Fertility regulator launches inquiry into ‘cash for eggs’ claims

HFEA says it has contacted clinics accused of offering women on low incomes free IVF treatment if they donate eggs

The fertility regulator has launched an investigation into allegations that IVFclinics are inducing women to donate eggs in return for free or discounted treatment.

Women on low incomes who have healthy eggs but cannot get pregnant are being given complimentary treatment or offered a discount if they donate eggs at some clinics, which then resell them for a large profit, according to the Daily Mail.

The paper sent undercover reporters to IVF clinics posing as would-be parentswho could not afford treatment. They were encouraged to donate eggs at clinics in London, Hertfordshire and County Durham.

To prevent exploitation it is illegal to pay donors, although compensation of up to £750 a cycle is permissible to cover any costs associated with the donation.

Sally Cheshire, the chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, said: “We are very concerned by the allegations made in this investigation. At the HFEA our priority is the best possible treatment and care for...