THE Sweden is faced with a serious shortage sperm for assisted pregnancies as potential donors avoid hospitals due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in the cessation of artificial insemination procedures in large parts of the health system and the extension of waiting periods for years.
“We are running out of semen. When did we not have so few donors as during the previous year, “said Anne Turin Kelberg, head of the breeding unit at Gothenburg University Hospital.
The shortage means waiting time for assisted pregnancy increased from about six months last year to almost 30 months, maybe more, doctors familiar with the situation told Reuters.
“It creates stress that we can not have a clear time or date for treatment,” said Elin Bergsten, a 28-year-old mathematician from southern Sweden.
Two years ago, Bergsten and her husband discovered that he did not have a problem with sperm production, so the couple immediately applied for an assisted pregnancy. Bergsten’s treatment was postponed indefinitely due to lack, while the second cycle of the artificial insemination process was expected to begin.
“It’s a national phenomenon,” said Turin Kelberg. “We ran out of Gothenburg and Malmo and will soon run out of stock in Stockholm,” he said, referring to the country’s three most populous areas.
In addition to public health institutions, there are also private clinics in Sweden, which can overcome the shortages by buying sperm from abroad.
However, assisted pregnancy treatment there often costs up to 100,000 Swedish kronor (about 9,800 euros), which makes it financially unprofitable for many. Under Sweden’s national health system, assisted pregnancy is free.
The Nordic countries and Belgium have the highest rates of assisted conception in the world, based on the availability of fertilization cycles per million inhabitants, according to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology.
Under Swedish law, a sperm sample can be used by a maximum of six women. Most of the sperm given by donors in Sweden has already reached the limits set by law, which means that in many areas assisted pregnancy is only available to women who have already used a particular sperm sample.
Margareta Kitlinski, head of the reproduction unit at Skνεne University Hospital, the largest clinic of its kind in Sweden, said it took about eight months to process a donor application due to the many tests required, and that many samples failed. sustainable donations due to cooling process problems.
“If you have 50 men communicating with you, at best only half of them can be donors,” Kitlinski said.
Some areas in Sweden have turned to social media to encourage potential sperm donors, but with varying results. In the meantime, there is still a shortage.
“We have to go on TV and tell the Swedes to come,” said Turin Kelberg.
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