The rules and guidelines concerning egg, sperm and embryo donation are all set to undergo a major revision over the coming year, and the main and most controversial area which will be reviewed is the expenses payments made to the donors.

Also, age limits for male and female donors and guidelines and restrictions on how many families a single man can donate his sperm to, are two of the important issues to be discussed.

As of now, across UK, payments for sperm and egg donations can be made only to cover up for the travel costs and loss of earnings during the period. Some other European nations, however, follow more liberal guidelines and include "compensation for inconvenience" as well.

Under current laws that have been set by EU, donors cannot be paid for their eggs and sperms directly, as opposed to the US where people end up making huge amounts of money by helping infertile couples.

The decision to not allow inconvenience compensation came about 4 years ago from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. Since then, there has been an increasing demand for more flexibility in the rule.

A review meeting is now all set to be held by HFEA members on Wednesday.