The Fertility Partnership (TFP), the UK’s largest fertility services provider, is launching a dedicated TFP Donor Bank (www.tfpdonorbank.com) to combat the growing shortage of sperm in the UK.
With 1 in 7 British couples facing difficulties conceiving1, the UK is importing around 7,000 samples each year to keep up with demand 2. The number of available UK donors has fallen by 66% in the UK since the pandemic according to The Fertility Partnership’s own data.
In an effort to understand why men are not donating, The Fertility Partnership’s Donor Bank asked 2000 men in the UK for their opinions on why donors are not coming forward and as a result is launching a nationwide campaign, Give Future Families a Choice, in a mission to change outdated perceptions of what it is to be a sperm donor.
The study found that 87% of British men weren’t aware of the number of couples in the UK having difficulties conceiving.
More than half (54%) of British men didn’t understand the process of how to donate sperm, with almost half of males (44%) claiming that fertility is not an important quality of a sperm donor. Whilst being a non-smoker, non-drinker and being physically fit ranked highly in terms of donor suitability. 68% of those men surveyed did not understand that a traceable family history is an important factor to becoming a suitable donor.
Additionally, a third of British men (33%) believe that sperm donation has the same level of social acceptance as giving blood. Nearly half of these men (48%) have given blood and 49% would be comfortable donating sperm.
“One thing for certain is there is a clear gap in an understanding of what it takes to become a sperm donor and why donation is important,” says Edward Coats, Consultant at The Fertility Partnership’s Donor Bank. “British men aren’t aware of the enormous difference they can make to the lives of British couples as they bring new families to life.”
“Every year, around 2000 children are conceived in the UK with the help of a donor according to the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA).3 Offering a centralised Donor Bank is the first step in the process but we need donors to come forward.” he continues.
“With demand outweighing supply in the UK, we want to educate the men of Britain about the process of sperm donation and debunk the myths that surround it, so that we can increase the number of donors within our donor banks and help give future British families a choice.”
The good news is that younger men are eager to learn more about the process of sperm donation. The TFP Donor Bank study found that more than any other age group, millennials, (25-34 year olds), are keen to learn more about how a sperm bank works (55%). Over three-quarters of British males (78%) believe that more men would come forward and donate sperm if they understood more about the process.
The study also found that along with younger men, aged 18-24, wanting to learn more about the process of donating sperm, they also placed a greater value on understanding the health of their sperm (29%) as a reason why they would donate.
Tim Child, Medical Director at The Fertility Partnership comments: “Last year The Fertility Partnership clinics used donor sperm in 477 treatment cycles. That’s 477 chances for sperm donors to offer ‘The Gift of Life’ and help families be created. Nonetheless, more donors are needed. By donating to HFEA licensed clinics, such as ours, donors are protecting themselves, our patients and the children that are conceived.”
