In 2006, 2106 women received donor sperm, 1622 women received donor eggs and 98 women received donor embryos in the UK. In addition to these, many people travel from other countries to purchase donated sperm, eggs or embryos, as the UK is at the forefront of assisted reproductive technology.
The journal Human Fertility published new guidelines to minimize the risk of an IVF patient getting an infection from the donor and also to protect any babies born via donation from getting an inherited disease.
What Will Doctors Test For?
New tests will look for:
- Human T cell lymphotropic viruses (which are thought to cause some types of cancer)
- Chromosomes - the number of chromosomes will be checked to make sure they are normal
- Conditions related to ethnic background. Some conditions affect certain groups of people more than others, such as thalassemia in people of Mediterranean origin.
Donor Medical History
A more detailed medical history will be taken, and the following categories of people will be refused to be allowed to be donors. They are:
- Those with a family history of CJD - even if they were not directly affected. Any family member with CJD will disqualify them
- Any family history of another prion-related disease
- Anyone who has undergone invasive neurosurgery
- Anyone who has had a tissue transplant from the human eye or nervous system
- Anyone who has had a pituitary derived human growth hormone
- Anyone with a family history of haemophilia, Huntington's disease or any other genetically inherited condition
- Anyone with a family history of congenital heart malformations or other congenital conditions.
Extra Peace of Mind if You Use Donated Sperm or Embryos
Under the new guidelines, sperm and embryo donors will be re-tested after an 180 days' quarantine period to double check that they don't have any sexually transmitted infections.
Infections currently tested for are syphilis, gonorrhoea and chlamydia, Hepatitis B and C, and HIV.
Male donors will also have their fertility screened by looking at a sample of their sperm to make sure they are healthy, as this will increase the chances of pregnancy for the infertile couple.
The guidelines were drawn up by representatives from several groups including the British Fertility Society, the Association of Clinical Embryologists and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Dr Allen Pacey, Chair of the working party that developed the guidelines, said "The UK professional bodies have worked together to revise these guidelines and promote good clinical practice, providing patients with safe and effective treatment and helping them have healthy children.”
Sources: Human Fertility 2008, 11(4), 201-210. DOI: 10.1080/14647270802563816
British Fertility Society Press Office.
