It allows controlling the use of egg and sperm from donors in order to be only used for six conceptions
On October 10, the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality announced the launch of the Information System on Human Assisted Reproduction (SIRHA). This registration tool seeks to ensure high quality and safe assisted reproduction techniques.
This register will prevent that the gametes of one individual are used in more than 6 pregnancies, that is to say, the donation of eggs and sperm will have a limit of six conceptions. Currently there is no record of egg and sperm donors – although it has been requested by Spanish Fertility Society (SEF) for years – so it is impossible to know the number of children conceived by using sperm or eggs from the same donor.
This registration system, which was demanded by fertility centers for years, consists of a database containing the records established by current legislation: the National Registry of Donors, the National Register of Activities and Results, and the Registry of Centers and Services for Human Assisted Reproduction. These data can only be accessed by the health administration and practitioners of the clinic. Spain thus becomes the first country to launch a centralized registration system for assisted reproduction treatments.
Spain as European leader in assisted reproduction
According to data submitted by Ministry of Health and Spanish Fertility Society on October 10, 166,712 assisted reproduction cycles were performed in 2015: 127,809 IVF and 38,903 IUI.
In this way, Spain becomes a leader in assisted reproduction treatments. The same data show a 9.5% increase in the number of In Vitro Fertilization treatments as well as the tendency to use frozen embryos and eggs has also increased.
