However, the UK is short of both, and has in the past had to resort to importing from abroad. While some campaigners feel test tube babies have a right to know the identity of their genetic parents, the thought of identification horrifies others. Fertility specialists also fear that the prospect of having to take responsibility for a child born as the result of a donation would put the few people who do contribute off donating at all. Giving sperm is fairly straightforward - men turn up at a fertility clinic, disappear into a cubicle and make their donation.
Most sperm donors are students, and in particular medical students.
However, the situation is more complex when it comes to eggs. These donations are made anonymously, and are intended to be purely altruistic. Egg-sharing is different, and has proved controversial in the past. Egg sharing is where a woman donates her eggs for use in IVF in return for the same treatment. Last December, the authority chose not to ban the procedure - instead it will produce specific guidelines in its next code of practice.