Because PMA waiting times are getting longer and longer

The promise of expanded access, the reality of a traffic jam

In 2021, the PMA extension was hailed as great progress. But the sudden increase in requests made the specialized centers short. In some public establishments, the queue now exceeds one and a half years. Women who hoped for quick care are facing an expectation that weighs heavily on their family plans, especially as the biological clock speeds up.

Doctors themselves warn of this contradiction : While fertility declines significantly after age 35, patients are forced to wait, sometimes until their chances decline. For many, This period is experienced as a second injusticeafter years of fighting to obtain this right.

Insufficient medical resources

Why these deadlines? The answer is largely due to the lack of human and financial resources. France has around a hundred approved ART centers, but all are struggling to absorb the increase in requests. Lack of specialized gynecologists, biologists and psychologists in sufficient numbers, schedules are overflowing.

Added to this is a very real difficulty: the shortage of sperm donors. Although the legal framework has been relaxed, available actions remain limited. Every donation must be rigorously analyzed, which further slows down the procedures.

The consequences for families

Behind the figures, these are lifestyles that lie down. Some women decide to turn to the private sector, where deadlines can be shorter, But the costs are high and not always covered by social security. Others choose foreigners – Spain, Belgium, Denmark – where the procedures are faster. But this choice requires having the necessary budget and undertaking a sometimes confusing course far from home.

This de facto inequality creates further frustration: the right to MAP exists, but it is not always effective in the same way for everyone.

A legal supervision but still perfectible

The law strictly frames the PMA in France: Only women under the age of 43 can benefit, with a maximum of six artificial inseminations and four in vitro fertilizations Managed by health insurance. Female and single female couples must also provide written consent before starting the process.

But these rules, thoughts to ensure equal treatment, clash with the reality on the ground: even when all conditions are met, sometimes it is necessary to wait months for the first consultation to pass.

Towards long-term solutions?

The government has announced efforts to recruit and train more professionals, as well as awareness campaigns to encourage gamete donation. Some centers are also testing cooperation with the private sector to simplify routes. But these measures will take time to have their effects.

Meanwhile, many women experience the situation with a mixture of anger and resignation. Their right is recognized, but their desire for a child remains suspended on a waiting list.

A right that must become concrete

PMA for all has opened a new page of family equality in France. But this achievement can only be fully achieved if access is real, fast and fair. Behind the figures and deadlines, There are fragile parental projects, advanced age and families that are built.

In the end, the question is not just whether PMA is a right, but whether this right can be exercised in conditions that respect the precious time of the women who engage there.

Source: Madmoizelle