Sperm donor cash rises as UK faces national shortage

It's the first time the compensation amount has gone up since 2011

From today (October 1), the maximum amount of compensation a sperm donor can get per clinic visit in England, Wakes and Northern Ireland is £45, up from £35.

Meanwhile, the compensation for egg donors has risen from £750 to £985.

This is the first time compensation for donors has gone up since 2011.

It is illegal to pay someone to donate sperm or eggs in the UK, so instead donors are given compensation to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation. Sperm donation can involve visiting a clinic once a week for three to six months.

According to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), the UK's fertility regulator, there is a shortage of egg and sperm donors in the country.

But the regulator, which sets the compensation amounts, has warned against people donating for financial gain.

A spokesperson for the HFEA told the BBC: "Choosing to become a donor is a complex decision, with implications for the donor and their wider family, the recipient, and any child born as a result.

"Donors will go through rigorous medical screening and must be comfortable with the fact that any children born from their donation can contact them when they turn 18."

The regulator explained the increase in compensation was partly due to inflation in recent years. The HFEA is importing sperm to help deal with the shortage, with the majority coming from the US and Denmark.

According to Nicole Nel, operations and laboratory manager at the London Sperm Bank, the UK shortage is not due to a lack of applicants, but instead a lack in "quality of the applicants."

She told the BBC that people's lifestyles are affecting the quality of donations, and that the London Sperm Bank are only accepting a small percentage of people who apply to be donors.

Sperm donors in the UK generally need to be between the ages of 18 and 45.

Donating sperm will usually involve visiting a clinic "once a week for between three and six months," according to the HFEA.

One of these visits will involve ejaculating into a sterilised cup and the sperm is then frozen and stored.