Money paid to sperm and egg donors increases for first time in 13 years amid 'shortage'
The amount of money paid to sperm and egg donors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has increased for the first time in 13 years amid a shortage of people coming forward. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which is the UK's fertility regulator, said around one in 170 of all children born in the UK are conceived through donation of egg or sperm.
But, although the HFEA acknowledged there was a shortage of donors of both sperm and eggs when asked by the BBC, it warned against people doing it purely for the money. It did say, however, that inflation meant it was time to increase the compensation paid to donors.
Director of strategy and corporate affairs at the HFEA, Clare Ettinghausen, said: "Donating eggs, sperm or embryos to someone else is a serious commitment with lifelong implications, such as the fact donors must be comfortable that any children born from their donation can find out identifiable information about their donor when they turn 18. The current value of donor compensation was set after the HFEA carried out a large-scale public consultation on its donation policies in October 2011. In this, we sought views from the public, donors, clinics, and other interested parties on various donor issues, including compensation. We also carried out a thorough ethical review."
She said that the HFEA agreed a set of principles, to ensure a balance was found between compensating donors "without crossing the boundary into what could be considered monetisation", while making sure that donation should remain an altruistic act, and also that there weren’t any unjustifiable barriers to donation – such as making it unaffordable for some people to donate.
She continued: "Our Code of Practice sets out that donors may be compensated with a fixed amount of money, which reasonably covers any financial losses incurred donating eggs or sperm to a clinic. A rise in inflation means that donor compensation rates no longer reflect the intended compensation for time and expenses when the rates were originally set – prompting our Authority (Board) to re-examine donor compensation amounts earlier this year and introduce new rates."
Those new rates, which came into effect on October 1, are £985 for egg donors, an increase from £750, and £45 per clinic visit for sperm donors, up from £35.
Clare said: "There are very good reasons behind making sure that donation is an altruistic act. A financial inducement, for example, may impact on the safety of patients and the future child, if it motivated donors to make claims about their health or genetic background in order to successfully donate. The new compensation rates aim to maintain these values, while recognising that costs have increased since 2011.
"Academic research in the UK has consistently found that donating eggs and sperm is driven by altruism to help others to create much-longed-for families. Choosing to become a donor, however, is a complex decision that should not be taken lightly, because of the implications for the donor and their wider family, the recipient, and any child born as a result."
She said the process of donating egges was "generally very safe", but, like any invasive medical procedure, it carried some risk. She said there were strict rules in the UK to ensure patient safety.
From now on, donor compensation rates will be reviewed by the HFEA every five years, or if inflation passes 10%. More information about egg donation and sperm donation can be found on the HFEA website.