Sperm donation

Sperm donation

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In the case of couples with severe male pathology, untreatable, or women without a partner, sperm donation is an extremely effective solution. Sperm donation may also be useful in couples with certain communicable genetic diseases.

The sperm donor can be known, a relative or a friend, who wants to go through the legal and medical steps absolutely necessary for donation.

The sperm donor can be anonymous, in which case the sperm sample can be purchased from a Sperm Bank.

Sperm donation is voluntary and free, according to European regulations.

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What is a Sperm Bank?

Frozen semen samples are kept in the Sperm Banks for several years.

Any man can request the freezing and storage of semen in order to preserve fertility.

Sperm banks keep both frozen samples for their own use and samples from donors.

In the Sperm Bank of the Gynera Clinic we store samples of the clinic’s patients, frozen in our laboratory or transferred from other Sperm Banks.

What are the chances of success?

The average success rate for an AI cycle, under 40, is:

  • 8 – 10% for AI with sperm from the partner
  • 12 – 14% for AI with sperm from the donor

Over 40 years, the success rate for an AI cycle is 4 – 5%

The success rate is lower if the duration of infertility is over 3 years.

What investigations does a donor make before he can donate semen?

In order to be able to donate sperm, a donor must meet certain criteria, related to age, health and sperm parameters.

In addition, in order to reduce the risks, the donor is also investigated for:

  • Sexually transmitted diseases: hepatitis, HIV, CMV, Chlamydia, lues
  • More common genetic diseases
  • Blood group, Rh
  • General analyzes for health assessment
  • Psychological evaluation
  • Family history and lifestyle
What are the chances of success?

The chances of success of reproductive procedures with donated sperm are the usual ones for the respective techniques (Intrauterine insemination or IVF).

They depend, to a large extent, on the age and medical and reproductive situation of the woman.

What are the risks?

Risks exist in all medical procedures, as well as during natural pregnancies or obtained with treatment. Given that sperm donors are healthy people and much better investigated than most men, the risks are no higher than for natural pregnancies. On the contrary, the risks may be lower and more predictable.

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How can we access sperm from an anonymous donor?

Collaboration with international Sperm Banks allows access to a large number of samples from investigated donors, available immediately, without waiting lists.

Most often, we import sperm samples from Cryos International Sperm & Egg Bank Denmark, the largest sperm bank in Europe, for clinic patients.

How is donor sperm used?

Depending on the woman’s medical and reproductive situation, she may be recommended:

  • Intrauterine artificial insemination with donated sperm
  • In vitro fertilization with donated semen
What information can be known about the profile of an anonymous or non-anonymous donor?

A number of physical or genetic characteristics, which may count for the couple or the recipient woman, can be known and used to choose the profile of the donor:

  • Race
  • Skin, eye, hair color
  • Blood type and Rh
  • Tests for certain genetic or infectious diseases
  • The psychological profile, message or even pictures from the donor may be available in some cases

For non-anonymous sperm bank donors, there is the possibility to reveal to the child, after the age of 18, the identity of the sperm donor.

How are donor procedures and tasks monitored?

Pregnancies obtained with semen from anonymous donors are monitored and reported confidentially without disclosing the names of the recipients.

The reporting is done to the Sperm Bank, in order to limit the number of children conceived and the involvement of a donor in too many reproductive procedures. The reporting is also made to the national authorities that regulate and monitor the field, the National Transplant Agency, while maintaining confidentiality.

In the case of the birth of a child with genetic abnormalities or other congenital diseases, the alert system, additional warning and investigation and sometimes the withdrawal of the donor come into operation, even if most of the time it is only for preventive purposes, the disease is not necessarily related to the donor.