Sperm donation has helped many people build families, including couples experiencing infertility, single parents and same-sex couples. But the international movement of donor sperm has created a regulatory problem: one donor can potentially be used by families in several countries, making it difficult to know how many donor-conceived children and genetic siblings exist.
In July 2026, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) called for stronger international limits on the use of sperm and egg donors. Its new position paper recommends an EU-wide limit that would initially allow a donor’s gametes to be used by 50 families, with the long-term goal of reducing that number to 15 families or fewer. ESHRE also recommends an EU-wide donor registry and a 20-year limit on distributing a donor’s gametes to new families.
The proposal is not based on evidence showing that 15 families is a scientifically established safe number. ESHRE describes its recommendation as a precautionary approach because research on the long-term effects of large donor-sibling groups remains limited.
Why is ESHRE Calling for Sperm Donor Limits?
Most European countries already have national rules limiting the number of children or families that can use the same donor. The problem is that those limits vary between countries and are not always effectively enforced.
Sperm can also be exported between countries.
That means a donor could reach the permitted limit in one country while sperm from the same donor continues to be used by families elsewhere.
ESHRE argues that donor-conceived people are connected genetically regardless of where their siblings live. Therefore, a national limit cannot provide a complete picture of the number of genetic relatives associated with one donor.
The issue has become more visible as fertility treatment becomes increasingly international.
For example, ESHRE cites research showing that 63% of donor-sperm inseminations in Belgium in 2014 used imported sperm from Denmark.
The regulatory problem:
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Issue |
Why it matters |
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Different national limits |
A donor may face different restrictions in different countries |
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Cross-border sperm distribution |
Donations can contribute to families outside the donor’s home country |
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No single EU registry |
Authorities cannot easily track total donor use |
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Private donations |
Donations outside regulated clinics can be difficult to monitor |
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Large donor-sibling groups |
Donor-conceived people may have many genetic relatives |
What Sperm Donor Limit is ESHRE Proposing?
ESHRE recommends a phased system rather than introducing the lowest proposed limit immediately.
The organisation proposes:
- 50 families per donor as the initial EU-wide limit
- A gradual reduction to 15 families or fewer
- A 20-year limit on distributing gametes to new families after the donor’s first donation
- An EU-wide donor registry to monitor compliance
- Continued enforcement of stricter national limits where they already exist
- The ability for donors to request a lower personal family limit
The limit would apply to families rather than individual children.
This distinction is important. A family that uses a particular donor for one child may want to use the same donor for another child. ESHRE says counting individual children could interfere with that family’s reproductive choices and the possibility of genetically related siblings.
Why Does ESHRE Want the Limit to Eventually Reach 15 Families?
ESHRE does not claim that research has established 15 families as the exact safe limit.
The evidence about the psychological and social effects of large donor-sibling groups is still developing. The organisation says definitive evidence of harm remains limited, while research on the preferences of donor-conceived people, donors and recipients is also relatively scarce.
The 15-family target is therefore a precautionary policy recommendation.
ESHRE wants the limit to be reviewed as additional evidence becomes available.
This is an important part of the proposal because a strict numerical limit can affect both donor-conceived people and people seeking fertility treatment.
Why are Large Donor-Sibling Groups a Concern?
A person conceived through sperm donation may eventually discover that they have many genetic half-siblings.
For some donor-conceived people, knowing about genetic relatives can be an important part of understanding their identity and family history. A large donor-sibling group can make those relationships more complicated.
There are also practical concerns.
A large number of donor-conceived people may:
- Want information about their genetic background
- Seek contact with genetic half-siblings
- Need accurate information about their donor
- Share genetic health information
- Face uncertainty about the size of their donor-sibling group
ESHRE says the wellbeing of donor-conceived people should have the highest priority when setting donor limits. At the same time, the organisation says the interests and access to treatment of prospective parents must also be considered.
What Happens When Sperm Crosses Borders?
Cross-border treatment is at the heart of the issue.
A fertility clinic may purchase donor sperm from a bank in another country. That sperm can then be used to help families in the receiving country.
If each country tracks only its own treatments, regulators may not know the donor’s total number of families across Europe.
ESHRE therefore recommends a common European system.
The proposed registry would help fertility clinics and authorities determine how many families have already used a particular donor.
However, creating such a system would be complicated.
ESHRE notes that there is currently no central international registry containing all the information required. Building one would be costly and time-consuming. Private donations outside regulated fertility systems would also remain difficult to monitor.
Why Does ESHRE Want a Donor Registry?
A donor registry would provide a way to connect information from different fertility clinics and gamete banks.
Under the proposed framework:
- Gamete banks would have to comply with the donor limit.
- Non-EU banks exporting gametes into the EU would also have to comply.
- Donors would declare previous donations.
- Clinics and banks would track donor use.
- Families would generally count toward the limit unless it was confirmed that the treatment did not result in a live birth and there were no remaining embryos.
The registry would also need strong privacy protections because reproductive and genetic information is highly sensitive.
Could Stricter Limits Reduce Sperm Availability?
Yes, this is one of the practical concerns.
If fewer families can use each donor, fertility providers may need a larger pool of donors to maintain treatment availability.
ESHRE specifically acknowledges the possibility of donor shortages and recommends efforts to increase the donor pool. The organisation says this could include public and nonprofit donation programmes, recruitment campaigns and education initiatives.
The issue creates a balance between two objectives:
Protecting donor-conceived people from excessively large genetic networks and maintaining reasonable access to donor-assisted reproduction.
A policy that focuses only on reducing donor numbers could create problems for people who depend on donor gametes to start families.
What About the 20-Year Limit?
ESHRE also proposes that donor gametes should no longer be distributed to new families 20 years after the donor’s first donation.
The organisation considers 20 years roughly equivalent to a generation and says the limit could help reduce very large age differences between donor-conceived siblings and between donors and donor-conceived people.
Like the family limit, ESHRE recommends reviewing the 20-year period after implementation.
What is the Current Situation in Europe?
There is currently no single EU-wide sperm donor limit.
National rules differ considerably, and some countries have lower limits than the number proposed by ESHRE.
The proposed EU framework would therefore work alongside national regulations rather than replace stricter national rules. If a country already has a lower limit, that limit would continue to apply.
This would create a two-level system:
- EU-wide minimum protection
- Stricter national rules where applicable
ESHRE is also asking fertility clinics and gamete banks to voluntarily follow its proposed limits before mandatory international rules are introduced.
Is There Scientific Evidence That Large Donor-Sibling Groups Cause Harm?
The evidence is still developing.
ESHRE explicitly states that definitive evidence of harm from large donor-sibling groups is limited. The organisation is recommending a precautionary approach based on existing evidence, stakeholder views and the interests of donor-conceived people.
The proposal should not be interpreted as proof that having more than 15 donor-conceived siblings automatically causes psychological harm.
Instead, ESHRE is saying that policymakers should take potential risks seriously while research continues.
What Happens Next?
ESHRE’s recommendation is a position paper, not an EU law.
It was published in Human Reproduction on 8 July 2026 following a stakeholder review process. The working group received 45 completed review forms from organisations and professionals representing donor-conceived people, families, fertility patients, researchers, healthcare professionals, ethicists and gamete banks.
The next step would involve European policymakers considering whether and how such limits could be incorporated into regulatory frameworks.
Several practical questions would need to be addressed:
- How would the EU-wide registry operate?
- Who would manage the database?
- How would donor privacy be protected?
- How would non-EU sperm banks be monitored?
- How would private donations be handled?
- How would existing treatments be protected?
- Would a 15-family limit create donor shortages?
- How frequently should the limits be reviewed?
These details will determine whether the proposal can work effectively in practice.
Key Takeaways
- ESHRE wants an EU-wide sperm and egg donor family limit.
- The proposed starting point is 50 families per donor.
- The long-term target is 15 families or fewer.
- ESHRE also proposes a 20-year distribution period.
- The organisation wants an EU-wide donor registry to track donor use across borders.
- The limit would apply to families rather than individual children.
- Current national limits would remain in place if they are stricter.
- The evidence on the psychological effects of large donor-sibling groups remains limited.
- ESHRE recommends a precautionary approach rather than claiming that 15 families is a scientifically proven threshold.
- Increasing the donor pool will be important if stricter limits are introduced.
Final Thoughts
The debate over sperm donor limits in Europe is becoming more important as fertility treatment and donor-gamete distribution increasingly cross-national borders.
The central challenge is straightforward: national regulations track what happens within individual countries, while genetic relationships extend beyond borders.
ESHRE’s proposal attempts to address that gap through a shared family limit, a donor registry and a defined period for distributing donor gametes.
The proposal also recognises that reproductive policy has to balance several interests. Donor-conceived people need protection and reliable information about their genetic origins. Prospective parents need reasonable access to fertility treatment. Donors need clear rules and appropriate privacy. Fertility providers need a system they can realistically administer.
The proposed 50-family starting limit, eventual target of 15 families or fewer, 20-year distribution period and EU-wide registry provide a framework for that discussion. Whether European policymakers adopt these recommendations will depend on how effectively the system can address privacy, donor availability, cross-border enforcement and access to treatment.
