January 17, 2011

expert reaction to HFEA public consultation on sperm and egg donation

Comments on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s public consultation into its policies on egg and sperm donation.

Dr. Allan Pacey, Senior Lecturer in Andrology at the University of Sheffield, said:

“Assisted conception using donor sperm, eggs and embryos remains an important part of fertility treatment for some couples. However, in recent years we have seen increasing numbers of UK citizens going overseas for fertility treatment, and we think a large part of this is because of the difficulties of getting suitable donors in the UK.

“In 2008 the British Fertility Society published a report from a working party which considered aspects of sperm donation in the UK. This called for many aspects of regulation to be reviewed, including how much compensation donors might be allowed to receive as well as whether we should increase of limit the number of times donors can be used to create families. Some countries have very different regulations to ours and there is perhaps much we can learn from them.

“I am very pleased that the HFEA are now holding this consultation. Donation issues raise many ethical issues for some people and so it is important that they engage with this consultation so we know what UK citizens think about these issues. That way, we can set a new framework that should serve us well for the next decade, and hopefully improve the opportunities for UK couples who need donor sperm, eggs and embryos to start a family.”

Alan Thornhill, Scientific Director, The London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre, said:

“This consultation is most welcome to patients and clinics alike. The sector is crying out for a simple, transparent compensation system ensuring that donors are not left out of pocket or put off by unnecessary bureaucracy. A review of the family limit is also long-overdue as there is little evidence to suggest that increasing the limit would significantly increase the chance of donor siblings meeting and marrying. Instead, an increase [in the family limit] should lead to patients getting what they desperately need: better access to treatment and more choice of donors.”

The consultation pages can be found at: www.hfea.gov.uk/donationreview