Sperm Donation

Sperm donation is the process in which a person or couple receives donor sperm to enable conception through assisted reproductive technology. Sperm donors can be unknown (an "anonymous" donor) or known (a relative or friend).

Donor sperm might be right for you if neither you nor your partner(s) produce sperm.

If you have undergone hormone replacement therapy and have an absence of sperm in the semen (Azoospermia), low sperm count, poor sperm motility and/or abnormal sperm morphology as a result, donor sperm can be a great option for building your family.

The cost for a sample of sperm is on average $400 to $800, which contains 3-6 vials of sperm.

The number of samples your family will need depends on the fertility process you are choosing and the number of pregnancies you will be attempting. Each sample comes with 3-6 vials of sperm, which can each be used for one fertility cycle.

For IVF, it is possible that one sperm vial can be used to create multiple embryos that can be frozen and saved for multiple cycles and multiple pregnancies.

For IUI or INVOCELL, you will need a separate vial for each cycle.

At Main Line Fertility, we are eager to include partners at every step of the process. Here are a few ways partners can be integral to your conception journey:

As you are selecting a sperm donor, work together to decide which characteristics or qualities you may look for in a donor. There are several mobile apps that can be used for picking a baby name; you AND your partner enter names you each love and then the app presents you with the names you both selected. These apps can be used for selecting sperm donors! You can both look through a cryobank library of donors or think through potential donors in your life, list the names or donor numbers in the app, then see which donors you both selected.

Partners can also do a lot of the logistical and emotional labor involved in a conception process. They can call to book appointments, pick up prescriptions, ensure sperm is transported safely, and more! Fertility processes go well when both partners feel equally engaged and invested in the process. Don't be afraid to ask for help from your partner, to offer help to your partner, and to ask for what you need (regardless of whether you're the person conceiving or not).

For in vitro fertilization (IVF) and INVOCELL, pregnancy outcomes for fresh and frozen sperm are similar. Which you will use will depend on your proximity to the donor.

For Intravaginal, Intracervical, or Intrauterine Insemination , there are benefits and drawbacks to both fresh and frozen options. Let's take a look!

Fresh Sperm

If you're working with a known donor, such as a friend or someone you have met for the express purpose of utilizing them as a donor, you may be able to use their sperm without it being frozen first.

Benefits:

• Live, fresh sperm can substantially more "potent" than frozen sperm

Drawbacks:

• Often, individuals and couples working with known donors aren't aware of the added benefits of additional screening that can help ensure that their donor is producing samples that are high quality. Many of our patients attempt insemination without realizing that their known donor doesn't have the sperm quality and quantity necessary to achieve a pregnancy.

• Fresh sperm dies quickly! If utilizing fresh sperm, insemination must happen quickly.

• Fresh sperm has filler material (often called semen) that isn't appropriate for an IUI. Sperm must be "washed" in order to remove this excess material before it can be used in IUI. So fresh sperm can only be used for Intravaginal or Intracervical Insemination-- not IUI.

Frozen Sperm

If you're working with a known donor who lives far away or an unknown donor through a cryobank, you will likely be using a sample that has been collected in a clinic, washed to remove the semen, frozen, and stored at subzero temperature.

Benefits:

• Frozen sperm has been examined under a microscope, and has been assessed for concentration, volume, and morphology (shape).

• It's easy to check sperm for other criteria that matters when you're working towards conception, such as genetic variations that may be incompatible with your genetic predisposition.

Drawbacks:

• It is substantially more expensive (in the short term, at least) to have a known donor's sperm tested, washed, and frozen, when compared to a fresh sperm sample that hasn't gone through any of those processes. It is also more expensive to buy sperm from a cryobank than it is to use sperm from a known donor.

• It can be complicated to pick up frozen sperm and take it home or to a clinic (if it isn't shipped there directly). The canister that sperm comes in is big and a tad ornery-- it will fit in a normal-sized backpack but just barely.

There are benefits and drawbacks to both known and unknown donor options. To start, let's define each:

Known Donor: A donor whose identity is known to you. A known donor is often someone you know, such as a friend or acquaintance, or can be someone you met for the express purpose of sperm donation.

Unknown Donor: A donor who went through an intermediary, whose identity is intended to be unknown to you. You may be familiar with the phrase "anonymous donor," but because of readily available genetic testing, the concept of anyone being truly "anonymous" is no longer an option.

Now, what are the benefits and drawbacks of each type of donor? Let's look!

Known Donor

Benefits:

• Some families want the option of having a donor who is committing to some level of involvement in their lives (or the lives of their children). This option is only available if you use a known donor.

• Should any questions about genetic diversity, allergies, developmental milestones, etc. come up, some families like the option of asking their donor for more information about those medical and/or developmental topics.

• Some couples choose to have a relative donate sperm for their pregnancy, such as the brother of the partner who is not carrying the pregnancy. This allows for a genetic connection between the non-carrying partner and the pregnancy.

• When working with a known donor, it is unlikely that they will have contributed to more than a handful of pregnancies throughout their lives, which is considered a positive by families who are concerned about the number of genetic "siblings" generated by one donor.

Drawbacks:

• The legal connection between a known donor and a pregnancy can be complicated, depending on where you live. In some cases, known donors will have to go to court (perhaps even multiple times) in order to sever their legal connection to the pregnancy and ensuing baby. These court dates can be expensive.

• There are times when donors have a change of heart, either about donating or about the type of relationship they would like to have with the pregnancy and ensuing baby. This can make for complicated, even legally messy situations.

• In some cases, the relatives of the known donor may attempt to establish social or even legal connections to the pregnancy and/or ensuing baby.

Unknown Donor

Benefits:

• Some families want the option of having a donor who has committed to no level of involvement in their lives (or the lives of their children). This guarantee is only available if you use an unknown donor.

• If working with a cryobank, extensive testing is done on every donor with an emphasis on sperm quality/quantity, background examination of mental health conditions, and three generations of medical histories are examined for each donor.

• If working with a cryobank, donors have already severed legal ties with their samples, so there is no concern about legal challenges by donors.

Drawbacks:

• There are limited options for communicating with donors about medical questions or concerns. Cryobanks may be able to act as an intermediary, but the donor will be able to decide whether they choose to communicate and their anonymity will be prioritized throughout the process.

• There are global limits placed on how many family units may be formed using any single donor's sperm, and some cryobanks may choose to further limit the number of families created by their donors. However, it may still be possible that 15-25 families across the world have used the same donor you did, which means that your child/ren may have 60+ genetic "siblings." While some families like having a connection to other families who used their donor, others don't like the idea of having so many genetic relatives.

• Some donor-conceived children believe that every person has the right to know the person who contributed the sperm that created them, and that type of relationship isn't possible with an unknown donor.