Melbourne, Jan 1 (ANI): Sydney women are turning to sperm donors in US as Australian men are too scared to donate.
Local donations to IVF clinics have all but stopped since it became easier for children to track down their biological fathers, News.com.au reported.
IVF Australia head Professor Michael Chapman told The Sunday Telegraph that donor shortages had become critical, falling from 100 to 10 at his clinic in the past four years.
"Last year we only had two or three donors on our books," Professor Chapman said.
"Today around Australia there are about 50 donors, but the demand is still substantially higher than that."
Consequently, IVF Australia started importing sperm from the US two months ago.
According to Professor Chapman, donor imports were 'not ideal" but would help cut waiting times for insemination.
Last year in January, a law came into effect, which stated that all sperm donors must agree to provide identifying information so that the child would be able to contact them once they reached 18.
Fertility specialist Professor Peter Illingworth asserted that the change in the law caused the drop-off in sperm donors.
"There is no doubt that when the law was first introduced, it affected the number of men willing to donate sperm. It is a big undertaking. Being a donor is very serious and the fact is, not many men are willing to do it," he said. (ANI)
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