Who uses donor sperm at CRGW? Where can I order donor sperm from?
There are several reasons why a patient / couple require treatment with donor sperm. CRGW have treated many patients / couples with donor sperm for for different reasons. These reasons may include:
- Some men do not produce sperm at all and this inabilty to produce sperm cannot be overcome with medication or surgery
- There may be a genetic reason in the male for not passing on particular attributes to the next generation.
- A man may have had a vasectomy or failed vasectomy reversal and wishes not to have surgical sperm retrieval
- Same sex female couples
- Single women
In all these circumstances patients / couples decide to use donor sperm which is matched as closely as possible to their chosen physical characteristics. CRGW have several donor sperm options available to such patients:
- CRGW Cardiff has its own in house sperm donors*
- Patients can source their own donor. This can be a family member or a friend
- We use the following external sperm banks:
| Donor bank | Available at |
| European Sperm Bank (ESB) | Cardiff, Plymouth |
| Cryos | Cardiff, Plymouth |
| Fairfax | Cardiff, Plymouth |
| Born | Cardiff |
| Xytex | Plymouth |
| London sperm bank | Cardiff, Plymouth |
| Semovo | Cardiff, Plymouth |
| Brighton Fertility Associates | Cardiff, Plymouth |
*Please note that currently most CRGW donors are allocated to families, pregnancy slots or pregnant women. We are continually recruiting new donors in an attempt to meet current demand. CRGW donor availability can therefore change on a weekly basis. We will be able to discuss current availibility with you when we have ascertained the treatment that you require.
Regulation of donor sperm
Since a UK regulation change in 2005, children born using donor sperm have the right to trace their donors when reaching the age of 18. Thus donors for use in the UK must have given consent to be identified. UK regulation also requires that each donor is used for the creation of no more than 10 families. In order to control this, sperm banks often allocate ‘pregnancy slots’ to guarantee that your prospective family is included in the ten. Without a pregnancy slot there is a risk that you may purchase sperm but be unable to use it if it subsequently reaches its family limit.
Choosing sperm for your treatment
You may need donor sperm for Intra-Uterine Insemination (IUI), or for the fertilisation of eggs collected from you / your partner’s ovaries by mixing (IVF) or injecting (ICSI) eggs with sperm. CRGW has its own bank of donor sperm though availability can change from month to month.
For patients looking for characteristics that our current donors do not match we collaborate with Xytex in the United States and the European Sperm Bank in Scandinavia. Once registered with us, you can purchase UK approved donor sperm samples from either of these clinics and the sperm samples will be sent to and stored here at CRGW. We currently only accept donor sperm samples from either of these two clinics or from other UK clinics.
I’m ordering sperm from ESB. How / what do I order?
When browsing the European Sperm Bank donor list, select the “clinic country” as “United Kingdom”. This ensures you only choose from the donors who are “open” about their identity, in line with UK law. This donor bank charges for a pregnancy slot, but with a partial refund if you do not become pregnant with the donor. The sperm is available as ICI or IUI samples. If you are looking for IUI treatment, IUI vials. If you are looking to undertake IVF or ICSI treatment, we recommend IUI vials but ICI may suffice.
I’m ordering sperm from Xytex. How / what do I order?
On the Xytex web site, go to their patient section and use the donor search option, making sure you perform an advanced search with the “UK Compliant” option ticked. This donor bank does not charge for a pregnancy slot, it automatically allocates one for you. The vials are available as prewashed, unwashed, ART or ICSI grades. For IUI choose prewashed vials. For IVF or ICSI the prewashed vials are preferable, but unwashed or ART vials may suffice. ICSI vials may only be suitable if you know you are going to have ICSI treatment.
Ordering
A single vial is required for each treatment. Remember that you may not become pregnant at the first attempt, or you may wish to have the same sperm available for siblings. Shipping costs can be expensive, so you may wish to purchase more than one vial at once. Simply order sperm from Xytex or European Sperm Bank and organise for them to ship it to us. They will communicate with us about delivery times.
How much does donor sperm cost?
Prices below are accurate as of November 2018 but please check CRGW price list or contact ESB or Xytex directly for current charges which are subject to change without notice.
| CRGW | IUI, IVF, ICSI | £795 |
| Pregnancy slot (refundable if an when you have used all units / embryos created with these units and not achieved a pregnancy | £500 |
More information on donor sperm and donor conceived children?
Donor-conceived people and their parents can apply to the HFEA for information held about their donor and genetic siblings on the Donor Register. The HFEA also have a dedicated support service for donor-conceived people who are considering, or are actively getting in touch with, their donor or donor-conceived siblings. For more information please click here.
Any questions?
Please feel free to give us a call on 01443 443999, and either our donor sperm coordinator or one of the embryology team will be able to help or email us at info@crgw.co.uk.