Sperm donation is a process by which a man known as a sperm donor donates his semen to a recipient with the intention that it be used to achieve a pregnancy and produce a baby in a woman who is not the man’s sexual partner.
Pregnancies are most commonly achieved through sperm donation by the use of artificial insemination (AI) or, where a donor is used as a donor insemination (DI) and less commonly by natural insemination (NI) where the donor sleeps with the recipient.
Sperm donation is a means of third party reproduction ad sperms donated this way is known as donor sperm.
WHO BENEFITS FROM SPERM DONATION
Sperm donation commonly assists heterosexual couples who are unable to produce children because of male factor fertility problem.
It is increasingly being used as a means to enable single women (termed choice mothers) and single and coupled lesbians to have children.
In some clinics abroad, single and coupled lesbians may amount up to 70% of those treated. The figure is increasingly getting higher in Nigeria, due to increasing awareness among singles and, lesbians.
WHERE IS SPERM DONATION UNDERTAKEN
Sperm donation is usually undertaken at a sperm bank or fertility clinics, however home insemination is becoming increasingly common in the western world among singles and lesbian couples using a known sperm donor.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF SPERM DONATION?
The main risk of sperm donation is that of acquiring an infection, particularly if using a known donor who may not have undergone extensive infection screening.
Ensuring that the donor has undergone the proper infection testing will significantly reduce this risk. Advice regarding infection screening can be gained from your fertility clinic.
Along with the physical risk, the other concern when using a known donor is the legal responsibility.
Known donors may be seen as the child’s legal father unless legal donor agreements have been drawn up by the fertility lawyers.
Other concerns include the issue of relationship problems. Not all couples will feel comfortable with the prospect of bringing up a child who they are not biologically related to. For this reasons, couples need to discuss the matter at length before a decision is made.
Using a counsellor may be worth considering to clear up any issues before proceeding, this is particularly important when using a known donor.
WHAT IS SUCCESS RATE OF SPERM DONATION
Success rate for pregnancy using sperm donation are dependent on many factors including the age and healthy of the recipient.
The cumulative pregnancy rate is between60%-70% after 4 cycle. The success rate depends on the age of the woman if she is using her own egg. Pregnancy rate is also very dependent on the total sperm count of the donor.
When going through a sperm bank, a couple may select their donor on grounds of looks, personality, academic ability, race and many other factors.
HOW TO GET A SPERM DONOR SPERM BANK
In a sperm bank, a donor will usually donate sperm for a specific contractual period of time. To donate sperm a man would fulfill some medical conditions.
A comprehensive screening is performed. A token amount of money, much less than is given to an egg donor is the norm in Nigeria fertility clinic set up. Rarely do you have a sperm or egg donor agreeing to the procedure without a monetary cost implication.
PRIVATE DONOR
Some donors and recipient choose to arrange donation privately and directly. Recipients may approach a friend, although artificial inseminate is usually used, but the parties may sometimes agree to inseminate naturally (Natural Insemination NI).
In such situation, a fresh sperm is usually used unlike a frozen sperm from a sperm bank.
Private donors are usually free of charge, hence avoiding the cost of a more medicalized insemination. However the risk of sexual infection is higher than going through a fertility clinic sperm bank where adequate screening has been performed.
NATURAL INSEMINATION
This happens when a donor inseminates a woman through sexual intercourse with her for the sole reason of enabling the woman to achieve a pregnancy, this is known as natural insemination or NI.
A natural conception avoids the need to be subjected to medical procedures that may or may not involve the intervention of third parties. It lacks the safety precautions and screenings usually built into the artificial insemination process.
SCREENING OF SPERM DONORS
Fertility banks usually screen very potential donor for genetic diseases, chromosomes abnormalities and sexually transmitted diseases. Screening for HIV, Hepatitis, Syphilis, gonorrhea, Chlamydia, blood group, genotype, sperm count.
The sperm are frozen and quarantined for at least 6 months after which donor will be retested.
