Women donating eggs for research in the United Kingdom will in future be able to receive £750 in return.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which regulates fertility and embryo research in the UK, today announced changes designed to “better reflect” the expenses involved in egg donation. Instead of out-of-pocket expenses and up to £250 for loss of earnings the new rules specify a fixed sum of £750 per cycle of donation, including expenses.

Last week a report from the influential Nuffield Council on Bioethics suggested that women who donate eggs to researchers should be paid (see: Give your eggs to science, get paid, suggests new report).

The report suggested that “payment could be made on the basis of compensation for the time, inconvenience and discomfort involved in donating, or as a form of remuneration” and one of the authors said such payment should be in the hundreds, not thousands of pounds.