Donor Sperm 

 
Therapeutic donor sperm insemination (TDI) offers an option for conception for heterosexual couples in which the male partner suffers from azoospermia (absence of sperm), single women pursuing conception, and same-sex lesbian couples seeking to start a family.  Since the 1980’s, donor sperm procurement and banking has been a closely regulated process exclusively conducted through state and federally licensed sperm banks.  Prospective sperm donors are thoroughly screened prior to acceptance by a sperm bank.  Donated specimens are then cryopreserved (frozen) and quarantined for 6 months prior to release for use by the public.  Donors must screen to be free of any potential infectious diseases 6 months following their initial donation for their specimens to be released from quarnantine.  This process has achieved a remarkable degree of safety in the use of cryopreserved donor sperm.   However, this safety has been achieved at the expense of the conception rates previously seen with use of fresh donor sperm specimens.  Given the lower expected rates of conception seen through use of cryopreserved donor sperm, strategies have been devised to help optimize the chance of conception with each donor sperm insemination cycle.  Due to the diminished life expectancy of thawed sperm, two consecutive donor sperm inseminations are typically done per cycle, the first just prior to the patient’s ovulation, and the next 24 hrs later, shortly following ovulation. Superovulation (induction of multiple oocytes for ovulation) with either clomiphene citrate (Clomid) or injectable gonadotropins may also be a strategy employed to increase the conception rate of each donor sperm insemination cycle, with the inherent increase in the risk of multiple conception.  With appropriate monitoring, this risk is rarely elevated beyond the risk of a twin conception.

Your physician and nurse will help direct you to a list of reputable sperm banks with a proven track record of success.  The process of donor sperm selection should be approached with appropriate thought and careful consideration.  You will be advised to access the websites of these sperm banks and review all of the available information that they will provide to you regarding the personal, health and family histories of their available donors.   Once you have made a selection, you will purchase individual vials of cryopreserved donor sperm.  These vials will then be shipped to RMANJ for cryopreserved storage in our facility until thawed for your use.
 
Patients may also recruit their own designated known sperm donors.  Federal law requires that any designated donor be screened by a licensed sperm bank prior to donation, to demonstrate that the designated donor is free of any disqualifying infectious disease.  However, federal regulations permit designated donor sperm recipients to waive the typical 6 month quarantine period and retesting of the donor prior to use of designated donor sperm.  Please discuss this option with your physician and nurse prior to definitive decisions regarding use of designated donor sperm.
 
Established policy at RMANJ has evolved to require psychological counseling prior to pursuit of either donor sperm or donor oocyte therapy, in order for individuals and couples to fully explore and understand the psychological issues surrounding these treatment choices.  Issues of disclosure to potential offspring, amongst other issues, will be discussed during this session.