National sperm bank to launch in Birmingham this year

A new national sperm bank based at Birmingham Women's Hospital is to be launched with Department of Health funding in October 2014.

The National Gamete Donation Trust (NGDT) has partnered with the hospital to create this new service, providing a fully-integrated donor recruitment, screening and banking centre to meet all donor sperm requirements within the NHS.

Launched to address the current national shortage of sperm donors in the UK, the centre will offer safe, equitable and increased access for all, with those from ethnic minority backgrounds able to choose from a range of culturally matched donors for the first time.

This will reduce the number of patients being made to stay on waiting lists, put themselves at risk by using unregulated sperm donation services, or give up treatment completely.

Charles Lister, Chair of Trustees at the NGDT, said the launch will mean that "many more patients can be treated at a clinic of their choice, in a safe and secure manner, at the time when their treatment is needed".

Birmingham Women's NHS Foundation Trust looks after 50,000 patients and carries out more than 3,000 operations in the area each year. However, this new service will be extended across the entire country.