Canada too reliant on U.S. sperm, critics say

Stringent screening leads to dependence on one insemination source OTTAWA (CP) -

Stringent federal screening standards for sperm donors have led to a national semen shortage, leaving most Canadian fertility programs dependent on a single U.S. sperm bank. And while the situation has inspired humorous commentary, experts in fertility issues say it's no joke.

Critics are worried about Canada's dependence on Georgia-based Zytex Corp. for a large part of its sperm supply.

They fear that, given the company's limited donor pool, many children could be born from a single donor, raising the risk of intermarriage between half-siblings in the future.

''When you look at the (Zytex) list of donors for Canada I'm quite alarmed at how small it is,'' said Jean Haase, an expert in the psychosocial and ethical aspects of donor insemination.

''If there's more clinics using fewer donors, that is a whole issue there that nobody's really looking at,'' said Haase, who is with the Hamilton Life Sciences Centre.

Canada's semen shortage can be traced to 1999, when a woman became infected with chlamydia through donated sperm. Health Canada, which had previously relied on self-regulation by the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, responded with stringent new screening regulations.

Many fertility clinics across the country found the new standards so onerous that they dropped out of sperm-collection, turning to U.S. suppliers - mainly Zytex.

Zytex spokesperson David Towles said the company limits the number of births for each donor.

''We're doing our best to monitor and track live births because we limit our donors to 20 reported family units globally.'' That means a donor is ''retired'' once there are 20 families who have children by that donor.

But Haase said she is not satisfied with that response.

''The whole problem with that is, how does he know? He might be saying that with the best of intentions. That's the line that the sperm banks always take.

''He's completely reliant on doctors or patients getting back to him about a pregnancy or live birth, and they don't all do that.''

She said there's little communication between clinics on the number of births and different clinics may use the same donor concurrently. It's not the clinics' job to guard against people being unknowingly related, she added.

''It is therefore not too difficult to see that this results in the strong likelihood of many children being conceived from the same donor.''

Towles said that Zytex is actively recruiting to increase its donor base, both in the United States and in Canada. It has recently begun recruitment in Toronto.

He said Canadian demand now accounts for about 40 per cent of Zytex business. He declined to give the number of sperm units being shipped north, except to say it is in the thousands.

Roger Pierson, a recent president of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society, said Canada will not be able to supply its own needs for sperm unless it allows donors to be paid, as in the United States.

Canadian donors are currently given a modest sum to cover inconvenience but the amount is not sufficient, said Pierson.

At least some Canadian couples would prefer to have sperm from a Canadian source, he added.

''It becomes a medical problem and a social problem. For a couple in that situation it's one of the things that decides whether you're going to be patriotic or not.

''I point out that we drive American cars, we eat American food. This is a problem of conscience more than anything. The supply is there, so why fuss with it, is one side of the argument.

''The other side is, well we're dependent on the Americans for so many things, why be dependent on them for sperm as well?''

Etienne Ouimette, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said the government ensures the safety of imported sperm, but does not look at social or ethical issues.

The federal government has long promised legislation to govern new reproductive technologies, including donor insemination. A draft bill is expected within weeks.

Canadian Sperm Shortage

-- Anonymous, April 19, 2001