Yle report triggers surge in sperm donor enquiries at Finnish hospital

Tampere University Hospital has received 25 enquiries a week from potential sperm donors since Yle reported on a shortage of donor sperm in Finland, compared with the usual four to 10 messages a month, Yle reported.

“That is an enormous number,” said Katja Ahinko, a senior consultant at the hospital’s hormone and infertility clinic.

Several new potential donors have also contacted university hospitals in Oulu and Turku since the report was published.

Demand for donor treatments is increasing

According to THL, more donor-cell treatments were started in Finland last year than ever before. Public healthcare provides the treatments at five university hospitals, where waiting lists have been long and have extended for years.

The main reasons for the queues are the small number of sperm donors and the imbalance between supply and demand. Single women and female couples currently have the greatest need for donor sperm.

Anyone seeking to donate reproductive cells must pass a health examination. The criteria are strict, and there are thousands of possible hereditary diseases to consider.

At Tampere University Hospital, only about 30 to 40 percent of those who wish to donate eventually pass the screening process. Ahinko said it is not always straightforward to assess whether someone is suitable to become a donor.

It is not yet known how many of the people who have now made contact will ultimately become donors. Donated semen must withstand freezing before it can be used in treatments, and only a small number of test-freezing procedures have so far been carried out.