2024-07-04 15:14:37
Need has exploded…and donations have dwindled. The number of sperm donors fell in 2023 for the first time since PMA (medically assisted reproduction) was authorized for single women and female couples in 2021. ) Men aged 18 to 44). That’s the conclusion of data on gamete donation revealed exclusively on Tuesday’s 20 Minutes program by the Biomedical Agency. This is clearly not enough.
“At least 1,400 donors are needed each year, double the current number, to meet the high demand,” said Marine Jeantet, director of the Bureau of Biomedicine.
Demand is multiplied by 8.5
At the same time, the number of requests for AMP (Medical Assisted Reproduction, the new name for PMA) has exploded since 2021. Marine Jeantet stresses that not everyone needs sperm. Since the law was changed, demand has increased 8.5 times. »
From 2021 to 2023, nearly 35,000 first-time requests for sperm donation ART consultations from female couples and single women have been recorded, including nearly 13,000 in 2023 alone.
The gap between supply and demand
As a result, the gap between supply and demand is widening and is unlikely to improve. To meet demand, biomedical institutions use gamete stocks from anonymous donors. But with the removal of donor anonymity in 2021 (donors can request the identity of the donor following reaching the age of majority), the agency will no longer be able to use these “old” donations starting in March 2025.
In March 2023, the inventory of this “old system” reached 90,000 straws (small tubes that store frozen sperm). There were only 32,000 in December. “In nine months, we used almost two-thirds of the stock. » On the other hand, in March 2023, the “new regime” stock consisted of 27,000 straws, rising to 52,000 straws in December 2023 . An important fact to consider is that several sperm rods are needed to perform one ART attempt, and multiple attempts are often required to achieve delivery.
Single women and female couples using assisted reproduction must pass through public places, and the number is very small, so traffic congestion gradually forms. In 2023, the national average treatment time for assisted reproductive technology with sperm donation will be 15.5 months.
lack of information
But how do we explain such a low number of donors? The first is lack of knowledge. “Almost everyone knows that PMA is open to single women and female couples, but we forget that to do this we need sperm,” recalls Marine Jeantet. If the blood or organ donation movement has been around for more than ten years, the movement to encourage gamete donation is only two or three years old.
A barometer* carried out by the Biomedical Office in May 2024 showed that less than a quarter (23%) of French people surveyed felt they knew a lot regarding gamete donation. In the same survey, two-thirds of respondents (66%) believed they needed more information and awareness, particularly regarding the lack of donations and waiting lists, and how donations are used.
Men pay less than women
As mentioned above, another possible barrier to donation: removing anonymity, which would prevent 33% of men surveyed from donating gametes. This argument does not convince the heads of biomedical institutions. “After anonymity was lifted in 2021, we did not observe a decrease in donations. Donors know that knowing one’s origins does not equate to being a parent. The law is very clear. »
A child cannot actually ask his parents to recognize him. “Often, they just need to know who they look like or ask questions regarding their genetic predisposition,” assures Marine Jeantet.
Finally, one last explanation: Men are less generous than women when it comes to giving. “Whether it’s blood, bone marrow, organ or gamete donation, men always donate less than women,” the head of the biomedical institution explained.
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