Sperm donation: for whom, how to do it?

What is sperm donation?

Sperm donation is voluntary and carried out freely. The donor signs a consent form which he can return to at any time until the sperm is used. If the donor lives as a couple, his partner also signs consent. The donation is freeas are all gifts of elements of the human body. The law prohibits any remuneration in return for sperm donation. Donors can benefit from coverage of all costs incurred by the donation, medical and non-medical (transport, loss of professional income if necessary). The donation is anonymous : no filiation can be established between the child(ren) resulting from the donation and the sperm donor. Donors and recipients cannot know their respective identities. The child born from sperm donation cannot know the identity of the donor. The law specifies that the use of sperm donation from the same donor cannot lead to the birth of more than 10 children.

Who should give their sperm to?

You no longer have to already be a dad to make a donation

Sperm donation is intended for heterosexual couplesof which infertility has been medically diagnosed. Either because the man does not have sperm naturally, or because they present abnormalities or have been destroyed during medical treatment. It can also be intended for couples where man risks transmitting a genetic disease serious to his child. “The use of sperm donation is also intended for couples composed of a man and a woman, both of childbearing age and in failure of Medical Assistance for Intramarital Procreation“, adds Dr Claire de Vienne of the Human Procreation and Embryology and Genetics Department at the Biomedicine Agency. “When it comes to sperm donation, the goal is to offer gametes (sex cells) to a heterosexual couple facing male infertility linked to the absence of sperm or insufficient quantity/quality of sperm or to a risk of transmitting a serious genetic disease to one’s baby”, explains Dr Claire from Vienne. The gametes will be used as part of a process Medically Assisted Reproduction (or PMA).

Who can be a sperm donor?

You can donate sperm if:

• you are major,
• you are aged under 45 years old,
• You are in good health.

Please note: since January 2016, it is no longer necessary to already be a dad to make a donation of spermatozoa. Single, separated or divorced men can therefore also donate sperm. If the donor lives as a couple, his partner must agree.

What tests should be done for sperm donation?

To donate sperm, there are several steps:

► One first meeting with the medical team to find out about the methods and technique of donation. When the donor is ready to commit he signs a form consent as well as his partner if he lives as a couple.

► A consultation for take stock of general health and history personal and family followed by another appointment allowing the search for genetic risk factors: genetic investigation concerning one’s ancestors, descendants and collaterals, in the search for serious transmissible diseases.

► A blood test allows:

• The determination of the blood group
• The determination of the karyotype (chromosome analysis)
• A search communicable infections (syphilis, hepatitis B and C, HIV, HTLV, CMV)

► “An interview with the psychologist or psychiatrist from the center if the donor wishes. This interview is, however, obligatory for donors who have not had children. Its aim is to enlighten the donor on the act of donation and to answer any questions they may have. specifies the doctor.

► A first collection allows us to know the characteristics of the spermatozoa, to determine the number of collections to be made (4 to 5) and to evaluate their tolerance to freezing.

► sperm examinations before and after freezing make it possible to check the initial quality of the sperm and the mobility of the spermatozoa after freezing/thawing, as well as the absence of infection.

► A second blood test, taken 6 months later the last sperm sample allows the detection of infectious diseases. The donation can only be used if the results are negative for HIV, syphilis, hepatitis B and C.

If the search for antibodies for CMV reflecting a previous infection is negative at the time of donation, the detection of antibodies 6 months after the donation does not allow the use of the donation (rare case).

Six months after the last collection, the donor must go to the donation center again for a check-up.

The donor takes meet at CECOS closest to his home. A donor can only give in one CECOS. He undertakes in writing to not having donated to another center. The donor is welcomed by a multidisciplinary medical team accustomed to donation, who does everything possible to put them at ease. The collection room is specifically designed for this purpose and completely intimate. The donor goes there alone or accompanied by his partner if he wishes. Magazines and/or videos are made available. He can also bring some. Sperm collection is obtained by masturbation. No home collection is permitted. He ideally requires a period of sexual abstinence of 3 to 6 days before each collection, otherwise the quality, number and mobility of sperm may be reduced. “In any case, the collected sperm are frozen in the form of straws and kept in theliquid nitrogen at – 196°c within a center authorized for the conservation of straws by the Regional Health Agency (ARS) on the advice of the Biomedicine Agency”, continues the specialist. Six months after the last collection, the donor must go to the donation center again to check the serological tests (hepatitis, HIV, etc.) before using sperm; this period takes into account the incubation times of viruses. Without this last appointment the donation cannot be used.

Where to donate sperm?

In one of the 29 CECOS of France. It is Center for the Study and Conservation of Human Sperm Eggs authorized to collect and distribute sperm straws.

Thanks to Dr Claire de Vienne – Human Procreation and Human Genetics Department – Biomedicine Agency.