Patient Information: Use of donor sperm
SOUTH WEST CENTRE FOR REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE
OCEAN SUITE - LEVEL 6
Derriford Hospital
Plymouth PL6 8DH
Tel. (01752) 432621 : Fax (01752) 763641
e-mail: plh-tr.ivfinfo@nhs.net - www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk
USE OF DONOR SPERM
Information Sheet
Introduction
Approximately one in 25 men are unable to father children. This might be for several
reasons such as the result of a serious illness such as cancer, or they might be a carrier of
a genetically inherited condition. For some men there is no apparent cause at all. Once it
has been diagnosed that the male partner is unlikely to be fertile the couple have three
choices.
One is not to have children and to concentrate on developing their own lives and interests.
Secondly, the couple can aim to adopt a child. Unfortunately this is fairly difficult as there
are few children for adoption and waiting lists are very long. Also they do not have the
shared experience of pregnancy and labour, nor are they able to make any contribution to
the genetic make-up of the child.
The third choice is to use donor sperm. This has the advantage that the couple can share
many of the experiences that a spontaneous pregnancy brings, and half the genetic makeup comes from the mother.
More and more patients are also approaching our clinic for DI treatment as a single
person or as part of a same sex relationship.
Approximately 800 babies are born each year in the UK using donor sperm, eggs or
embryos. The experience of people who have had donor conceived children shows that
this can be a very positive way to create a family.
Availability of Donor Sperm
Due to the law change surrounding the loss of anonymity of sperm donors in 2005, there
has been a shortage in sperm donors in the UK. This has led us to formulate a waiting list
at our clinic for those patients that require donor sperm.
To tackle the shortage we have started to recruit our own sperm donors in the South West
to build up our own donor sperm bank to enable us to treat patients locally.
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Patient Information: Use of donor sperm
Currently are several options available to you:
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Join the waiting list at Ocean Suite and wait for donor sperm to become
available from our own donor sperm bank. This is an ongoing process. There
are numerous patients already in treatment that are being offered priority treatment.
If you are a new patient, it is most likely that you will need to import from abroad.
Import donor sperm from abroad e.g. Denmark. This will enable you to be
treated faster, avoiding waiting lists but is a more expensive option. This usually
requires a payment for a ‘pregnancy slot’, and then there are the costs of the sperm
samples and courier fees to pay on top. Costs can run into the £1000 - £2000
range. If importing from abroad we can only import from certified and accredited
laboratories that meet the HFEA’s required standards and EU Tissue Directive
standards. Clinics we have imported from include the European Sperm Bank
(Nordic Cryobank) and Cryos, both based in Denmark and both with websites.
Go to another clinic with an active sperm bank for treatment e.g. Cardiff,
London. If you do not want to wait for treatment another option would be to go for
treatment at a different UK clinic such as Cardiff or London (e.g. LWC, Bridge) who
have their own donor sperm banks.
Purchase donor sperm from other UK clinics. Clinics such as the Bridge
(London) run donor share schemes. Costs will be similar to that of importing from
abroad.
Find your own known donor for your own treatment and bring them to the
clinic for assessment of suitability. You may know someone who will volunteer
to be a sperm donor for you. We would need to assess the potential donor for their
suitability. This would involve the same processes that we use when we recruit our
own donors such as blood tests, STD testing, and a basic semen analysis. Please
note - no payments should be made to the donor for their donations apart from
reimbursements for travel and loss of earnings in line with legal requirements as set
out by the HFEA.
Donor selection & recruitment
The recruitment of donors is very carefully controlled by our unit and other licensed
centres from whom we may obtain supplies. Particular attention is paid to the health and
potential fertility of the donor. A detailed family history of the donor is also taken and the
donor is excluded where there is a possible hereditary (genetic) illness. In accordance with
Government guidelines, all donors are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B and C and they are
screened for sexually transmitted diseases. We also check their karyotype (the
chromosomal makeup of the donor) and make sure they do not carry the gene for cystic
fibrosis.
Donors are tested before they start donating and then again after 180 days, which is the
quarantine period. We cannot give an absolute guarantee that no infection will be acquired
through donor insemination but the likelihood of this happening is small and to date we do
not know of any case where this has happened using the current screening techniques.
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Patient Information: Use of donor sperm
Chances of Conception
There are several different treatment options available to you, and some maybe more
suitable for you than others. This will be discussed at your doctor’s consultation. The
different types of treatment include:
 Donor Insemination – is where thawed sperm is placed onto the woman’s cervix
 Donor Intra Uterine Insemination – is where prepared thawed sperm is placed
inside the woman’s uterus (with or without mild drug stimulation)
 Donor IVF – is where a woman’s own eggs are inseminated with donor sperm in
vitro and embryo(s) are replaced into the uterus.
Each treatment type carries a different success rate and a different financial cost.
Once conception has been confirmed, the pregnancy should follow a normal course.
There is no lower or higher risk of miscarriage, tubal pregnancy or of congenital
abnormality than when conception occurs naturally.
Regulations
A statutory body called the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) strictly
regulates the whole field of infertility. The law on anonymity changed from 1st April 2005,
so that people donating sperm eggs or embryos would do so on the understanding that
they would be identifiable to any person conceived as a result of their donation.
Once the donor-conceived person reaches the age of 16, they can access information
about the number, gender and year of birth of any half or full siblings and non-identifying
information about the donor. They can do this either via the clinic or by contacting the
HFEA.
At 18, all details, both identifying and non-identifying, will be available to the relevant
donor-conceived person making a request. They can also find out identifying information
about any genetically related siblings if both parties have consented (via the Voluntary
Sibling Contact Register VSCR).
As parents of a donor conceived child you are allowed to request non-identifying
information about the donor and any genetically related siblings your child might have.
This includes the pen portrait and good will message the donors are asked to write (as
long as these do not contain any identifying information).
The donor has no responsibilities or financial obligations to a child resulting from
treatment. They can only find out non-identifying information about how many children
have been born as a result of their donation, their sex and year of birth.
Legal Parentage Regulations
In April 2009 new laws about legal parenthood came into force.
For married couples, the law will remain unchanged. The husband will be the legal father
of any child born as a result of his wife’s treatment, unless it is shown that he did not
consent to treatment with his wife.
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Patient Information: Use of donor sperm
For unmarried couples, both partners must consent to the male partner being the father
in order for him to be legally recognised and named on the child’s birth certificate.
For same-sex couples, for lesbian civil partners, the partner who does not give birth will
be recognised as the legal second parent and named on the child’s birth certificate unless
she did not consent to her partner’s treatment. For those not in a civil partnership, both
women must consent to the partner who does not give birth being named as the second
legal parent.
Unmarried couples should note that even by having the name on the birth certificate does
not automatically give him/her full parental responsibility. The couple need to make a
parental responsibility agreement or obtain a parental responsibility order under the
Children Act of 1989. This applies to any unmarried couple’s child and you are advised to
seek your Solicitor’s advice.
Counselling
You and your partner will be given detailed information about the process. The
implications of this treatment for yourselves, your family and any other children will be
discussed. The welfare of the child will be an important issue. If you feel you need further
discussion or support, please ask, and it will be arranged, free of charge.
Coming to terms with infertility can be very difficult and it is essential that treatment by DI
is very carefully considered and your decision is not hurried. As far as possible you should
try to anticipate your own reaction to the treatment and also to the subsequent pregnancy
and the baby, if the treatment is successful. Please do not hurry yourselves into the
treatment because you feel that time is passing. Please discuss any uncertainties or
anxieties that you may have with the medical or nursing staff. Independent counselling is
available if you wish, and our medical or nursing staff will be able to give you more details.
Consent
You and your partner (if applicable) must consent in writing to the procedure and legal
parentage (where appropriate).
Telling Your Child?
Centres are now required by law to give patients undergoing treatment using donor
gametes/embryos information about the importance of telling any resulting child at an
early age that they are donor conceived.
Whether or not you choose to tell your child about his/her origin by DI is a very personal
decision which you, or as a couple must make. More people are deciding to tell their
children and there are now individuals and agencies available to help you in this process.
The Donor Conception Network (DCN) has a series of booklets called ‘Telling and Talking’
offering parents advice about how to discuss these issues with their children and they are
aimed at different age groups.
We would like to remind you again, that upon reaching the age of 18, your child will now
have the right to submit an application to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology
Authority to find out about his/her genetic origin and identifying information about the
donor may be made available to the child at this time.
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Patient Information: Use of donor sperm
Further Information
Listed below are some websites, which you may wish to consult for further information
about the use of donor sperm and wider issues.
 The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority website - www.hfea.gov.uk
 National Gamete Donation Trust website - www.ngdt.co.uk
 The Donor Conception Network (DCN) – www.donor-conception-network.org
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