Sperm Donation

Sperm donation is offered to couples for numerous reasons:

• The male partner may have a low number or absence of sperm in the ejaculate.
• There may be a risk of passing a genetic disease to a child such as cystic fibrosis.
• The male partner may be HIV positive and the couple have decided not to pursue sperm washing.
• Sperm donation is also offered to treat single women or lesbian couples.

Donor Sperm

The donors should be counselled by a counsellor to explore the implications of donating sperm. There must be no history of inherited or genetic diseases this also includes a psychiatric history or illness.

Donors are screened prior to donating. These screening tests will include HIV and Hepatitis C as well as testing for sexually transmitted infections. The donor’s sperm cannot be used in any treatment cycle until it has been quarantined after a 6 month period.

In completing a questionnaire donors are informed that if they have given false information pertaining to an inherited illness/disease that they have not disclosed but are aware of, any child born affected with the same condition following treatment has the right to sue the donor.