New donor registrations

Number of donors by the year they first registered as a donor at an HFEA licensed clinic, 1992-2008

  • Each donor may specify the number of families he or she is willing to help create. A donor may donate to one family, or specify any number up to a maximum of 10 families.
  • Donors may go on to donate in subsequent years or their sperm/eggs may be used at other clinics.
  • Donor eggs, sperm or embryos may be stored and used some time after the donor registered or donated. For example, where donor sperm is reserved for use in treatment to create donor siblings some years after the first child is born.
  • Donors must be registered with the HFEA within 5 days of their eggs or sperm becoming available for use, and after counselling and screening.
  • Individuals are only registered as donors if they donate their eggs, sperm or embryos for treatment. Anyone only donating for research is not registered as a donor. In surrogacy arrangements, the commissioning couple (or the commissioning father) would have to register as donors if they provide the eggs, sperm or embryos.
  • The number of egg donors shown here includes both those who donate all their eggs in a treatment cycle (non-patient egg donors) and those who share their eggs with up to two recipients (egg share donors).

Graphical representation of table below

 

 All new donors registered
Year Sperm donors Egg donors
1992 331 447
1993 415 522
1994 416 731
1995 412 745
1996 417 805
1997 341 913
1998 255 946
1999 297 1,120
2000 310 1,219
2001 313 1,281
2002 275 1,146
2003 247 1,029
2004 224 1,029
2005 250 923
2006 285 783
2007 364 956
2008 384 1,084

Further information

Page last updated: 21 July 2009