Sperm donor limitation by country

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The limit of how many families or couples a sperm donor may assist varies with country.

Contents

[edit] Overview table

Country Donor payment (USD) Limitation/donor Anonymity
Australia
Belgium medical practitioner decides
Canada 25 offspring per population of 800,000 [3]
Denmark 60[4] None [5][6] yes & no
New Zealand 10 children to 4 families
Norway 6 children [7] yes
Spain medical practitioner decides
Sweden 50[8] 12 children [9] yes
UK 10 families. No export limit. [10]
USA 25 births population of 850,000[11] yes & no

[edit] By country

[edit] Australia

In Victoria, there is a limit of 10 families per donor.[1] In Western Australia, the Human Reproductive Technology Act 1991 (HRT Act) limits the number of families for each donor to 5.[2]

[edit] Belgium

The medical practitioner performing the procedure will set his or her own limit on the number of pregnancies from each donor which will depend upon the size of the community where the recipient is resident. This also applies to foreign women who are treated in Belgium.

[edit] Canada

There is no upper limit to the number of donor offspring in Canada, but sperm banks generally follow the same recommendations as in the US, i.e. a maximum of 25 offspring per population of 800,000. [3]

[edit] Denmark

In Denmark, one donor may give rise to 25 children. [6]

However, Denmark also exports semen to other countries, and for the donors participating in that way there is practically no limit[6]. Since the limits for each country that is receiving the samples are followed, the risk of consanguinity is reduced.

[edit] New Zealand

In New Zealand, a voluntary policy law by fertility clinics limit one donor to "fathering" a maximum of 10 children to 4 families.

[edit] Norway

Clinics in Norway has a maximum of 6 children per donor. [7]

[edit] Spain

The medical practitioner performing the treatment will set his or her own limit of live births from one donor according to the size of the community where the donee is resident. This also applies when foreign women are treated in Spain.

[edit] Sweden

In Sweden, a donor may give a child to a maximum of 6 couples. However, each pair may have a sibling in addition. Thus, the limit is 12 children per donor. [9] [12] Nevertheless, the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare (Socialstyrelsen) recommends a maximum of 6 children per donor[13].

[edit] UK

The HFEA sets a limit of 10 families within the UK which can be created using the gametes of one donor.[10] However, there is no limit to the number of children which may be born to each such family from the same donor. A donor may set a lower limit and may impose conditions on the use of his sperm. In addition, there is no prohibition on the export of sperm from the UK provided that the number of families created in the UK does not exceed ten at the time of the export. This means that in practice some donors may produce substantial numbers of children, particularly where sperm samples are exported within the European Union to countries such as Belgium or Spain. Special permission is required from the HFEA for the export of embryos.

[edit] USA

In the USA, there are no laws governing sperm donation. [14]. Rather, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), and other expert groups, e.g. American Association of Tissue Banks[14] give recommendations and guidelines. The ASRM guidelines limit a donor to 25 live births per population area of 850,000,[11] although this is not enforced by law, there is no central tracking, and it has been estimated that only about 40% of births are reported. It is likely that some donors have over one hundred genetic children.[15] Some sperm banks impose lower limits; e.g., the Sperm Bank of California has a limit of ten families per donor [16], and the Rainbow Flag Sperm Bank has a limit of donor children by six different women.[17]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Monash IVF sperm donor info
  2. ^ a b Western Australian Reproductive Technology Council
  3. ^ a b Women shopping for super sperm Sue Montgomery, CanWest News Service; Montreal Gazette. Published: Saturday, December 10, 2005
  4. ^ Corresponding to 300 DKK
  5. ^ 25 to women inside country, but Denmark also exports
  6. ^ a b c Cryos (Danish)
  7. ^ a b Assistert befruktning med donorsæd (Assisted reproduction with donor semen) Sosial- og helsedirektoratet
  8. ^ corresponding to 300 SEK
  9. ^ a b Sahlgrenska Hospital's sperm donor information (Swedish)
  10. ^ a b HFEA information for donors
  11. ^ a b ASRM guidelines for gamete and embryo donation
  12. ^ Karolinska University Hospital
  13. ^ SOSFS 2005:17, Ändring i föreskrifterna och allmänna råden (SOSFS 2002:13) om assisterad befruktning (Swedish)
  14. ^ a b fertilitycommunity.com
  15. ^ DSR_Discussion Yahoo group
  16. ^ The Sperm Bank of California information on donor sperm
  17. ^ Rainbow Flag Health Services