Number of sperm donors rises despite the loss of anonymity

	Tweet

New laws removing sperm donors’ right to anonymity have not stopped men volunteering to provide it.

It had been feared that rules which came into force in April 2005 enabling future children to trace their biological father would lead to a fall in donations. But the first full-year figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) since the change show a 6 per cent rise in the number of men registering as donors.

A total of 265 new sperm donors (of which 208 were based in the UK) were registered with the HFEA in the 12 months to 31 March last year. That compares with 250 (including 197 in the UK) the previous year.

It is the first time that full figures have been available for the new system, as many clinics do not register donors with the HFEA until they have completed the lengthy screening process. Donor numbers had been falling over a 10-year period and recent reports have pointed to a shortage of sperm reaching crisis levels - a trend widely attributed to the removal of anonymity. At one point last year there was just one active donor covering the whole of Scotland, a figure which has now risen to three.

A spokeswoman for the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT) said that part of the reason for the decline was the decision by many clinics to stop recruitment amid uncertainty over the future of the system while the changes were being discussed.

The new statistics were published three months after the anonymity rules were extended to include overseas sperm donors, to whom British clinics had turned for supplies. Specialists warned this would affect a new supply line from the Xytex Corporation in the US, which pays its donors $100 per sample (£52) and Cryos, Denmark’s largest sperm bank, which gives donors between 125 and 625 kroner per sample (£11 to £57) depending on “quality and volume”. British clients have also been prepared to pay up to $525 (£275) for sperm from an American donor with a doctorate ($445 without the doctorate), and can specify the hair colour and physique they require.

Professor Ian Craft, the IVF pioneer who runs the private London Fertility Centre, has said regulators should “have sympathy” for those requiring donated sperm and that new “radical” financial incentives should be introduced to help nurture supplies.

The HFEA has been recording local variations in sperm donation since the anonymity rules came into place. While some places are short of supplies, Manchester, Northampton, Bristol, London and Oxford, among others, have done well.

The chairman of the HFEA, Shirley Harrison, said yesterday: “These new figures show the predicted drop in sperm donor numbers is a myth. Professionals working in the sector say there are a complex set of reasons which led to a fall in donor numbers from 1997 onwards.”

The chairman of NGDT, Laura Witjens, said: “The focus should continue to be on raising awareness and recruiting willing-to-be-known egg and sperm donors. These statistics give hope and show we are on the right path regarding the sperm donors, but a lot more needs to be done to recruit egg donors.”

How the system works

The HFEA regulates sperm donation in Britain, with about 500 donors needed each year. About 7,000 patients receive treatment with either donated sperm or eggs annually and, as a result, about 2,000 children are born.

A sperm donor is contracted and is often required to donate for a specified minimum time, ranging from six to 24 months. He may withdraw consent for the sperm’s use, or specify whether certain groups should not receive it. Donors receive payment as “compensation” - up to a daily maximum of £55.19 in the UK, with a total of £250 per course.

A law change in April 2005 meant children conceived using donor eggs or sperm were able to trace their biological parent - though they have no financial or legal claim.

Independent News and Media Limited

RELATED STORIES:
Sexual satisfaction tied to overall ‘successful aging’ as reported by women age 60 to 89   Half of teen girls have STIs by 2 years of first sex   Having older brothers a factor in boys becoming gay   Viagra plus recreational drugs equals risky sexual behaviour   A New Line of Defense Against Sexual Assault   Indiana University researchers revisit male bisexuality   Circumcision helps stop wart virus, study finds   Child Abuse Experts Available to Discuss Precious   Definition of Premature Ejaculation by International Society for Sexual Medicine (ISSM)   Britain wants ideas to boost egg, sperm donation   Study links water pollution with declining male fertility   Adolescent Sex Linked to Adult Body, Mood Troubles in Animal Study   Oral drug therapy for erectile dysfunction   Understanding the process of homosexual identity formation among Asian and Pacific Islander youth   Increased responsibility could lead to decreased sexual activity among women

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]