Fertility tourism is booming. It's not just the Italian maverick doctor in Rome who offers to bypass the regulations of the UK's Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and help women in their fifties and sixties to become mothers: Spain is now the destination of choice for childless couples frustrated by the prospect of a long wait in the UK for the precious donor eggs and sperm, which are in short supply.

Couples seeking fertility treatment abroad should carefully consider the risks and complications involved, the head of the UK fertility watchdog said yesterday.

Shortages in egg and sperm donations exacerbated by new laws removing the right to anonymity for donors in Britain have led to a substantial increase in "fertility tourism".

Wealthy Europeans who are desperate to have children are shopping around for the treatments they are unable to receive at home. …

"Italy and Britain are the most popular destinations for fertility tourism," said Gosden, "Italy because it has the least regulations and Britain because it is at the forefront of research."