Finland faces severe sperm donor shortage as DNA testing raises concerns

Finland is facing a severe shortage of donated sperm, with long queues for publicly funded fertility treatment, Yle reports. A doctor at Tampere University Hospital says the spread of home DNA testing may be reducing people’s willingness to donate.

The issue has been observed at Tampere University Hospital, where donated reproductive cells have been in short supply for several years. The availability of donated sperm has been a nationwide problem for a long time.

Katja Ahinko, a senior consultant at the hospital’s hormone and infertility clinic, says publicised cases and the global expansion of DNA testing may have influenced people’s willingness to donate sperm.

Doctor appeals to parents

Under Finland’s fertility treatment law, a child conceived through fertility treatment can, after turning 18, choose to learn the identity of the reproductive cell donor.

“The donor is no longer protected in the same way for that particular period. That does not bother everyone, but for some it is a major issue,” Ahinko says.

Tampere University Hospital advises both recipients and donors not to submit their information to global DNA databases. The issue is discussed in detail during reproductive cell counselling.

Ahinko says she does not know how widespread the practice is, but she is aware that it occurs. In her view, parents should not try to discover the donor’s identity independently, even if they are curious.

Ahinko considers the practice contrary to the child’s rights.

“Parents are irresponsible if they do this. It is the child’s right, provided for by law. In my view, it should be respected,” she says.

Some patients wait two years

Public hospitals provide treatment involving donated reproductive cells at five university hospitals. Waiting times are long, and donated sperm is in severe short supply across the country.

The most difficult situation is in the area served by Oulu University Hospital, where patients may have to wait as long as two years for sperm.

Oulu University Hospital told Yle that the small number of sperm donors and the imbalance between supply and demand are the main reasons for the long queues.

Waiting times are considerably shorter at Turku University Hospital.

“We have a great need and hope for new donors, but the waiting time has not become as long as in the larger units,” says Rauni Klami, a specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at the hospital.

Klami says the launch of publicly funded reproductive cell treatment has been marked by an imbalance between expanding the range of services and providing sufficient resources.

At HUS in Helsinki, the waiting time for an initial appointment is about nine to 15 months. Patients then have to wait another two to three months for sperm. The wait for donated eggs is longer.

Kuopio University Hospital estimates that the spread of DNA testing may be one factor contributing to the shortage of donors.

Cases reported publicly in which sperm from a single donor was used to fertilise dozens of patients before the current fertility treatment law may also have increased prejudices against donation.

At Kuopio University Hospital, the ethical aspects of DNA testing are discussed during reproductive cell counselling, with the child’s best interests taken into account. Donor candidates are also informed about current legislation, under which the same reproductive cells can be used to help no more than five families.

More single women are seeking treatment

Prejudices, information circulating publicly and people’s general willingness to donate do not alone explain the sperm shortage.

According to Ahinko, the problem is not a lack of interested donors. The need is simply much greater than the number of suitable donors who can be found.

“The main reason for the huge need for donated sperm is still single women,” Ahinko says.

Other university hospitals report the same situation. In Finland, women and men who currently want children are not meeting each other.