Sperm Donation: Some Things You Should Know

Childbirth is definitely a miracle, but if your husband is diagnosed with infertility, hospitalized due to testicular cancer, or is absent at all, there is still an opportunity for you to get a chance to raise a healthy child. Thanks to reproductive technologies that involve sperm donation, it is possible to find a donor whose sperm can be used for in vitro fertilization. If this topic is interesting for you, then keep reading this article. 

Make Your Decision Wisely 

The preparations for in vitro fertilization may take a long time because it requires lots of thinking. The future parents should honestly decide if they are ready for this life-changing step. Using sperm from a donor may potentially cause a range of problems that may lead to incomplete families, adultery, and other serious issues in relationships. There are also some health risks that should be taken into account, such as genetic disorders of a child. Therefore, before deciding to use sperm donation, it is important to think through all the pros and cons.  

Donor Duties 

It is not that easy to become a sperm donor because a man’s health condition is carefully checked, and not everyone matches the requirements. For instance, seminogram is used to analyze the quality of a man’s sperm. If results are satisfying, the potential donor must go through a full medical examination. Besides, he must match the following requirements:  

  • Be 20-25 years old;
  • Have a university degree;
  • Be healthy and attractive;
  • Have no bad habits;
  • Have healthy children.

The Process in Progress

The procedure is completely anonymous. It is possible to find out only general information about a potential donor, for instance, how he looks, what he likes, what he does for a living, etc. Sometimes, voice records are also added to the profile but this really depends on the reproductive agency.

Once the choice is made, the donor’s sperm is collected and cryopreserved for at least six months before it can be used for fertilization and developing an embryo which later will be transferred to the womb.

What You Should Note

Intrauterine insemination and in vitro fertilization are not 100% effective methods. It is known that insemination results in a successful pregnancy after three repeated cycles only in 27% of all cases. So, the efficiency of this technology is 42-47%, and patients should be aware of that. However, it is possible to increase chances by using the frozen embryo transfer procedure that sometimes turns out to be a more effective method.