LONDON, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Britain is moving to regulate "sperm brokers" who match donors with women seeking to conceive.
The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority will probe unlicensed dating-style Web sites that may be offering illegal "procurement" of sperm, The Daily Telegraph reported.
The sites claim to provide a quicker, cheaper alternative to official fertility clinics, but critics say they risk women's health and leave the legal parentage of the children produced unclear.
Nigel Woodforth and Ricky Gage recently were convicted for running the Fertility 1st site, which delivered fresh sperm from chosen donors to women for home insemination.
Other sites like Co-ParentMatch.com and FeelingBroody.com simply match women who want to become pregnant with potential donors, and they make their own arrangements, by artificial insemination or having sex.
Some men are believed to have impregnated dozens of women through the unregulated Web sites, charging a fee to cover travel and other expenses, the Telegraph reported.
Women are advised to demand proof that the donor is disease-free, but the agency warns that there are none of the safeguards official clinics offer.
Also, contracts they draw up may not guarantee that the donor will not be liable for child support.
