Appeal for sperm donors

There's such a shortage of sperm donors in the South of England that one local trust has issued an appeal for men to come forward to help childless couples.

Southampton University Hospitals NHS trust runs a sperm bank and donor programme, but staff have seen such a decline in the number of donors in recent year that they've made a public appeal to try to recruit more men. It's a national problem which has meant long waiting lists for couples who need to use donor sperm to conceive. In the UK it is no longer possible to donate sperm anonymously, and people who are conceived through donation can find out the identity of their donor once they are 18.

Anyone who is interested in donating should be between the ages of 18 and 45, and there will be some medical tests and counselling to ensure that potential donors have a chance to talk through any concerns. If you're interested in becoming a donor you can find out more on the trust website at www.suht.nhs.uk

New measures to recruit sperm donors

Finally, a call for measures to recruit more sperm donors... Anyone who needs treatment with donor sperm in the UK will be only too aware of the shortage of
donors here. It's often blamed on the removal of anonymity, although some say it has just as much to do with the lack of time and effort clinics have put into recruitment.

Now, the British Fertility Society has highlighted the problem, and is calling for new measures to encourage the recruitment of donors and to reduce waiting lists. The expert group suggests sperm sharing schemes could be considered, where couples who need fertility treatment could be offered it more cheaply if the male partner donates some sperm. They have also suggested that the limit on the number of children born from an individual's donation could be increased. You can read more about their proposals at www.britishfertilitysociety.org.uk