Health minister Lord Bethell confirmed this week that the legally permitted storage period would be increased from ten to twelve years as fertility services are currently on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sarah
Wood-Heath, family law partner at Clarke Willmott, said: ‘It has been a concern
that if patients are unable to proceed with treatment their frozen embryos or
gametes may have been destroyed once the ten-year time limit was met.
‘Patients can
now feel reassured that although fertility treatment is currently suspended,
once clinical procedures resume they should be able to continue with treatment
as previously planned and use the embryos and gametes they already have in
storage.’
In normal
circumstances, people have ten years to use their frozen eggs, sperm and
embryos. However, they can be stored for up to 55 years if there are
exceptional circumstances, for example, if the storage is for medical reasons
such as cancer treatment.
