For couples unable to conceive their own child, the use of a sperm bank is becoming an increasingly common choice. In fact, one in eight infertile North American couples will use a sperm bank to achieve pregnancy. In addition, according to the National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study, 30% of homosexual women become biologic parents through sperm donation. With so many people investigating the use of a sperm bank, there are a lot of questions being asked about donor screening.
The laws of sperm donation vary between countries in regards to the marital status of the client, the anonymity (or identity) of the donor and the number of children conceived from one particular donor. In most parts of the world, a donor who provides sperm to a sperm bank does so with the knowledge that they are handing over all legal rights of any children who may result from the donation. When private arrangements are made for sperm donation between parties known to each other, the legalities may be different. Open identity sperm donation is becoming more popular with women considering the use of a sperm bank, as it allows them to give their future child the option of seeking out the identity of the donor after the child has reached 18. Clearly, sperm donation and the use of donated sperm is not a choice to be taken lightly. It involves a significant change in lifestyle that will effect future generations.
So how does one become a sperm donor? What are the safeguards against disease, genetic abnormalities and infection? Screening in the 21st century is far more stringent than it was even ten years ago. Now the EU, Australia, Canada and other countries are required to register births resulting from donated sperm, whereas before 1990 that was not the case. Donor screening in the US is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA), and by the individual states. Societies such as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the American Association of Tissue Banks provide professional education and oversight. Donor screening in Europe is regulated by the individual countries, such as in Denmark by the Danish Health Authority, and is regulated across Europe by the European Union (EU) Tissue Directive.
Donor screening begins with recording the medical history of the donor, his children (if there are any), siblings, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and so on; often going back at least four generations. The donor’s family doctor is usually consulted and the family interviewed, especially if the donor is married. The sexual history of the donor is recorded, as well as past drug use, all as part of an HIV risk assessment. Blood and urine is tested for a whole host of diseases including: HIV, HTLC I/II, Hepatitis B and C, Syphilis, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia and Cytomegalovirus.
A full blood panel, typing and Rh factor assessment is carried out. Genetic testing for possible carriers of Cystic Fibrosis, Sickle-cell disease, Thalassemia, Tay-Sachs disease, Canavan disease, Familial Dysautonomia, Fanconi Anemia, Gaucher disease, Niemann-Pick type A disease, and Spinal Muscular Atrophy. The general health of the donor is assessed. A semen analysis is also conducted to assess sperm count, the motility of the sperm and the morphology.
If the donor has passed all the screening tests and the family history looks clear, then samples are taken from the donor and stored for six months. At the end of that time the donor is retested for sexually transmitted infections to ensure no changes have occurred. If the tests come back clear, then the quarantined samples can be provided to clients seeking a sperm donor. It is not uncommon for potential donors to be rejected for reasons other than their medical history. Some applicants with a lack of education or height are usually not accepted as donors. Since clients can now choose their sperm donor based on every aspect of the human body and mind, those bearing seemingly small faults will not be valuable donors.
It would be prudent to consider one added benefit of sperm donation that is the reduced chance of birth defects. According to a study done by Erik Jansson with Friends of the Earth, children conceived through sperm donation have a birth defect rate of one fifth of naturally conceived children. The reason for the drop in birth defects most likely falls to the rigorous screening process carried out by the sperm bank. Dealing with infertility is devastating enough without also having to fear possible birth defects and genetic disease. The choice of using a sperm bank can remove those fears entirely, as well fill the void of childlessness.
European Sperm Bank has the highest quality sperm donor banks in the world, simply because of our extremely comprehensive screening process. In addition to age, education, criminal background check, personality analysis, we also check 4 generations of medical history. See our site for example donors and more information.