Asian couples 'forced abroad' for donor eggs

According to a new BBC report, increasing numbers of Asian couples who need a donor egg to have a baby are having to resort to foreign clinics in India for help, because of the shortage of ethnic donor eggs in the UK.

One couple who have travelled to India say in the report that finding an Asian egg donor in the UK is ‘near impossible’ simply because there are so very few Asian women in the UK who will donate eggs.

Whilst the increase in compensation to £750 a cycle has driven awareness and increased numbers of women donating eggs - at Manchester Fertility we have no waiting list for treatment with donor eggs - it has not helped alleviate the shortage of ethnic donor eggs. 

And so the choice for many people faced with infertility who need a donor egg from a specific ethnic group is either to wait until there’s hope of a donor who can be a match, opt for a donor who isn’t from the same ethnic group but whose eggs are available now, or go abroad where there is a chance of a donor egg that meets their requirements.

At Manchester Fertility, like many donor egg and donor sperm centres in the UK, we do have a shortage of donors from ethnic groups. We are dedicated to raising awareness of the need for more donors from these groups, but we are also very aware of the sensitivity of the issue and that many people feel they cannot donate for cultural or religious reasons.

If you have thought about being a donor, please contact our team in confidence for more information about what is involved. Remember infertility affects everyone – regardless of ethnicity or beliefs – and so without people coming forward to donate, more couples will be heading abroad to clinics which may not be of the same standard of care as in the UK and are not regulated.

Please help us to help them. Contact our friendly team today on 0161 300 2730. You are under no obligation to become a donor, we just ask that you find out more about the process and what it means for you.