Using Donor Sperm

Monash IVF regularly recruits altruistic sperm donors for our clinic-recruited sperm donor program. These clinic-recruited donors are often referred to as ‘anonymous’ donors as their identifying information is not shared with the recipients of their donation at the time of treatment. However, all of our clinic-recruited sperm donors comply with Australian law, which means they consent to their identifying information being shared with a donor-conceived child once they turn 18 years of age, or younger in some states. Clinic-recruited sperm donors at Monash IVF undergo a thorough review process prior to becoming donors. They also provide medical and personal information which can be shared with potential recipients to help them choose a sperm donor that is right for them.

As part of our clinic-recruited sperm donor program, Monash IVF are proud to have formed partnerships with some of the world’s largest sperm banks. This enables us to provide our patients with a wider variety of donors to choose from, including those with different ethnicities and backgrounds. We only select donors for our overseas sperm donor program who comply with all Australian legislative requirements. All of these donors also undergo rigorous testing and must meet strict qualifying requirements before donating their sperm to Australian recipients.

A recipient-recruited sperm donor, often referred to as a ‘known’ donor, is someone who has anexisting relationship with an individual or family wanting to use their sperm in treatment. A recipient-recruited donor may be a friend or family member or an acquaintance who becomes known to theindividual or family and who has shared their personal details such as name and contact details withthe recipient/s. In most cases, recipient-recruited sperm donors agree to donate their sperm exclusively to an individual or family and the donor and recipient/s will present to Monash IVF together. The process for confirming the eligibility of a recipient-recruited sperm donor is similar to that of clinic-recruited donors with a few variations in processes. For example, recipient-recruited donors are required to participate in additional donor implications counselling with their recipient/s.

When accepting a donation from a donor that you know, you should think about:

• How the donor/s may have different values, backgrounds, beliefs, and parenting styles from your own.
• What information you would like to be shared with the donor/s, and what contact you and the donor-conceived child will have with the donor in future.
• What type of relationship will the donor-conceived child and the donor/s have in future, and how will you choose to refer to the donor/s?