This percentage of men accepted to be sperm donors

By Stephen Beech via SWNS

Less than one in 25 men are accepted to be sperm donors, with more than half of the UK's donors imported from overseas, reveals a new study.

Researchers found that fewer than four in 100 men who apply to be sperm donors reach the end of the process and have samples frozen and released for treatments.

A European team, led by Sheffield University scholars, worked with the world’s largest sperm bank, Cryos International, to map what happened to more than 11,700 men who applied to be donors.

The findings show that more than half of the men who applied to be donors at Cryos in Denmark and the United States (54.91 percent) withdrew from the program before having samples released for use.

The UK relies heavily on imported sperm from the U.S. and Denmark.

Around one in six applicants (17.41 percent) were rejected because of a health issue or because they were a carrier for a genetic disease or had an infectious disease that could not be treated.

The findings, published in the journal Human Reproduction, also showed just over one in 10 of the applicants (11.71 percent) failed a screening questionnaire about their lifestyle, while a similar number (11.2 percent) were rejected because their sperm quality was not good enough.

Study lead author Professor Allan Pacey of the University of Sheffield said: “To our knowledge this is the largest study of sperm donor applicants outside China.

"Given that the UK relies so heavily on imported sperm from the U.S. and Denmark, it is important for us to understand the recruitment processes there and reassure ourselves that they are safe as well as see if there is anything we can do to improve them.”

Recent figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have shown that more than half of the new sperm donors registered in the UK were from imported sperm, mostly from sperm banks such as Cryos in the U.S. and Denmark.

Since 2006 it has been illegal in the UK to use sperm from donors who are unwilling to be identified to any people born from their donations.

For the new study, Pacey and the team looked at how many of the donors at Cryos agreed to be identifiable compared to those that did not.

They found that more than four in 10 donor candidates (41.27 percent) initially agreed to be identifiable, and it was more common for applicants in Denmark to agree to waive their anonymity than applicants in the States.

The team also found that as the screening and donation process continued, more of the donors who initially wanted to be anonymous, agreed to become identifiable.

Pacey said: “The study with Cryos highlights how hard it is to become a sperm donor.

"It’s not like blood donation where once it’s done, you can have a cup of tea and go home.

"Sperm donation is a regular commitment with lots of screening and regular testing as well as life-long implications for the donor if any children are born from their sample.

“What’s particularly fascinating is that more donors, who initially wanted to remain anonymous, were willing to be identifiable as the screening and donation process continued.

"This is particularly good news for patients in the UK undergoing fertility treatment, as it is a legal requirement for sperm donors to be identifiable to any children born from their donations.”

Dr. Anne-Bine Skytte, medical director at Cryos International, said: “We are very grateful to Professor Pacey and the team for their in-depth analysis of sperm donors, which has already been very valuable in helping Cryos look at its recruitment process and try to make them more efficient."

She added: “If we can recruit donors more easily, then this will help keep costs down for patients in the UK and elsewhere who often buy donor sperm with their own money because it’s not funded by the NHS.”

To be accepted as a sperm donor in the UK, men must be aged between 18 and 45 and be fit and healthy with good sperm quality.

Donors undergo a range of screening tests for genetic conditions and infectious diseases, as well as an analysis of their family medical history.