Letter: Egg donors wanted

Sir: Fertility specialists should provide equity of services for infertile couples with different fertility problems, including those requiring egg donation. So how do we recruit more egg donors?

Setting up a national organisation with paid officers to help recruit and screen prospective egg and sperm donors, and those prepared to act as hosts for surrogacy, with the provision of an "inconvenience" or "participation" allowance, out of which all expenses must come, would solve the donor shortage problem. It would be accountable, open and honest. Those participating altruistically could decline any expenses, or claim just those involved with travel, child-minding etc.

Surely it is not right that some fertility centres ask infertile women who cannot afford private treatment to give up some of their eggs ("egg sharing") to help more affluent women become pregnant, especially when only 25per cent of women having an IVF treatment cycle succeed in having a child.

The responsibility lies with the NHS to provide more comprehensive and equitable fertility services. Where is the morality of NHS-based IVF centres charging NHS patients a fee for IVF when they are unable to obtain this service free of charge?

Similarly, is it right that some private centres are now directly targeting the public to donate their eggs at the time of sterilisation, offering them in return a free sterilisation sooner than they would be able to obtain it on the NHS ("Sterilisation offered to egg donors", 2 July)?

Your leader, "We don't want a free market in body parts" (2 July), correctly comments: "We do need fresh thinking to keep up with changing needs."

Professor IAN CRAFT

Director, London Gynaecology & Fertility Centre Ltd

London W1