asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the total number of eggs obtained from patients since the enactment of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; how many have been used for research; and how many have been used for fertility treatments; and [HL6785]

What data are collected about hyperstimulation syndrome, and other adverse clinical effects, when eggs are collected at fertility centres for research purposes.[HL6786]

Most of the information requested is not routinely collected by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) or the Department of Health because the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and the remit of the HFEA extends only to research involving the use of human embryos.

The HFEA does hold data on egg collections from 1 August 1991 to 31 March 2004. This indicates that the total number of eggs collected from patients was 3,080,812. For data collected between 1 August 1991 and 31 March 1999 this related to eggs collected solely for treatment purposes. From 1 August 1991 to 31 March 2004, 2,806,764 eggs were mixed with sperm for treatment purposes.

From 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2004, 393 eggs were donated to research.