France announces more sperm and egg banks to meet demand

The French health ministry has earmarked funding for more sperm and egg banks, due to unprecedented demand from women following a law change two years ago.

A law change in 2021 allowed single women and women in same-sex relationships to access donated sperm for the first time in the country (see BioNews 1099). Since then demand for sperm has boomed, and in 2022 there were 15,100 initial requests for sperm donations made by lesbian couples and single women, 7.5 times more than requests made by heterosexual couples.

'This is proof that a change to the law was needed' said Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, deputy minister of health professionals who took part in the special commission that updated the law. 'Today there are around 40 centres and we'd like to increase this number by 25 percent.'

In addition to demand for sperm, around 11,500 women had health appointments to initiate freezing their eggs, of whom 4800 have started the process, according to French authorities.

€7.3 million (£6.2 million) in additional funding was given to fertility clinics in 2021 to handle the increase in demand, and a further €5.5 million (£4.7 million) was allocated for sperm and eggs banks in 2022.

Now, the French health ministry has said it hopes that creating more centres across the country instead of having them concentrated in the central Paris region will improve access. It is also hoped the changes will reduce fertility treatment waiting times, which currently stand at over 14 months on average.

Donor anonymity was lifted in September 2022, meaning a child born via treatment using gamete or embryos donated after that date can request identifying information about their donor after reaching the age of 18. Despite fears this would dissuade individuals from committing to donation, the number of sperm donors rose from 600 in 2021 to 760 in 2022.

Recently, it was announced by France's health ministry that from 1 April 2025, only gametes from donors who have provided consent for identity release can be used in treatment. All anonymous sperm donor samples will be destroyed by 31 March 2025. However, to limit gamete destruction, a special task force will be set up to coordinate the transfer of donated sperm samples from centres with high stocks to those with more limited stocks.