in this issue
Sonja Kristiansen, MD
Medical Director & co-founder
of
the
Infertility Center
of Houston, Dr. Kristiansen is double board certified in
Reproductive
Endocrinology and Obstetrics & Gynecology and
specializes in surgical and IVF procedures.
She has
advanced training in hysteroscopy, laparoscopy, and
microtubal reconstruction. She also works with
female endocrine abnormalities relating to
menstrual and reproductive development.
Quick Links...
|
|
Greetings,
For some individuals and couples, using donor sperm is
the first answer to the question of how to make a
baby. Whether to assist a single women who longs for
a child and who has no male partner, or for couples
who've been through testing and arrived at diagnostic
conclusions, the use of donated sperm can result in
success at last.
|
Established Practice
While the first recorded artificial insemination of a
woman with donor semen (called donor insemination, or
DI) occurred in the 1800's, the first incidence of
successful pregnancy from frozen sperm occurred in
the early 1950's. The first commercial sperm bank
opened in the 1970's, primarily for the purpose of
helping men who were undergoing voluntary or
involuntary sterilization (for example, as a result of
chemotherapy). The application of cryopreservation, a
special kind of freezing technique, began first being
offered to these men as a way of preserving their
fertility for the future. Gradually, fertility specialists
began recognizing the importance of donor semen to
many of their patients, and by the 1980's, sperm banks
became common in the United States.
It's important to know that the courts have already
ruled on several matters relating to the relationships
involved in third-party pregnancy. In brief, people who
choose to use donor sperm and eggs need not worry
about whether the cell donors have parental rights to
any resulting offspring. The only parents with legal
rights in cases of sperm donation are the mother and
her legal husband.
|
|
How It Works
Donor insemination (DI) can be performed either with or
without in vitro fertilization (IVF), depending on the
patients' cause of infertility. The techniques required --
sperm 'washing', freezing, thawing, and insemination --
are well established practice.
Patients may choose to use anonymous or known
donors, according to their own beliefs and comfort
level. They might use any of a number of sperm banks,
and we will refer them if necessary. Semen samples to
be used in the insemination or IVF process will be
transported to our clinic via courier at precisely the
time that we deem optimal for whichever procedure is
being used.
An upcoming change in procedure will make the timing
involved in the use of all donor gametes a little more
precise. As of May 25, 2005, anyone who donates
sperm, eggs, or embryos must be screened and tested
for a number of communicable illnesses within 7 days
either before or after the actual donation is made.
Such screening is already performed and it is expressly
this reason that only frozen sperm may legally be used
in donor insemination. However, the new regulations will
narrow the window of opportunity for such testing to
occur.
|
|
Who Are the Donors
We recommend accredited sperm banks that follow the
strictest guidelines of the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine and the American Association of
Tissue Banks. The guidelines assure recipient parents-
to-be that their donors are thoroughly screened for
many genetic and sexually transmitted diseases.
Patients may use a wide variety of characteristics,
both physical and otherwise, to select their donor. As
is the case with other third-party pregnancy options,
like donor egg and surrogacy, recipient parents-to-be
can choose just how open they wish to be with their
sperm donor. Some programs offer 'open' donor
programs, which includes the provision that the donor
agrees to a minimum of one contact with any resulting
offspring when the child turns 18 if the child expresses
a desire for such contact.
|
|
Who Should Use Donor Sperm
Most people who use donor sperm are doing so to
become pregnant in spite of male infertility issues.
Other reasons for using donor sperm include severe
impotence, avoidance of transmitting genetic disorders
to offspring, and absence of a male partner.
In
Closing
We know that much thought and, sometimes,
heartache go into the decision to use donor sperm. For
this reason, we recommend that our patients educate
themselves about the process and seek appropriate
professional counseling when needed. With our clinic's
patient advocate and other professionals with
extensive experience in third-party pregnancy issues,
we're confident that our patients have the optimal
opportunity to make the choices that are best for their
family-building needs.
As always, I welcome your questions on using donor
sperm or any other reproductive matters.
Sincerely,
Sonja B. Kristiansen, MD
|
|
