U.K.’s Sperm Supply Dries Up Following Anti-Anonymity Rule for Donors

U.K. laws denying anonymity to sperm donors seem
to have resulted in a “major sperm
shortage,” according to the British Fertility Society (BFS).
Now some clinics are importing sperm from the U.S. and Denmark to
keep up with demand.

The right to anonymity was stripped from British sperm donors in
2005. At the time, only about one tenth of donated sperm samples at
U.K. clinics came from abroad. Now, figures from the
country’s Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Authority show that foreign sperm
makes up a quarter of all samples. 

Am I the only one surprised—but a little bit delighted—that an
international sperm trade exists? I’m also curious whether American
or Danish DNA will prove to be more popular with Brits
(bets?). 

In other semen news this week: Women using in-vitro
fertilization seem to fare slightly better with older sperm donors
(40 and over) than those in their 20s, according to research being
presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Society of Human
Reproduction and Embryology Tuesday. “Current UK guidelines suggest
men should not be accepted as donors over the age of 40,”
according to The Daily Mail, “but experts say it may
be time for a re-think to ease the growing shortage of sperm
donors.”