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sperm donation - Fertility Information - Treatment - Sperm Donation

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.

Donors

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.

Using Donor Sperm

Donor sperm may be used in a natural cycle if the female is ovulating and does not have blocked tubes. Donor sperm can also be used in conjunction with Ovulation Induction as well as IUI and IVF treatments. Prior to treatment all couples should be counselled by a fertility counsellor to explore the implications of using donor sperm.

A couple using donor sperm should also be informed that each donor has restriction of 10 pregnancies. Once this has been achieved the donor’s sperm will be withdrawn. In addition couples who successfully achieve a pregnancy can reserve sperm from a donor for a sibling. Information regarding the donor will be dependant on the clinic but general characteristics may be divulged. Matching is based on the male partner’s characteristics and if religious preferences are stated these may be accommodated. For single women or lesbian couples matching of the female undergoing treatment is generally used.

Counselling

All parties involved in donation need to be counselled by a fertility counsellor. The counsellor should explore:

• How couples feel about donation and any child born of the treatment.
• The ethical implications of donation
• Telling the child about how they were conceived.
• The rights of the child to sue the donor if the child is born with an illness which transpires that the donor withheld information pertaining to which was not disclosed at the time of their treatment.
• The role of the central register should also be discussed. This is held by HFEA and contains all donor information relating to treatment cycles.
• A child born of a donor cycle can also contact HFEA to find out if they are related to a future partner.

Changes to the law

HFEA has proposed changed to the anonymity law which are to be introduced in April 2005. These changes relate to the anonymity of donors. From April children born of donor cycles will, at the age of 18, have access to identifying information relating to the donor. Donors will be unable to donate anonymously.

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