Oocyte and semen donation: a survey of UK licensed centres

In view of the difficulties encountered by licensed clinics in the recruitm ent of oocyte and semen donors, the present survey was commissioned by the National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT) to provide systematic information on current practice as a basis for planning future recruitment strategies. Six ty-four clinics agreed to participate in the survey, of which 55 recruited oocyte donors, 30 recruited semen donors, and 24 recruited both oocyte and semen donors. Almost all of the clinics had experienced difficulty in obtai ning a sufficient supply of donated oocytes, and many patients requiring tr eatment with donated oocytes were placed on a waiting list for more than on e year. Three-quarters of potential donors changed their mind about donatin g after receiving information on the procedures involved. The difficulties in recruiting semen donors were generally less acute. In this case, the gre atest problem was the high proportion of potential semen donors who were de emed unsuitable after completing the screening process. Clinics also report ed a shortage of both oocyte and semen donors from specific ethnic groups.