Sperm donation

 
One couple in eight experiencing fertility problems uses donor sperm to conceive a child.

If your partner has fertility problems such as a low sperm count, is sterile, or has undergone radiotherapy or chemotherapy treatment, a sperm donor can be used to conceive a child. It’s important you get counseling from your fertility clinic before considering this option. Your partner will be bringing up a child conceived with a donor’s sperm and your egg, and this can lead to feelings of inadequacy.

If you do decide to go ahead, sperm can be donated by either a known or anonymous donor. Anonymous samples will be screened for a range of genetic diseases, including those that are specific to certain ethnic backgrounds, and sexually transmitted diseases. If you’re using an anonymous donor, you’ll need to consider their physical appearance, religious, ethnic and cultural background and education level.

Fresh semen is collected, frozen and quarantined for six months to further limit the chances of any infections being passed on. Frozen sperm can remain fertile for at least two years and while up to 50 percent of sperm don’t survive the thawing process, those that do are the healthiest and most robust. This means that insemination with donor sperm has a good success rates when it comes to assisted conception and live birth – up to 70 percent of women become pregnant over six to nine months of treatments if they don’t have fertility problems themselves.

Once thawed, the sperm can be used in a variety of ways. If you’re ovulating normally or with the help of fertility drugs, it can be placed inside your vagina – you can either do this at home yourself or have it done at your fertility clinic and it’s the least expensive method. Alternately your fertility specialist can deposit it directly into your cervix, increasing the chances of it meeting your egg – this method has good success rates and is less expensive and invasive than the other main option, which places it into your uterus. Another less common method places the sperm directly into your fallopian tube – this is the most expensive option but may be recommended if you have excessive cervical mucus that is preventing sperm from reaching your eggs.

See also egg donation and embryo donation. 

If you’re considering any of these procedures, it might be helpful to chat to others who’ve worked through these choices themselves. See our fertility chat forum for more help.

The information in this feature is intended for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your health, the health of your child or the health of someone you know, please consult with a doctor or other healthcare professional.