Showing posts with label sperm donor payment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sperm donor payment. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
China sperm bank boosts donor payments to increase stocks
The Henan Provincial Human Sperm Bank has offered cash payments of up to 5,000 yuan ($817) for donors, according to a notice on its Sina Weibo on Sunday, though the entire process takes around eight months.
Demand is high due to an increasing number of people with fertility problems coupled with limited stocks of sperm, the head of the sperm bank told the Global Times on Monday.
The 5,000 yuan subsidy pays for things like losing income and appropriate nutrition, according to Li Yushan, the director of the bank. At the very beginning of the donation process, donors are given 50 yuan for each donation. After they donate three or four times, qualified donors are given 200 yuan for each donation.
They also need to undergo tests for Hepatitis B and syphilis. A successful volunteer needs to donate sperm 10 or 15 times, Li said. Around six months after the donations, donors need to take an HIV examination and will receive a final payment of 1,500 yuan. The total payments amount to 5,000 yuan, Li said.
The candidates should be aged between 22 and 45, be healthy and have no genetic diseases. They should be at least 1.7 meters tall and have a diploma in technical secondary school or above. Li said that while the diplomas do not relate directly to the quality of a donor’s genes, clients insisted upon the requirement.
After the notice was issued there were around 50 donations a day, twice the amount during the summer holidays. The total number of donors stood at around 1,200 between January and September, Li said.
“About 90 percent of the donors are college students. They are young, energetic and find it easy to accept new things. And most of them have no bad lifestyle habits and no sex lives, and their time is flexible,” Li said.
Some donated sperm are provided to reproductive centers to be used in assisted reproductive technology while some are used in medical research and some are frozen for donors for up to 30 years, in case they become infertile.
Across the country, many of the 16 banks urgently require donated sperm due to increasing numbers of infertile people. Although medical technology has advanced, the quality of sperm has declined in recent years to some degree, Li said, adding that this is due to a number of factors including pollution, working pressure and unhealthy living habits.
Statistics published by Lei Fang, former head of the second affiliated hospital of Zhengzhou University in Henan Province, show that there were about 40 million people with fertility problems in China among those aged between 20 and 40 in the past 20 years, the Dahe Daily reported.
Article: 24th September 2013 www.nznews.com
Friday, 6 April 2012
Egg and sperm donor regulator is seeking to increase numbers donating
The UK fertility regulator is seeking to increase the amount of egg and sperm donation.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) says people should feel the same about it as they do about altruistic, or living, organ donation.
It is launching a new drive to encourage more donors to come forward to help infertile couples have a child. But critics say egg donation is an invasive process, and women should be warned of the risks.
Infertility affects about one-in-six couples in the UK, and when other fertility treatments fail, they sometimes turn to egg or sperm donors for help. But because of a shortage in donors in the UK, a number go abroad for treatment, sometimes to unregulated clinics.
The HFEA is trying to increase the number of national donors because of concerns about the safety of treatment abroad. Last year it agreed to increase the levels of compensation given to egg and sperm donors.
Now it is bringing together a group of experts to help develop ways of increasing awareness of gamete donation in the UK, and to encourage people to regard it as a positive contribution to society.
"Donating eggs to another woman is the most extraordinary gift," said HFEA chairwoman Lisa Jardine. The HFEA is also worried that some fertility clinics may discourage donors by making them wait and failing to return their phonecalls.
"It's important to make sure donors are really valued and looked after at clinics," said Laura Witjens of the National Gamete Donation Trust, which helps couples seeking egg or sperm donors.
The HFEA said it was going beyond its usual remit by bringing together a National Donation Strategy Group to look at how to raise awareness. But critics argue that donors should not be given more encouragement to come forward.
Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said egg retrieval was an invasive process that posed potential health risks. "It's one thing to incur risks for your own fertility treatment," she said, "quite another to be exposed to those risks for the benefit of other mothers."
Article: 5th April 2012 www.bbc.co.uk
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) says people should feel the same about it as they do about altruistic, or living, organ donation.
It is launching a new drive to encourage more donors to come forward to help infertile couples have a child. But critics say egg donation is an invasive process, and women should be warned of the risks.
Infertility affects about one-in-six couples in the UK, and when other fertility treatments fail, they sometimes turn to egg or sperm donors for help. But because of a shortage in donors in the UK, a number go abroad for treatment, sometimes to unregulated clinics.
The HFEA is trying to increase the number of national donors because of concerns about the safety of treatment abroad. Last year it agreed to increase the levels of compensation given to egg and sperm donors.
Now it is bringing together a group of experts to help develop ways of increasing awareness of gamete donation in the UK, and to encourage people to regard it as a positive contribution to society.
"Donating eggs to another woman is the most extraordinary gift," said HFEA chairwoman Lisa Jardine. The HFEA is also worried that some fertility clinics may discourage donors by making them wait and failing to return their phonecalls.
"It's important to make sure donors are really valued and looked after at clinics," said Laura Witjens of the National Gamete Donation Trust, which helps couples seeking egg or sperm donors.
The HFEA said it was going beyond its usual remit by bringing together a National Donation Strategy Group to look at how to raise awareness. But critics argue that donors should not be given more encouragement to come forward.
Josephine Quintavalle, of Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said egg retrieval was an invasive process that posed potential health risks. "It's one thing to incur risks for your own fertility treatment," she said, "quite another to be exposed to those risks for the benefit of other mothers."
Article: 5th April 2012 www.bbc.co.uk
Tuesday, 18 January 2011
The HFEA is launching a public consultation about sperm and egg donation: have your say
The HFEA is launching a public consultation about sperm and egg donation. The HFEA believes that the current level of remuneration – £250 per donation for "reasonable expenses" and loss of earnings may but deterring donors.
One in seven British couples have problems conceiving and the demand from infertile, single and gay couples for donated eggs and sperm is steadily rising.
The consultation will focus on three main areas of policy:
:The level of compensation for donors
:The number of families a donor can help to create
:Family donation
Prof Lisa Jardine, Chair of the HFEA said:
‘The donation of sperm and eggs is a generous act and donors have helped many thousands of people achieve their dream of having a child. We know that many people are facing long waiting lists at clinics because of a shortage of donors. We want to ensure that we have the best policies in place so that there are no unnecessary barriers in the way of those wishing to donate whilst protecting those who are born as a result of donation.’
Compensation for donors
Payment for donation is not allowed by law. It does, however, allow compensation for inconvenience, in addition to expenses and loss of earnings. Our current policy is designed to ensure that donors are not out of pocket by donating but that they do not gain financially from it. We currently allow donors to be compensated for expenses and loss of earning, but not for inconvenience.
Feedback from clinics, however, shows that not only do some donors end up out of pocket, but the system is more complex than it needs to be. We are therefore seeking views about whether clinics should offer a lump sum, rather than reimbursing for actual expenses.
Another question in the consultation is whether the HFEA should introduce compensation for inconvenience, as some other European countries do. This move may remove a barrier to donation, but we have to be careful that it does not create a financial incentive to donate. Other countries have different schemes in place. For example, in Denmark, sperm donors receive 50–150 Euros (£45-£135) for the examination, use of their time and travel expenses. In Spain, egg donors are compensated 900 Euros (around £765) whereas sperm donors are compensated 45 Euros (around £40) per valid sample they produce. This is a blanket fee for loss of earnings, expenses and inconvenience.
Another key question for the consultation is issue of egg sharing, where patients donate their eggs in return for a reduction in the cost of their treatment.
The number of families a donor can help to create
The HFEA set a limit on the number of families one donor’s eggs or sperm can be used to help create. The current limit is ten families. This limit minimises the possibility of two children from the same donor having a relationship with each other without knowing they are genetically related. It also addresses the perceived needs of donor conceived people and their parents in maintaining a relatively small number of siblings.
The HFEA are seeking views on what the family limit should be, to ensure the right balance is struck between increasing the availability of donated eggs and sperm and protecting the interests of donors and donor-conceived people.
Family donation
Family donation includes many different types of donation relationships, some more common than others. Donation between sisters, cousins and brothers are the most common donation relationship. The HFEA have also had reports of mother to daughter, daughter to mother, father to son and son to father.
Receiving sperm or eggs from a family member is an attractive option for some as it maintains a genetic link between the recipient and any child born as a result. It can also avoid long waiting lists at fertility clinics.
Donation of this kind can, however, raise some social and ethical issues such as unusual genetic and social relationships. For example, if a woman donates an egg to her sister she will be the genetic mother and social aunt of any child born as a result.
There are a number of options for regulation of family donation including a ban on the mixing of sperm and eggs between close genetic relatives (those who would otherwise be banned from having sex with each other) or only ban the mixing of sperm and eggs between genetic relatives.
The HFEA could also issue additional best practice guidance to clinics or ask them to have a strategy in place to handle cases of family donation.
How to participate
People can share their views through a series of questionnaires on the consultation pages of the HFEA's website. They will also be holding a series of workshops with patients, donors, parents of donors conceived people, as well as those who are donor conceived. The HFEA will also be consulting with clinics.
The HFEA wish to hear a wide range of views both from those directly affected and those who are interested in the issues. The consultation ends on April 17 and decisions will be made at the Authority meeting in July.
To take part and have your say, follow this link www.hfea.gov.uk
To read more about gay parenting, sperm and egg donation visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/gggIEO
One in seven British couples have problems conceiving and the demand from infertile, single and gay couples for donated eggs and sperm is steadily rising.
The consultation will focus on three main areas of policy:
:The level of compensation for donors
:The number of families a donor can help to create
:Family donation
Prof Lisa Jardine, Chair of the HFEA said:
‘The donation of sperm and eggs is a generous act and donors have helped many thousands of people achieve their dream of having a child. We know that many people are facing long waiting lists at clinics because of a shortage of donors. We want to ensure that we have the best policies in place so that there are no unnecessary barriers in the way of those wishing to donate whilst protecting those who are born as a result of donation.’
Compensation for donors
Payment for donation is not allowed by law. It does, however, allow compensation for inconvenience, in addition to expenses and loss of earnings. Our current policy is designed to ensure that donors are not out of pocket by donating but that they do not gain financially from it. We currently allow donors to be compensated for expenses and loss of earning, but not for inconvenience.
Feedback from clinics, however, shows that not only do some donors end up out of pocket, but the system is more complex than it needs to be. We are therefore seeking views about whether clinics should offer a lump sum, rather than reimbursing for actual expenses.
Another question in the consultation is whether the HFEA should introduce compensation for inconvenience, as some other European countries do. This move may remove a barrier to donation, but we have to be careful that it does not create a financial incentive to donate. Other countries have different schemes in place. For example, in Denmark, sperm donors receive 50–150 Euros (£45-£135) for the examination, use of their time and travel expenses. In Spain, egg donors are compensated 900 Euros (around £765) whereas sperm donors are compensated 45 Euros (around £40) per valid sample they produce. This is a blanket fee for loss of earnings, expenses and inconvenience.
Another key question for the consultation is issue of egg sharing, where patients donate their eggs in return for a reduction in the cost of their treatment.
The number of families a donor can help to create
The HFEA set a limit on the number of families one donor’s eggs or sperm can be used to help create. The current limit is ten families. This limit minimises the possibility of two children from the same donor having a relationship with each other without knowing they are genetically related. It also addresses the perceived needs of donor conceived people and their parents in maintaining a relatively small number of siblings.
The HFEA are seeking views on what the family limit should be, to ensure the right balance is struck between increasing the availability of donated eggs and sperm and protecting the interests of donors and donor-conceived people.
Family donation
Family donation includes many different types of donation relationships, some more common than others. Donation between sisters, cousins and brothers are the most common donation relationship. The HFEA have also had reports of mother to daughter, daughter to mother, father to son and son to father.
Receiving sperm or eggs from a family member is an attractive option for some as it maintains a genetic link between the recipient and any child born as a result. It can also avoid long waiting lists at fertility clinics.
Donation of this kind can, however, raise some social and ethical issues such as unusual genetic and social relationships. For example, if a woman donates an egg to her sister she will be the genetic mother and social aunt of any child born as a result.
There are a number of options for regulation of family donation including a ban on the mixing of sperm and eggs between close genetic relatives (those who would otherwise be banned from having sex with each other) or only ban the mixing of sperm and eggs between genetic relatives.
The HFEA could also issue additional best practice guidance to clinics or ask them to have a strategy in place to handle cases of family donation.
How to participate
People can share their views through a series of questionnaires on the consultation pages of the HFEA's website. They will also be holding a series of workshops with patients, donors, parents of donors conceived people, as well as those who are donor conceived. The HFEA will also be consulting with clinics.
The HFEA wish to hear a wide range of views both from those directly affected and those who are interested in the issues. The consultation ends on April 17 and decisions will be made at the Authority meeting in July.
To take part and have your say, follow this link www.hfea.gov.uk
To read more about gay parenting, sperm and egg donation visit www.prideangel.com
To read more go to http://bit.ly/gggIEO
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