The money paid to sperm donors is rising as Britain faces shortages

Compensation for sperm donors has increased from £35 to a maximum of £45 per clinic visit.

The £10 increase will come into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from October 1, when the egg donor takes place Compensation will also increase from €750 to €986.

In Britain it is illegal to pay someone to donate sperm or eggs, so the money goes to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation. Sperm donation may involve visiting a clinic once a week for three to six months.

The British fertility regulator acknowledged a shortage of egg and sperm donors. But it warned that donating was a “complex decision” and that every child born had the right to contact their biological parents after turning 18.

One sperm donor, named Joseph by the BBC, said the £35 he received for each clinic trip did not compensate him nearly enough for his time and travel, but said his motivation was to help people.

“I’m a married gay man and we adopted our son, so we didn’t have the normal route that most heterosexual couples have taken to parenthood,” he said.

“During the adoption process you come across many hetero couples who have had fertility problems. That’s why I wanted to help someone and give them the opportunity to start a family, whether it’s someone with fertility problems, a lesbian couple or a single person. “

It is the first time since 2011 that compensation for sperm and egg donors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has increased.

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which sets the level of compensation, said the change was partly due to high inflation in recent years, but warned against donating sperm or eggs for the money.

“The choice to become a donor is a complex decision, with consequences for the donor and their wider family, the recipient and any child born as a result,” a spokesperson for the fertility regulator said.

“Donors will undergo rigorous medical screening and should feel comfortable knowing that any children born from their donation may contact them when they turn 18,” the HFEA spokesperson said.

Joseph said he was happy with the new compensation rate of £45 per clinic visit.

He added: “I think it’s difficult to find a balance between compensating someone and then overpaying and then turning it into a financial incentive.”

But there are groups that are concerned about the increase in compensation.

Helen Gibson, founder of Surrogacy Concern, a British group that campaigns on issues surrounding surrogacy and gamete donation, said the organization does not support “any payment for gametes.”

“Donations cannot be called altruistic while money is being exchanged,” she said.

“The bodies of young people are not resources to be mined for the benefit of older, wealthier couples and individuals. If a ‘shortage’ of donors emerges, perhaps it reflects the fact that most people do not want their genetic children to be raised. by others.”

One way to address a sperm shortage is to import it. The HFEA says the majority of sperm imported into Britain comes from sperm banks in the US and Denmark.

Nicole Nel, operations and laboratory manager at the London Sperm Bank, believes the shortage is not due to a “lack of candidates” in Britain, but to “the lack of quality of candidates”.

She also claimed that the way people live today could affect sperm quality, adding that the London Sperm Bank can only accept a small percentage of people who sign up as donors.

Ms Nel also believes the narrative around the typical sperm donor is changing.

Sperm donors in Britain must generally be between 18 and 45 years old.

“Maybe 20 years ago it was students, but I think now it’s a very healthy combination of people because infertility has become a more widely discussed topic and awareness around it has increased,” she said.

“I think the type of person who ends up being a donor is someone who is more aware of what they’re doing. It’s not the typical student who’s just looking for an easy way to make money.”

The HFEA said British sperm donors usually visit a clinic “once a week for three to six months”.

During one of these visits, ejaculation is performed in a sterilized cup, after which the semen is frozen and stored.

It is not possible to donate anonymously and all donors are advised that any child born can contact them once they turn 18.