Many UK couples are going abroad to access IVF treatment because of a shortage of eggs and sperm donors at home, but some go because they don’t want their child to know the identity of the donor parent, says new research.

A report published by researchers from De Monfort University showed that some women from Britain went to countries such as Spain, the Czech Republic or the Ukraine because they guarantee the anonymity of sperm and egg donors.

UK law now requires that children conceived through sperm and egg be able to trace their biological parents once they reach the age of consent. This has helped to cause a decline in the number of donors.

The law changed after Dr Joanna Rose, who was herself conceived through anonymous sperm donation, took a court case arguing that the system which allowed sperm and egg donors to remain anonymous breached her rights.

Many children of sperm and egg donors have spoken of their struggle to find their biological parents, and their trauma at not knowing one side of their genetic heritage.

The study found the most popular destinations for treatment are Spain and the Czech Republic, followed by the United States.

Many women also reported that they travelled abroad for treatment because of high costs in Britain and the shortage of donors.

The researchers, Professor Lorraine Culley and Dr Nicky Hudson complained that NHS funding of treatment was still limited, and varied according to where people live and a range of different social criteria are commonly applied.

Professor Culley said: “The study shows though most people would have preferred treatment at home, many reported a more positive experience abroad.”

The research, carried out with colleagues in Sheffield, Huddersfield and Swansea, showed 71 per cent of people who took part went abroad for treatment using donor sperm or eggs.

Most had received treatment in the UK prior to seeking out an overseas clinic, often over many years.

Overall, 46 per cent were using donor eggs, 12 per cent donor sperm, 10 per cent both and 3 per cent donor embryos.

Of those using donor eggs or sperm, many said the ability to match donors based on physical resemblance between parent and child was a benefit of going abroad.

Of the entire group, other main reasons for going abroad were long waiting lists in the UK, high costs and poor experiences of treatment in the UK.

The option of having more than one embryo transferred during a treatment cycle was also mentioned as a positive aspect of treatment abroad.

However, there were some issues, including concerns that not all staff spoke English in overseas clinics, concern about the complaints process abroad and worries about the reliability of information given by clinics on potential donors.

Professor Culley said: “A need for donor gametes was a significant motivation for overseas travel among our participants so it is clear that measures need to be taken to address the UK donor shortage.

“A properly funded, nationally co-ordinated strategy to improve donor recruitment would result in fewer people needing to travel in order to receive treatment in a timely manner.”

In 1985, only 513 babies were born through IVF. By 2005 the number had risen to 11, 268.