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.
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