Donor Sperm for IUI & IVF Procedures
The decision to use donor sperm is an extremely personal one and should be made after careful consideration and discussion. Donor sperm can be used for both IUI and IVF procedures. University of Utah Health’s Andrology Lab can both store and prepare donor sperm samples before they’re used in fertility treatments.
We do not screen or test donor sperm for eligibility and/or suitability.
Insemination Success Rates
The success rate of donor sperm inseminations depends on the patient’s age and diagnosis. The average pregnancy rate is approximately ten percent per cycle. This means that for every one hundred women who use one cycle of donor sperm, ten women will become pregnant.
Depending on your medical situation, we recommend that most women have at least three to six inseminations to give the treatment an opportunity to be successful.
Known Sperm Donors
A known sperm donor is a donor who knows the patient but is not their intimate partner. We require known sperm donors to have screening, sperm cryopreservation, and quarantine for at least six months at an established third-party sperm bank before their samples may be used for insemination at Utah Center Reproductive Medicine (UCRM).
UCRM is not a sperm bank.
Recommended Sperm Banks
Directed Donation
Directed donation is when semen is donated to someone other than a spouse or intimate partner. It’s also called a known donor.
Collecting, Preparing, or Storing Sperm
The FDA requires that sperm is extensively screened and tested if it will be used for directed donations. The FDA also regulates how we collect, prepare, and store sperm for directed donation.
University of Utah Health does not participate in collecting or freezing samples for direct donation. We also don’t screen and test donor sperm for eligibility and/or suitability.
Using Donor Semen
Patients should have their own doctor perform the insemination. A few days before your insemination, we can send the donor sperm sample that you selected directly to your doctor's office. You can also choose to store one or more samples at our andrology lab with the care provider’s request or consent.
Before Shipping Samples to UCRM
Before you purchase donor sperm from a sperm bank and have it shipped to UCRM, please contact our andrology lab to make arrangements for storing your sperm samples. All samples shipped to University of Utah Health must be prepared at the lab where they were collected before a sperm bank sends them to us. The andrology lab and UCRM only accept samples from labs registered with the FDA who follow the regulations regarding donor screening and eligibility.
For your insemination, you will take the prepared sample directly to your doctor. For patients with physicians at the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine, please see the requirements for UCRM patients using donor sperm.
If you choose to ship your donor semen samples directly to us, our andrology laboratory will store and prepare the samples. You, as the patient, will need to sign a donor semen storage agreement (pdf) in order to give us permission to store the samples at our facility. You also must pay fees to both receive and store the samples at our facility.
You will be responsible for the following:
- You must get a written physician's order from your doctor indicating that you are under their care and are also transporting the donor sample to your doctor’s office so it can be used for insemination.
- You must purchase the donor samples and make arrangements for them to be shipped and stored.
- You also must pay for the current storage period. This must be paid in advance and is based in part on the number of vials of semen you will be storing.
There is a minimum storage fee (for one to five vials in storage). In addition, there is a small fee to process each shipment. Please see the fee schedule and policy for how much it costs to prepare donor sample. You will then be able to pick up the prepared sample and take it back to your doctor’s office for the insemination.
Find a Fertility Specialist
Requirements for UCRM Patients Using Donor Sperm
If you are having your insemination performed at the Utah Center for Reproductive Medicine (UCRM), will need to have a consultation with one of our UCRM doctors or Douglas Carrell, MD. You will be asked to do the following:
- Sign a donor insemination consent form in front of your doctor.
- Have lab testing. Your doctor will need to see your results before you can have your insemination. Your doctor will give you an order to have these completed.
- Have a donor semen storage consultation with our andrology laboratory. There is a fee for this consultation. We request that all patients have this consultation before they ship any samples and sign a donor semen storage agreement.
You are responsible for purchasing the donor samples and having them shipped and stored. Payment for the current storage period must be paid in advance. Fees are based in part on the number of vials you will be storing.
There is a minimum storage fee (for one to five vials in storage). In addition, there is a minimal fee to process each shipment.
Once the preceding requirements are complete and you are ready to have your insemination, please call 801-581-3740 to set up an appointment. The timing of your appointment is dependent upon your LH or induction timing.
Testing Pre-Sample Collection
Before your artificial insemination with a donor sample, you will need to have the following lab tests:
- HIV 1 & 2
- HTLV I/II
- Hepatitis B surface antigen and core antibody
- Hepatitis C antibodies
- CMV IgG, IgM (Cytomegalovirus)
- RPR
- Chlamydia/Gonorrhea (cervical swab)
- Blood type
- Positive immunization for Rubella*
If you stop insemination sessions for six months or more, you’ll need to sign a new donor consent form and repeat some of the testing.
*If you have not been immunized against Rubella, you will need to get this immunization before your insemination.