Becoming a Sperm Donor
Becoming a sperm donor can be one of the most generous decisions a man can make. One in six couples in Australia have difficulty conceiving a child. A large proportion of these couples experience male factor infertility and need the help of a donor to achieve their dream of a family. In addition, single women and women in same sex relationships also require donor sperm to achieve pregnancy and a child.
The Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee of the Fertility Society of Australia, and the National Health and Medical Research Council, have developed practices which sperm donors must adhere to, these include:
- donors must be older than 21 years of age and younger than 50 years of age
- donors must be shown by blood tests before and after three months of quarantining of the semen samples to be free of serious infection or genetic conditions
- donors must have never previously donated at any other fertility clinic
- donors must have no medical conditions or illnesses, either in himself or in his family that may be passed on to future children.
The Process:
The first step is a consultation with a fertility specialist, followed by a semen analysis and compulsory counselling. We discuss legal, social, genetic and moral implications of the donation as well as the health checks and procedures involved.
Sperm donors need to be prepared to discuss and provide the following types of information:
- Medical history – advising of all known allergies
- Physical description
- Lifestyle declaration – including details of any donation at other assisted reproductive treatment clinics.
There are a number of screening tests undertaken including blood group, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis, syphilis, chlamydia, chromosome analysis and HIV status. The sperm is stored for six months at which point the donor’s blood is tested again for infectious diseases before a sample is used.
Legal Considerations:
Sperm from one donor can be used to create a maximum of five families, including the donor's own family, under legislation in force from 1 January 2010. IVFAustralia currently aims to provide enough sperm from one donor for a family so that if siblings are desired they have the same biological father.
All donors are required to consent to identifying details about themselves being forwarded to the Central ART (Artificial Reproductive Technology) Donor Register kept by the New South Wales Department of Health, once a child is born from their donation. These details can be passed on to children resulting from the donation when they reach 18 years of age.
Patient Information Booklet
IVFAustralia's Patient Information Booklets on becoming a donor can be downloaded here.
For further information, please call 1800 111 IVF (483) .
Thank you for considering sperm donation.
If you would like some more information or simply the opportunity to talk with IVFAustralia's experienced nurse Kirsty who manages our Donor Programme please call us on 1800 111 483 or email info@ivf.com.au