conducted by Harris Interactive, as part of a federal grant program from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

While currently nearly 400,000 embryos are in storage in the U.S. as the result of infertility treatment, of those RESOLVE members surveyed who have frozen embryos in storage (19%), only 18% are likely to consider donating their embryos to another infertile couple.

To address this critical need for information, RESOLVE has created a new program, Embryo Donation - A Family Building Option, to educate medical professionals, patients, and the general public about the medical, legal, and emotional aspects of embryo donation. The public awareness campaign is designed to reach more than 500,000 consumers facing decisions regarding frozen embryos.

RESOLVE's educational initiative includes five major program areas:

1) national public awareness campaign designed to reach thousands of consumers who face or may face decisions regarding frozen embryos

2) training of infertility professionals through continuing medical education (CME) courses and other materials