Sperm Donation

Some patients in our clinic require the use of a sperm donor. There are a variety of scenarios when a sperm donor is used (i.e., heterosexual couples, lesbian couples and single women). However, for this post, I’m going to keep the focus centered around the use of a sperm donor for a heterosexual couple.

As background, sperm donation is the use of sperm from a sperm bank or a known donor.

Men who might or will need sperm donation include men who:

• do not make any sperm (can be determined by testicular biopsy)
• have had chemotherapy and/or radiation and now do not make sperm
• have had surgical removal of their testicles
• are carriers of serious transmittable genetic traits or diseases
• have low sperm counts or motility and do not want to pursue IVF

At our clinic, if a patient will be using sperm from a sperm bank, we can assist them in getting information about sperm banks that are available to the patient. Once the patient has chosen a donor, the patient will then arrange for sperm to be shipped to our clinic and we can store it until the patient’s treatment cycle.
If the patient will be using a known donor, the donor must undergo routine evaluation and screening including:

• Semen analysis
• Blood draw for infectious disease screening (HIV, etc.)
• Urine or urethral cultures for gonorrhea and chlamydia
• Psychological counseling with our in-house therapist
• The recipient parents also will undergo a psychological evaluation with our
therapist, if using a known sperm donor.

If you have any questions about the sperm donation process, I’d love to hear from you.

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