Sperm donors ‘should be given right to remain anonymous to halt chronic shortage of donations’
Dr Luciano Nardo has revealed British clinics are increasingly reliant on eggs and sperm imported from Europe
SPERM and egg donors should be given the right to anonymity to put an end to a shortage of donor stocks in the UK, a leading fertility expert has warned.
Dr Luciano Nardo, consultant gynaecologist, warned British clinics are increasingly reliant on eggs and sperm imported from Europe, as demand exceeds supply in the UK.
Dr Nardo, clinical director of Reproductive Health Group in Cheshire, believes a 'right to know' law, introduced in 2005, is to blame - as all children conceived through donations can apply for the name, date of birth, and last known address of the donor as soon as they turn 18.
Under British law, a donor must give non-identifying information including height, weight and eye colour, as well as a medical background, when they make a donation.
They must also provide their full name and date of birth, which is stored with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), as well as information about whether they have any children at the time of the donation, how many and their gender.
Children conceived using a donor can apply for non-identifying information at 16.
Dr Nardo said: “The law change is undoubtedly to blame for the decline in the number of people willing to donate.
“The only way to address this is through a legislative overhaul, reversing the law introduced in 2005, to give those desperate to have children the gift of life.”
According to the HFEA, around 2,000 children are born every year in the UK from donated eggs, sperm or embryos.
Meanwhile, the number of women seeking IVF and donor insemination is continuing to grow, year on year, with over half of women over 45 using donated eggs.
But the most recent data from the organisation, dating back to 2013, revealed almost a third of new donor sperm registrations came from abroad - with most originating from the USA and Denmark.
In 2014, the National Gamete Donor Trust admitted supply of sperm and egg donors was not meeting demand and clinics were becoming overly reliant on imported sperm and egg sharing.
In response to this, the National Sperm Bank was set up with a £77,000 grant from the Department of Health - aiming to be financially sufficient within one year.
But this week, it was announced the bank was unable to fund further recruitment of donors after only successfully taking on seven men in 18 months.