Sperm :: Number of sperm donors up following anonymity law changes

The number of men registering as sperm donors rose by 6% in the year following the law removing donor anonymity, the latest figures from the HFEA have shown. Registration is up both in UK sperm donors and in the total number of donors available (which includes imported sperm).

In the 12 months to 31 March 2006 – the year following the law change – there were 265 new sperm donors registered with the HFEA (of which 208 were based in the UK.). New registrations in the 12 months to 31 March 2005 were 250 (of which 197 were based in the UK).

In September 2005 the HFEA issued a report ‘Who are the Donors?’ as part of its review of the sperm, egg and embryo donation system which showed that modern sperm donors are typically family men in their 30s, rather than the old-fashioned stereotype of a medical student in their teens or early 20s.

Shirley Harrison, Chair of the HFEA, said:

“The decision by the UK Parliament to remove anonymity for those sperm and egg donors who registered after 1 April 2005 has always been controversial.

“Many commentators continue to claim that the change in the law to remove anonymity for sperm and egg donors would lead to an immediate and steep fall in the number of donors. These new figures show that the predicted drop in sperm donor numbers is a myth.

“The HFEA’s role in the donor system is to keep a register of every person who becomes a donor and to provide guidelines for the donation system. We have no role in encouraging donors to come forward. However we do think it is important to inform the work of those people working in the donor system by providing information about trends in donor recruitment.

“Professionals working in the sector say that there are a complex set of reasons which led to a fall in donor numbers from 1997 onwards. The British Fertility Society, the National Gamete Donation Trust and other organisations have been looking at ways to improve the numbers of sperm donors recruited in the UK. It is acknowledged that egg donations have fallen during this period but the procedures for and issues involved in egg donation are much more complex, as are the reasons why women may or may not choose to donate.

“Alongside the sector-wide work, more and more individual clinics are increasing their efforts to recruit sperm donors. These figures show that these efforts have been paying off and the early indications are that the numbers of sperm donors are continuing to increase all the time.”

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