Become a Sperm Donor
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The Sperm Donation Process
General Information
In order to become a sperm donor at Monash IVF, you are required to undertake the following processes. Our donor team are very experienced in supporting new donors through these processes. We do our best to make the donation process as easy as possible.
The Sperm Donation Process
Testing
A semen analysis is carried out as part of our assessment of your suitability for donation. We request that you abstain from ejaculating for 2-3 days prior to this appointment to ensure the most accurate results.
The Sperm Donation Process
Clinic Appointment
Next, you'll meet one of our doctors. They will review your personal medical history, semen analysis results and other test results. It is important that you provide a detailed medical history so that any donor-conceived children can have this information for later in life. If everything is fine, you will move to the next step.
The Sperm Donation Process
Counselling
This is an essential step in the process, as it helps you work through the potential impacts of donating. It is important that you are well informed about the future implications of your donation, so a minimum of two counselling sessions are required. If you have a partner, they will need to attend the sessions with you, so that they're informed about the implications of your sperm donation for them and their current/future family and the implications for children conceived from your donation. During the counselling sessions, the counsellor will explain your rights and responsibilities as a sperm donor, and they will explore any potential barriers to you becoming a donor. The counsellor can also answer any questions you may have about the future implications of your donation.
The Sperm Donation Process
Screening
To allow us to check for any infectious or genetic diseases you may be unaware of, you will be required to undergo screening tests. This involves a simple blood test. If your test results are all clear, you can move on to donating.
The Sperm Donation Process
Donating
In the private facilities of our clinics, you will be required to produce a semen sample by masturbation. We need between 5-10 separate donations in order to get enough volume of sperm. These donations need to completed across a 10-week period. As per the first step, you’ll need to refrain from ejaculating for three days before each donation.
The Sperm Donation Process
Sperm Quarantine
After your final donation, your sperm is quarantined and frozen for three months. Following this, you'll undergo a final blood test. If that test is all clear, your sperm will be available for use, and will go on to help someone achieve their dream of having a family.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are many different people who need the help of a sperm donor to start their family. They may include:
- Single women
- Women in same-sex relationships
- Men experiencing male infertility
- Transgender or gender diverse people
Your generosity can help many people experience the joy of family.
All sperm donors need to go through a screening process to see if they can donate.To be eligible to be a sperm donor you must:
- Be aged up to 45 years of age.
- Donate sperm for altruistic reasons.
This means you must be donating your sperm to help others, and not for monetary compensation. Note: Reasonable expenses associated with donating will be reimbursed. - Meet clinical criteria.
- Provide a genetic family medical history.
If you are unable to do this because you have been adopted, or for other reasons, you are not able to become a sperm donor. - Be a non-smoker, or have ceased smoking for three months prior to sperm donations.
- Live a healthy lifestyle.
This means exercising regularly, eating well and drinking minimal amounts of alcohol. - Consent to the release of identifying information to any donor-conceived children - after they're 18 years old.
- Agree to the release of non-identifying information general and medical information about you to recipients.
- Provide information relating to any previous donations and consent to us contacting any clinic/s you have previously donated at to confirm details of families created.
If you meet all of the above criteria, you're the perfect candidate to help someone start a family!
- You want to help people who can’t have a baby without donor sperm.
- You've experienced the joy of having children, and you want others to be able to experience it for themselves.
- You've seen friends or family go through fertility issues, and want to help others in that situation.
- You may not have children of your own, but you'd like your genes to be carried on to the next generation.
- You would like to receive information about your fertility, including results of a semen analysis, genetic screening and other tests.
Becoming a sperm donor has many benefits, including:
- Helping people experience the joy of family.
- Making a positive difference in someone else's life.
- Receiving information about your fertility, including results of a semen analysis, genetic screening and other tests.
- Passing on your genes to the next generation.
Potential recipients are able to view a donor profile we create for you. These donor profiles are non-identifying, and include information about:
- Medical history
- Nationality
- Height and build
- Skin colour, eye colour and hair colour
- Occupation
- Education
- Interests and hobbies
- Reason for donating
No. Under Australian laws, a person born from sperm donation has the right to obtain identifying information about their donor once they are 18 years old. This information may include the donor's name, date of birth and contact information. If the donor consents and the donor-conceived child can prove sufficient maturity or if their parent(s) apply for them, identifying information may be accessible from a younger age. The mental and physical health of donor conceived children may be impacted by their biological origins. Therefore, it is important that they have access to identifying information where necessary. It is important to note that any contact between donor conceived children and sperm donors must be mutually agreed upon.
If you have a partner, it does not prevent you becoming a sperm donor, however, it's very important to discuss the decision to become a donor with your partner. Therefore, at Monash IVF we require sperm donor's partners to attend counselling sessions with them. This gives your partner the opportunity to ask questions and learn about the future implications of your donation in the short and long term.
There is a limit to the number of families that can legally be created from your sperm, including the number of existing families you already have. These limits are set by state legislation and therefore differ between states. It's important to note that while there is a legal maximum number of families in each state, as a donor you have the right to set your own lower family limit if you wish.
Clinic recruited sperm donors have no legal rights or responsibilities for any donor conceived children. Upon request, you are able to know that your sperm has achieved a pregnancy or live birth, along with the gender of the child, the month and year of their birth, and whether they were born with any abnormalities.
Each state has different regulations for withdrawing consent, so it is important that you speak to the donor team about your options.
This really depends on the type of health issues you have. You'll undergo a free fertility test prior to making any donations which will determine whether you meet the physical criteria to become a donor, and you can receive a copy of these results. Any health issues are best to be raised early, and your designated Monash IVF clinician will be able to advise whether it may be an issue for donation.
It is illegal in Australia for someone to be paid for their sperm donation. We can reimburse you for any reasonable expenses accumulated through the donation process. Things like travel, parking, time off work and any other costs that may be incurred can be reimbursed. All of the fertility tests that sperm donors are required to undergo are completed free of charge. You are able to receive the results these tests, such as the results of your sperm analysis or genetic screening, for free.
Yes. There are two types of sperm donors:
- Clinic-recruited sperm donors – Donors recruited by Monash IVF.
- Known sperm donors - Donors who know the individual or couple using the sperm, and go through the process with their recipient/s. The process for known sperm donors is similar to that of clinic-recruited donors, with a few variations in processes.
If you're interested in becoming a sperm donor, simply call 1800 730 431, and we will give you more information.