Intrauterine insem­i­na­tion with donor sperm

Unlike all other methods, donor insemination (heterologous insemination) is a method in which an anonymous sperm donor helps a couple fulfil their wish to have a child.

Donor insemination is also known as “sperm donation” or AID (artificial insemination by donor).
The development of new methods, such as intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), has significantly increased success rates, and as a result donor insemination is used less often.

When it is recom­mended

The medical reasons for using donor sperm are:

• When no sperm capable of fertilisation are found in the man (azoospermia), and also when no sperm are found in a biopsy of testicular tissue (TESE).
• Genetic diseases in the man.
• Certain infectious diseases.

Choosing donors

We work with sperm banks that have many years of experience in the cryopreservation (freezing) of human reproductive cells. Through appropriate testing and careful selection of the samples, only high-quality sperm from healthy and reliable donors is offered.

Success rates

The pregnancy rate per cycle is between 20% and 25%. The cumulative pregnancy rate after 4 cycles, which is the maximum, is about 65%.

The legal position

From a legal point of view, sperm donation is possible in Greece.

How it is done

Today only frozen sperm is used, even though the success rates are somewhat lower.
The reason for this is the regular testing of donors for certain diseases, such as HIV infection and syphilis. Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and cytomegalovirus (CMV) are also tested for.

Insemination is usually done in a natural cycle, unless there are medical reasons against it on the woman’s side.

Risks

Like the other methods of assisted reproduction, donor insemination does not carry any particular risks for the woman.