Up to 55 years in Cryo-storage – Professor Jackson-Kirkman Brown discusses the implications for donors
Our Fertility Centre Lead, Jackson Kirkman-Brown at our Women’s Hospital co-wrote an article for The Conversation earlier last month about the implications of the new UK government law that has increased the amount of time that gametes and embryos (sperm and eggs) can be routinely stored, from 10 to 55 years.
People are now choosing to freeze their embryos and gametes for their future fertility treatment if they were to become prematurely infertile later in life.
Donors will need to permit extended storage, however, the change in the law means their sperm could be stored and used for up to 55 years later. Counselling has also been adjusted to notify donors of the changes and to help them understand how this could impact them.
People conceived through donation can legally approach their biological parent once they reach adulthood - for example, if donations were made by a person at 30 years old, embryos or gametes may be used until 55 years later, making the biological parent over 80 years old, if children want to meet their biological parents. Donor-conceived people should therefore also be aware that donor parents may also be deceased by the time they want to make contact and they may have half-siblings in a wide range of generations.
Professor Kirkman-Brown said: “The length of time that sperm and egg donation can affect a donor truly shows the life-long commitment made by our generous donors to support others in their fertility journey who are unable to have children.”
That said the team are keen to emphasise that donors control the time it can be stored and can consent for less storage time. Equally, patients will always know the information about the donation. It is also important to highlight that in the UK law, there are limits on the number of families created to ten people, reducing chances for interrelations.