Sperm donor compensation has risen from £35 to a maximum of £45 per clinic visit.The £10 rise comes into effect in England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1 October, when egg donor compensation also rises from £750 to £985.It is illegal to pay someone to donate sperm or eggs in the UK so the money is to cover expenses such as travel and accommodation. Sperm donation can involve visiting a clinic once a week for three to six months.The UK fertility regulator acknowledged a shortage of egg and sperm donors. But it warned donating was a “complex decision” and any child born had the right to contact their biological parents after reaching 18 years old.One sperm donor, who the BBC is calling Joseph, said the £35 he received for each clinic trip did not compensate him “anywhere near enough” for his time and travel – but said his motivation was to help people.”I’m a married gay man and we adopted our son so we didn’t have the normal route that most heterosexuals couples will have had into parenting,” he said.”Going through the adoption process, you meet a lot of straight couples who have had fertility problems. So I wanted to help and give someone a chance to start a family, whether it’s someone with fertility problems, a lesbian couple or a single person.”It is the first time compensation for sperm and egg donors in England, Wales and Northern Ireland has risen since 2011. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), which sets the amount of …
