Become a Sperm Donor

To whom are you donating?

Sperm donation benefits fertility patients that do not have suitable sperm available, such as:

• Single women.
• Women in a same-sex relationship.
• Heterosexual couples where the male partner has no viable sperm present.

Who can be a donor?

Prospective donors must:

• Be Australian citizens or permanent residents;
• Be aged between 21 and 40 years;
• Be healthy with no history of genetic disease;
• Be able to provide a family medical history;
• Have a suitable semen profile;
• Not be on any hormones or muscle-enhancing drugs;
• Be able to attend appointments in work hours (counselling, medical assessments, and screening blood tests); and
• Be agreeable to a donor-conceived person who has reached the age of 18 years (or younger if they are deemed sufficiently mature), receiving, via a careful linking process, your identifying details should he or she request them.

What will I need to do?

Meet with one of our fertility doctors

A fertility doctor will explain how the sperm donation program at Flinders Fertility works. They will take a medical history, with emphasis on inherited disorders, as well as a personal history of physical or psychological disabilities. They will give you forms for blood tests and initial semen analysis and will explain the genetic screening tests that are required to be part of the program.

Once you have met the screening requirements and have made the decision to enter the program, the fertility doctor will sign consent forms with you.

Meet with our counsellor

Donating your sperm is a big decision and should be considered carefully. Donors are required to meet with our counsellor on at least two occasions to discuss the legal aspects of sperm donation, confidentiality, and to help you prepare for discussing your decision to donate with your current or future partner. Donors who have a partner will be asked to come to at least one of these meetings with their partner. The counselling service is available to you as an ongoing service, free of charge.

Donations

The donor coordinator will assist you in arranging appointments at our laboratory for your donations. Approximately 5-6 donations are required. Your donations are stored frozen and quarantined for three months following your last donation. You will be required to have a final blood test at the end of the quarantine period.

What information is provided to the recipients?

Our clinic will create an anonymous donor profile with information about your physical characteristics and social history. Where possible, similar information is also recorded about a donor’s parents. Donors are also asked to give a personal statement for recipients about their reasons for donating as well as information about themselves. This helps potential recipients have a better understanding of the person you are.

Are sperm donors paid?

In Australia, it is illegal to be paid for sperm donation, however, reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses is permitted. Being a sperm donor is a selfless act and requires time and effort. Donors recruited through the clinic will be reimbursed for certain costs involved, such as time spent at appointments and travel expenses. We try to make the process as easy as possible by arranging appointments and tests at convenient times and locations.

What are the legal aspects of being a donor?

A child born as a result of sperm donation is the child of the woman who gives birth and her partner. The partner’s name is recorded on the birth certificate as the child’s father, or co-parent in the case of same-sex couples. Under South Australian law, the donor of the sperm has no legal rights or duties with regard to the child. It is Flinders Fertility policy that the number of families created from any one donor be restricted to 10 (or less if designated by the donor himself).

A donor has a right to be informed about the number and gender of the children born as a result of his sperm donation and can withdraw his consent for the donation of his sperm. While this means the sperm can no longer be used, it does not prevent recipients from accessing embryos that may already be in storage. The donor will be contacted annually by the donor coordinator to confirm consent for donation and to update any details.

Donor-conceived children are able to receive identifying information about their donor when they are 18 (or younger if they are deemed sufficiently mature).