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Sperm Donation Shortage

A sperm donation shortage will always exist in China," said Li Zheng, a doctor and expert in the Department of Andrology at Renji Hospital in discussing the widespread social attention paid to the Shanghai's notorious sperm shortage. Li's words can also be reversed: demand for sperm in China will always be excessive.

More than 300 couples are already on the waiting list for sperm and invitro fertilization (IVF) at Renji Hospital, even though this kind of procedure will not be available until authorized by the government at the end of the year. In September, Renji Hospital underwent an examination and appraisal of its IVF technology, conducted by the State Ministry of Health, after it applied for the IVF licences.

Another four local hospitals, including Ruijin Hospital, No. 1 Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and International Maternity and Infant Hospital, are also on the applicant list. "IVF in China can be traced back about twenty years. There are about three to five hospitals offering IVF procedures in every Chinese province," said Li. "Presently hospitals are required to reapply for IVF licences after official examination as the government tries to implement a standardized and regulated system. However, the passage of legislation has fallen behind the rate of IVF activity in China."

It is expected that official approval of IVF procedures, to be granted within the next few months, will allow IVF procedures to begin again in Shanghai.

Sperm Shortage

According to an authoritative survey, about 10 per cent of the city's three million couples of childbearing age are infertile, one third due to sperm bank, said it has 8,000 sperm samples at present, but 200,000 are needed.

"We expected about 20 men to come and donate their sperm every month, but only about 10 have done so," he said. "Chinese men are usually reluctant to donate sperm, or even to talk about it, perhaps due to our conservative social traditions. That's why I expect that a sperm shortage will always exist in China."

To make matters worse, not all the donor's sperm health is suitable for use in IVF. According to regulations covering the administration of human sperm banks, issued by the Ministry of Health, donated seminal fluid should be healthy, free of infectious disease and of high sperm density. Even if the sperm satisfies these conditions it should only be used to fertilize a maximum of five different women. "The proportion of donors who meet these quite strict conditions is presently about one in five," Li said.

Paul Ellis - Men's Health