Donor sperm or eggs: Why you should use a UK donor

25th September 2015 in Treatments

This information was correct at the time of publishing. It may not reflect our current practices, prices or regulations.

If you need to use donor sperm or donor eggs to have a baby, you’ll always find reports of people who have travelled abroad to seek out a donor for treatment.

Often it’s the selection method of donors which is the attraction, with many foreign clinics offering patients catalogues to browse, with detailed profiles. Whilst others believe that going abroad avoids waiting lists, and gets them the instant access to the donor eggs or sperm they need.

At Manchester Fertility, we offer detailed donor profiles, which include personal goodwill messages from our donors, to help you choose the right donor for you. All donors are screened in accordance to strict HFEA standards, and are counselled and fully identifiable to any children born.

Here’s why UK donors are the best choice if you need to use eggs or sperm to have a baby:

Your child’s origins:If you have successful treatment abroad, you may not be able to explain to your child its origin, because often anonymity for donors still applies. You won’t be able to give your child the chance to find out who their donor is, what type of person he or she is, what interests they have. All the things that any donor-conceived person would want to know. It’s why UK law was changed to remove anonymity for egg and sperm donors, in the interests and wellbeing of donor-conceived people. Using a HFEA-registered, UK donor through a licensed clinic means that your child can apply to the HFEA for identifiable details about their donor when they turn 18.

Screening and embryo transfer:Can you be sure a foreign clinic, egg or sperm donor bank has the same ethical and screening standards for its donors as those in the UK? Remember that only men and women who pass the HFEA’s strict medical standards are accepted as sperm and egg donors. Many foreign clinics will also routinely transfer multiple embryos, which if result in multiple pregnancy and birth carry considerable health risks.

Legalities:If treatment takes place using a registered donor through an official HFEA-licensed clinic, then the parentage is set by law – the donor has no legal, financial or moral responsibility for any subsequent children.

Numbers of donor siblings:In the UK, the numbers of families created from a single sperm or egg donor is limited to 10. But these rules only apply in this country, it’s not unusual to hear of donors in other countries who have created hundreds of children.

If you’re considering going abroad or using internet-based sperm services, please speak to us on 0161 300 2737. We’ll advise you on treatment using donor eggs or sperm that can be offered here at our clinic, how soon you can start treatment and current range of available donors from our award-winning donor bank, all with the personal care and support of our dedicated donation team.

Last updated: 4th May 2021