Thousands of Finnish couples experience difficulties when trying to conceive a child. About 15 to 20 percent of Finns plagued by infertility choose to use donated sperm or eggs in their quest to conceive.
Anne-Maria Suikkari, the medical director of Helsinki Fertility Clinic, said the initial response to the law requiring donor registration has been surprisingly positive.
"There will be more bureaucracy and paper work, but that is just normal. For ordinary couples, I don't think there will be problems really."
However Anne Lindfors, the director of Simpukka Association, Finland's only support group for infertile couples, said she believes the law could make it even more difficult for those wishing to have children.
"Many donors are in fact afraid of the registration and the fact that the child will learn the donor's identity at the age of 18," she said.
In fact some Finnish hospitals, which rely on Family Federation Clinics for donated sperm, have been forced to suspend treatments until the full effects of the law are determined.
Suikkari said it remains to be seen how big their sperm bank will be in the future. "Now is limited only for us, but hopefully if things go well, we will have enough for other clinics," she said.
Even if the law makes genetic material more difficult to come by, it is unlikely demand would lead to a spring in costs. A new EU directive requires that all payments delivered for sperm and egg donations are kept to a minimum.
Meanwhile, parents are not obligated to tell their children if they were conceived with the help of a donor.