Sperm From UK Is Being Exported To Several Countries

Sperm donated in the UK is being exported to other countries. Violating a strict 10-family limit for sperm donation that applies in the UK, this exported sperm can create large numbers of children across the world.

According to The Guardian, as per the British norms, a single sperm donor can be used to create no more than 10 families in UK fertility clinics. But there are no restrictions on sperm or eggs from the country being exported abroad.

This increases the prospect of some donor-conceived children navigating relationships with dozens of biological half-siblings across Europe and beyond.

Once you’ve frozen sperm it doesn’t get any older. This means that a donor sperm could continue to be used for years or decades. According to HEFA, the British regulatory body, 10 is the number people feel comfortable with in terms of the number of potential donor-conceived children, half-siblings and families that might be created.

According to The Guardian, the United Kingdom was an importer of sperm till five years ago, mainly from the US and Denmark. But between 2019 and 2021, the UK exported 7,542 straws of sperm. The world’s largest sperm and egg bank Cryos has opened a unit in Manchester in April 2024.