First steps - contacting the London Fertility Centre
If you are interested in becoming a donor, contact the centre and we will provide you with further information and book you in for an appointment. At this appointment you will be asked to provide valid proof of photo identification and complete a medical questionnaire. If you meet the initial donation criteria you will be asked to provide a semen sample in a private donation room at the centre.
Semen analysis
Your semen sample will be tested for sperm volume, count, motility, morphology, sperm survival for 48 hours and ability to withstand the freezing process. You will then be notified as to whether or not your sample is suitable for donation.
If your semen sample meets the required criteria for donors, you will be asked to provide a blood sample, a urine sample, and another semen sample for screening purposes, and attend a compulsory session of implications counselling (on a separate occasion) to ensure that you understand and accept the implications of donating sperm. You are welcome to bring your partner, if applicable, to your counselling session.
What screening tests will I undergo?
All sperm donors must have no known personal or familial history of inherited disorders and no current infection of sexually transmitted diseases. Before commencing donation, you will have a detailed medical history taken and you will be required to undergo rigorous screening tests before, during, and after donating. These tests may reveal previously unsuspected conditions, including:
- gonorrhoea (urine test)
- chlamydia (urine test)
- syphilis
- cytomegalovirus (CMV)
- hepatitis B and C
- HIV
- HTLV
- blood group
- culture and sensitivity in semen• Karyotype and cystic fibrosis
- Sickle-cell anaemia, beta-thalassaemia (if applicable)
- You may also be tested for HTLV-1* and Tay-Sachs** disease if these tests are necessary.
(* HTLV-I infection in the United States appears to be about half as prevalent as HIV infection among IV drug users. Studies of HTLV-I antibody indicate that the virus is endemic in southern Japan, in the Pacific coast of Colombia and Ecuador, in the Caribbean, and in Africa.)
(** Tay-Sachs: Screening may be necessary in Ashkenazi Jews, French Canadians, Louisiana Cajun, Pennsylvania Dutch and preliminary data suggests persons of British Isle and Italian decent have an increased carrier rate over the general population.)
Commencing donation
If all screening tests are clear, you can start donating and should aim to visit the centre once or twice a week. We expect that, on average, you will have to visit the centre six times to provide an appropriate amount of suitable sample to be frozen, although the number of visits you may have to make will depend on your individual clinical circumstances.
Repeat screening and quarantine of samples
After your last donation you will need to be screened again for sexually transmitted diseases – syphilis, chlamydia and gonorrhoea. If you pass all these screening tests, we will quarantine your samples for six months.
Repeat screening and samples used for treatment
Six months after your last donation, we will repeat your HIV, hepatitis B and C screening. If your screening results are all clear, we can then start using your samples for treating patients. Your sample can only be used to father ten families, or less if you wish, as expressed in your completed consent forms.
Reimbursement of expenses
In the UK it is illegal to pay donors for donating their sperm. A donor may however be reimbursed reasonable expenses incurred within the UK in connection with the donation up to £250, in accordance with HFEA directions.
Travel
All fully receipted public transport travel costs over £15 will be reimbursed. Taxis are expected to be used only where public transport facilities are unavailable. Reimbursement on petrol is based at £0.300 per mile for cars, £0.153 per mile for motorcycles and £0.053 per mile for bicyclists. The travel expenses of an accompanying person can also be reimbursed on the same basis.
Loss of earnings
Donors may be compensated for loss of earnings (but not for the cost of conveniences) up to a daily amount of £55.19, but with an overall limit of £250 for each cycle of sperm donation. Loss of earnings is compensated for half before your attend the centre, and half when you complete a donation cycle.
What are my rights and responsibilities as a donor?
Legal parenthood - you will not be the legal parent of any child conceived from your donations.
Withdrawal of consent
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time up to the point at which your sperm is used in treatment.
Access to information
The HFEA registers all information regarding treatment with donors. You, the donor, can request non-identifying information about any children born as a result of your donated sperm, including the number of children born, their sex, and their year of birth.
What information can be disclosed to donor-conceived offspring?
From the age of 16, donor conceived children have access to the following non-identifying information about their donor:
- physical description (height, weight, eye hair and skin colours)
- year and country of birth
- ethnicity of donor and donor’s parents
- number and sex of other genetic children donor had when they registered
- marital status at time of donation
- details of any screening tests and medical history
- reasons for donating
- a goodwill message written by the donor for the benefit of the donor-conceived offspring and their reasons for donating
- skills and any other details the donor may have chosen to supply, such as occupation, religion and interests.
From the age of 18, donor-conceived children can access the full name, as well as previous names, date and place of birth, and last known postal address of the donor.
From 16 if contemplating marriage, or from 18, people can ask the HFEA if they were conceived as a result of donor insemination and, if so, whether they are related to the person they are about to marry.