A call to action from leading consultant Professor Geeta Nargund, spotlighting the fact that black, Asian and ethnic minority patients and their partners are being ‘left behind’ when accessing fertility treatment, and that while ways have been identified to reduce disparities, more needs to be done in order to create lasting change.

According to the latest data, she points out, less than 1000 people from ethnic minority backgrounds have donated sperm in the UK in the past 30 years – over half the sperm used in treatment from donors of mixed, other and black backgrounds between 2017 and 2021 was imported from abroad. This creates significant challenges and severely impacts fertility treatment outcomes for black, Asian and ethnic minority patients.