Sperm donors (unknown donors through licensed clinics)
If you sign up with a fertility clinic which is licensed by the Human Fertiilsation and Embryology Authority (the HFEA) in the UK to donate your sperm to unknown recipients, you will not be treated as the legal father of any child conceived as a result of your donation and you will have no responsibility as a parent.
Sperm donors: information rights
Information about you will be recorded by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Any child conceived with your sperm after 1991 will have rights to access information about you in later life:
- Your offspring will, once they reach the age of 16, be able to find out non-identifying information about you.
- If you became a donor after 1 April 2005 (or if you choose to re-register as an identifiable donor) any children conceived with your donated sperm or embryos will also be able to ask the HFEA for identifying information about you (including your name and address) once they reach the age of 18. They may use this information to get in touch with you. It is likely that you will be contacted by the HFEA if a request for identifying information about you is made.
As from 1 October 2009, donors will have a legal right to request certain limited information about their genetic offspring. If you wish you can ask the HFEA whether your donation was successful and, if so, whether any children born were boys or girls and the year of their birth.
Sperm donors: the use and storage of your sperm
The maximum number of families who can conceive with your donated sperm or embryos is ten, although you can specify a lower limit if you prefer. Each family you donate to can conceive more than one child using your sperm or embryos within this limit.
Your sperm (or embryos created with them) may only be used within the terms of the consent you give, and you may set whatever conditions you wish. You have the legal right to vary or withdraw your consent at any time before your sperm or embryos are placed in the body of another person. However, if you withdraw your consent in respect of an embryo and the egg provider does not agree, the clinic has a legal obligation to hold the embryos in storage for 12 months before destroying them to give you the opportunity to change your mind (although they cannot be used in treatment during this period without your consent).
Your sperm (or embryos created with them) may usually be stored for a maximum of ten years. Special extended storage regulations allow sperm or embryos to be stored for much longer in certain circumstances depending on your recipients' medical circumstances, although the rules are complex. Find out more about the extended storage rules.
