Information for potential sperm donors

Patient information Leaflet

General information about donating

• Donated sperm is one of the most generous gifts a person can give.
• Many donors feel proud knowing that they have helped people who may not otherwise have been able to become parents.
• However, donating sperm can have a lasting impact on you, the people who receive your donation, any children born from it, and your current or future family.
• This aim of this information sheet is to:
  • Help prepare you for donating
  • Provide information about the law of donation and how it affects you
  • Answer your questions about the process of donation
  • Encourage you to think about the issues you may face.

Who is eligible to be a donor?

• To be a donor you need to be older than 18 and younger than 46.
• You need to be generally healthy and have no serious medical conditions.
• We accept men who have had their own children and men who have not.
• These are the basic requirements for donating sperm.
• If you meet them, we encourage you to complete our questionnaire for potential sperm donors.
• You can find it on our website: www.spermdonation.nhs.uk
• We will then review your questionnaire.
• If your answers suggest that you may be suitable to donate, we will invite you to the clinic for an initial appointment.
• At this appointment we will ask you to produce a semen sample for analysis.
• If your sample is suitable, then we will talk you through the donation process in full.
• You can take as long as you need to decide if you wish to proceed.

Who needs donated sperm?

• Donated sperm is needed by many different patients.
• This includes heterosexual couples where the male partner does not produce sperm, has very poor-quality sperm, or has a genetic condition that could be passed to their children.
• It is also used by same-sex female couples and single women.
• Donated sperm can be used to fertilise eggs through artificial insemination or IVF.
• These treatments take place at a fertility clinic.

What do I have to consider before donating my sperm?

• Donation can have a lasting impact on the people who receive your donation, children born from it, you, and your family.
• In a legal and social sense, the people who receive your donation will be the parents of any child that is born.
• However, the child will inherit your genes and therefore they, and any children of theirs, will be genetically related to you.
• You should consider how you feel about this now and try to imagine how you may feel about it in the future.
• As the law now stands, once a donor-conceived child reaches the age of 18, they are legally entitled to find out identifying information about their donor.
• This includes the donor’s full name, date of birth, and last known address.
• Not all donor-conceived children will want to know this, but some will, and they may wish to contact you.
• You need to think about this carefully and discuss it with your partner (if you have one).
• We would also recommend that you consider telling your own parents and your wider family.

Payment

• The idea of sperm donation is attractive to some men because they assume that they can be paid for donations.
• This is not the case in the UK. It is against the law for us to pay sperm donors the way that they may be paid in other countries.
• We can offer you compensation for any expenses you may have to pay for when visiting the clinic. At the moment this is a standard fee of £45 for each time you donate.
• You will receive this compensation as a single payment after you complete the donation process.

What advice and support will I get?

• Donating sperm is an important decision. It can have lifelong effects on you and others.
• There are many issues to consider and some of them are complicated.
• Before coming to a final decision, you must have at least one session with our donation implications counsellor.
• The counsellor has experience supporting sperm donors and people who use donor sperm.
• They may help you think about issues you had not considered.
• Counselling can help you think about how donating sperm may affect you and your current or future partner.
• It can also help you think about how it may affect any children you have now or in the future.

What tests must be done before a donor is accepted?

• We have a responsibility to our patients to help protect them from infections that could be passed on through donor sperm.
• We also take all reasonable steps to avoid using sperm that could pass on a serious genetic condition to a child.
• The standard screening for donors is:
  • Semen analysis. This makes sure that your sperm is suitable for use in treatment and has a good chance of being able to contribute to a pregnancy.
  • Blood tests for HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, and HTLV.
  • Urine tests for chlamydia and gonorrhoea.
  • Karyotype – a test which checks that the chromosomes in your cells are structurally normal.
  • Other tests to determine whether you are a carrier of certain genetic diseases which are most common in people of your ethnic background.
  • Occasionally, other screening tests will be performed, for example if you have lived in or travelled to certain foreign countries.
• We will explain all tests and what the results could mean before the tests are done.

What details will I have to give about myself and why?

• The details you will be asked to provide include:
  • Your full name
  • The name you were born with (if different)
  • Your date and place of birth
  • Your NHS or passport number
  • Your address at the time of donation
  • Your GP’s contact details
  • Whether or not you have your own children, and if so, the number of children you have and their sex
  • Your height and weight, and the colour of your eyes, hair and skin
  • Your ethnic group and your biological mother and father’s ethnic group
  • Your medical history
  • Your family medical history
  • Your occupation
  • Your skills and interests
  • Your reasons for wishing to donate sperm.
• You will also be asked to write a short description about yourself and a ‘Goodwill message'.
• Patients who receive your donation, and any children born from it, may be able to read this in the future.
• People conceived using donated sperm may be curious about where they come from.
• They may want to know if they look like you or have a similar personality.
• They may also wonder why you decided to donate and whether you have children of your own.
• You will be encouraged to include information about your background, education, achievements, views, values and life experiences.
• This information must not include anything that could identify you.
• All the details you give will be stored on a register held by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
• The information is coded and is not available to the public.
• Only those who have a legal right to access it may do so.

Sperm donation and the law

Removal of anonymity

• On 1 April 2005, a new law about sperm donation came into effect.
• Since then, when donor-conceived people turn 18, they have the legal right to find out the identity of the sperm donor who donated to their parent(s).
• The law removing donor anonymity was introduced after studies of adopted and donor-conceived children revealed that there were benefits to ‘knowing’.
• These studies found that knowing about their biological parents could help their emotional wellbeing, even if they did not have contact with them.
• The most important thing to consider before donating is whether you would be comfortable with a donor-conceived person finding out your identity in the future.
• You should also consider advances in technology.
• DNA testing and matching websites can sometimes reveal genetic relationships, even if you or your relatives use these services without knowing about the donation.
• You can find these companies by searching the internet.
• Thinking ahead, a donor-conceived child is likely to have very easy access to services like this by the time they reach the age of 18.
• Even if you do not submit your DNA to these services, a close biological relative of yours might.
• This could allow a donor-conceived person to discover a genetic link to you if both people choose to share this information.

How many children could be born from my donations?

• Sperm from a single donor may be used to create a maximum of 10 families.
• There is no legal limit on the number of children who can be born into these 10 families.
• However, most people using donor sperm are unlikely to have more than two or three children. Some may have only one child.

Do I have any say about how my samples are used?

• If you only want to donate to someone you know, you can ask to donate to that person only.
• In this case, you would be a “known donor”. The recipient would need to pay the costs of your screening, recruitment and sperm storage.
• You may also be able to set some restrictions on how your sperm is used.
• However, these restrictions cannot discriminate based on:
  • Age
  • Disability
  • Gender reassignment
  • Marriage or civil partnership
  • Race
  • Religion or belief
  • Sex
  • Sexual orientation.

What if I change my mind after I have provided samples for donation?

• By law, when you donate you must consent in writing to your sperm being used in treatment.
• You can withdraw your consent at any time before your sperm is used for insemination or IVF.
• You can also withdraw your consent before any embryos created using your sperm are transferred to a recipient.
• However, fertility treatment can be costly, time-consuming and stressful for patients.
• For this reason, it is important to be sure that you want to donate before you begin.

Do I have any responsibilities towards a child created from my sperm?

• You will have no legal obligations towards any child created from your donation.
• The person who received your donation (and their partner if they have one) will be the child’s legal and social parent(s).
• You will not be named on the child’s birth certificate.
• You will not have any legal rights over how the child is raised.
• You will not be asked to provide financial support for the child.
• However, you may still feel an emotional or personal responsibility because you are genetically related to the child.
• Knowing about their genetic heritage helps people to make sense of who they are.
• This is why you are asked to give information about your family and medical history.
• It’s also why you are asked to write something about yourself that a donor-conceived person can read when they are older.
• The only other responsibility you have as a donor is to be open and honest about your medical history and your family’s medical history.
• If you deliberately leave out important information about your medical or family medical history, a donor-conceived person or their family could potentially take legal action against you.
• However, this isn’t something you need to worry about as long as you are honest with us.
• We will get in touch with your GP practice to double check the details you give us.

What information can a donor-conceived child receive about their donor?

• The parents of donor-conceived children can access the non-identifying information that you provide on your registration form at any time.
• Many parents choose to tell their child about their donor conception from a young age.
• This means the child can grow up understanding how they were conceived.
• The parents may or may not share what they know about you, and what type of person you are.
• When a donor-conceived person reaches the age of 16 they can apply to the HFEA to gain access to this non-identifying information themselves.
• Only when a donor-conceived person reaches the age of 18 may they access the information that identifies you (your name, date of birth, and last known address).
• If a donor-conceived person asks for this information about you, the HFEA will notify you that this information has been requested and provided.
• It is therefore important for you to keep your contact details up to date with us and the HFEA.
• The parents of donor-conceived children cannot access your identifying information directly at any time.

Can I get any information about any children created through my donation?

• If you would like to know, we can tell you how many children have been born from your donation.
• We can also tell you their sex and the year they were born.
• This information can help you prepare for what may happen in the future.
• We cannot tell you their names or any other identifiable information.
• You will not be given information that could identify the children born from your donations.
• They may choose to contact you when they become adults.

The sperm donation process at the Fertility Centre

• The following section gives you further information on the sperm donation process at The Fertility Centre.

Initial appointment

• If your questionnaire answers suggest that you may be suitable to donate, the Fertility Centre will invite you to an initial appointment at a time that suits you.
• At this appointment, you can ask any questions you have about this information leaflet or about sperm donation.
• We will then ask you to produce a semen sample (by masturbation) in a private room designed for this purpose.
• We will analyse your sample and discuss the results with you.
• It is important to be aware that around half of the men who reach this stage will produce semen samples that are not suitable to be used in donation.
• This does not necessarily mean you have a fertility problem.
• We usually recruit men with higher-than-average sperm counts because some sperm can be damaged during freezing and thawing.
• If your results suggest you may have a fertility problem, we will explain what this means.
• We will also give you advice about where to get help, either now or in the future.
• We will also offer you a session with our counsellor.

Medical consultation

• If your semen analysis shows that you may be suitable to donate, you will have a medical appointment with one of our consultants.
• The consultant will ask about your medical history and check that you are fit and well.
• You will also have a physical examination.

Counselling

• Early in the donation process, and before you sign any consent forms, we will ask you to meet with the Fertility Centre’s counsellor.
• This session is entirely confidential, and the counsellor cannot tell us what you say.
• However, the counsellor can make a recommendation as to whether they think you are suitable to be a donor.
• The primary objective of this appointment, though, is to allow you to discuss the implications of donation with them, and to ask further questions.
• You are welcome to have additional counselling sessions if you wish.

Initial screening and consents

• After your counselling session and medical consultation, you will come to the clinic for blood and urine tests.
• You will also complete the consent forms necessary for sperm donation and produce your first donation sample.

Sperm banking appointments

• We usually ask sperm donors to visit the clinic once or twice a week for 5 to 10 weeks to provide semen samples.
• We can be flexible with these appointments and can see you during evenings or weekends if you wish.
• If you cannot attend this often or for this long, we may be able to accept fewer donations from you.
• We will decide this on a case-by-case basis.
• Please mention to us as soon as possible if you think you may struggle to donate between 10 and 15 times in total.

Final screening

• Six months after your last donation date we will ask you to take one final round of blood and urine testing.
• This allows us to be sure that you have not contracted any infections during the donation period.
• Final screening is a legal requirement of the HFEA.

Where can I find out more information?

• Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) – the authority that regulates and monitors all licensed fertility treatments: www.hfea.gov.uk

• Donor Conception Network - a national support group for people who have conceived through donation and those who are considering becoming a donor: www.dcnetwork.org

Contact our service

The Fertility Centre Tel.: 020 7288 3776 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm) Email: whh-tr.fertilityunit-whitthealth@nhs.net