MORE WA women are seeking to become “single mothers by choice” by using sperm donors, with the wait list at one fertility clinic doubling in 12 months.

A nationwide sperm shortage and increased demand for donor-assisted conception have extended wait lists at Perth fertility clinics, and hundreds of women are instead seeking sperm donors through Facebook.

PIVET Medical Centre’s wait list for donor-assisted conception has doubled in 12 months.

Donor co-ordinator Anne Wigham said more women were aware of their fertility limitations and were making the decision to have a child rather than wait for a partner.

“Single women these days are far more assertive and comfortable about seeking assistance from an IVF clinic,” she said.

Last year the clinic carried out 26 intra-uterine insemination and in-vitro fertilisation cycles on single women using sperm donors, compared with 16 the previous year.

Laws which allow donor-conceived children to access identifying information about their donor once they turn 16 was deterring some men, Ms Wigham said, as donating was no longer completely anonymous.

A Facebook page established by Perth man Adam Hooper three years ago is offering an alternative to fertility clinics and claims to be responsible for the birth of almost 500 babies.

The Sperm Donation Australia page acts as matchmaker, allowing women to make contact with potential donors before meeting, agreeing on terms and any medical testing, and arranging the transfer of sperm via DIY artificial insemination.

Fertility clinics warn that such arrangements are unregulated and could create legal and medical issues.

But Mr Hooper said there had been no complaints and no medical or legal problems since its inception.

“Single women are liking the fact they get to meet (donors) and can choose someone with a good personality, it’s more fulfilling for them,” he said.

This compared to fertility clinics where women can choose from a list of donors containing information including ethnic background, height, build, colouring and medical history.

No money is exchanged to join the site or between donor and recipient, to comply with Australian law, and Mr Hooper said men were motivated by altruism.

PIVET Medical Centre lab director Jason Conceicao said women considering accessing donor sperm from an unofficial service should consider the risk of infectious disease and question what health and background checks were in place.

They should also question the legal rights of both the donor and recipient, he said.

A review into State legislation is under way and some fertility experts hope it will result in a relaxation of laws surrounding how many families each donor can assist.

The limit in WA is five, but Concept Fertility Centre scientific director Peter Burton said supplies would go a lot further if it was increased to 10, as is the case in some States.

Dr Burton said the clinic had launched a new advertising campaign to attract more donors.

“There is a shortage and it is difficult to address, as it is a lot for a guy to go through, being an anonymous sperm donor,” Dr Burton said.

Fertility North director Dr Jay Natalwala said the clinic saw more than 100 single women each year.

“They get to a point where their fertility is running a little bit low and they want to have a child, they’re not in a relationship so they want to join the donor program, we are seeing more and more patients like that,” he said.

Fertility North offers both local and international sperm.

Dr Natalwala said WA’s laws were restrictive and laws across the country were not uniform.