As a headline issue in the recent HFEA consultation, payment of donors is high on the agenda. But there’s one payment-related issue some clinics could sort out that would make life easier for donors: paying expenses during treatment.
Donors have to attend clinics a number of times before their treatment starts, for tests and counselling. During treatment, egg donors attend at least seven times and sperm donors more than that, as their donation cycle lasts much longer. Some clinics will only pay travel and other expenses when the donation cycle is over. But this leaves the donor to cover their own travel and any other expenses, such as childcare, out of their own pocket until they’re reimbursed later.
Clearly, donors who are less well off are disadvantaged more by this. And they’re proportionately more likely to be people in their 20s with children – exactly the kind of people who would make perfect donors.
Some clinics understand that paying expenses in a lump sum at the end of the donation, while it’s easier for them to administer, makes life harder for their donors. But for those who continue to do this, where the smooth running of the clinic is prioritised over the donor experience, you have to ask whether those priorities are really helping recruit the best donors.
Tags: egg donation, payment, sperm donation
