Payment to egg donors is to be tripled to remedy shortage

Women who donate eggs for infertility treatment in the United Kingdom can be paid a flat sum of £750 (€858; $1180) per cycle to compensate for loss of earnings, expenses, and the procedures they have to undergo, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has decided.

The move is an attempt to remedy the shortage of donors and reduce the numbers of infertile women going abroad to countries where regulation may be less strict, while not tempting vulnerable women to donate for financial reasons. It puts the UK slightly above Spain, the most popular foreign destination, in the compensation paid.

Until now UK egg donors have …