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If you would like more information about your particular case, please fill in this contact form.
Our team will get back to you as soon as possible.
Would you like to become an anonymous oocyte/sperm donor?
Our team will contact you as soon as possible.
What is sperm donation?
Sperm donation is a medically assisted reproduction procedure involving the use of sperm from a man other than the one involved in the parental project, either because the latter cannot conceive with his own sperm or because there is no man involved in the initial parental project (single woman, female couple).
Who is this type of treatment intended for?
Sperm donation may be indicated :
- For couples whose man has no spermatozoa (azoospermia), too few spermatozoa (oligospermia), or of too poor a quality (teratospermia) to enable a pregnancy to be achieved despite access to in vitro fertilisation treatments.
- If the man is a carrier of a serious genetic disease that could be transmitted to the child if his own sperm is used.
- For female couples or single women wishing to have a child.
The law in Belgium
Sperm donation is permitted not only for heterosexual couples, but also for single women and female couples.
Anonymous donation is permitted, as is directed donation resulting from a direct agreement between the donor and the recipient couple.
Sperm from the same donor may not be used to give birth to more than 6 different women (or female couples).
Sperm may not be marketed.
Once a sperm donation has been made, it is irrevocable and the donor has no legal rights or duties with regard to the child.
Who are the donors?
- Voluntary anonymous donors who want to help another couple conceive. Donation is altruistic and donors are not paid. They only receive a small compensation for the loss of salary caused by the time required to make the donation.
- Or direct donors: this is most often a close friend of the couple who will donate sperm directly to a woman or couple, enabling the child to have access to his or her origins at a later date.
What tests are carried out on donors?
Anonymous donors must be aged between 18 and 45.
They will be seen by a child psychiatrist or psychologist, a geneticist and a doctor specialising in reproductive medicine, who will carry out an in-depth interview to check their motivations, their medical history and ensure that there is no risk of transmitting a disease to the child.
A blood sample will be taken to screen for sexually transmitted diseases, the most common genetic diseases (such as cystic fibrosis) and certain chromosomal abnormalities via a karyotype.
The same tests will be carried out on directed donors.
Treatment in practice
Sperm donors will produce a sperm sample by masturbation. The sperm is then processed in the laboratory and frozen in straws.
It is then quarantined to ensure that there is no risk of sexually transmitted disease.
Sperm from the donor with the best physical match is selected for treatment.
If the woman has no fertility problems, the treatment consists of intrauterine insemination. At the moment of ovulation, the sperm is thawed, prepared and deposited inside the uterine cavity using a fine catheter.
In certain situations, in vitro fertilisation may be necessary (blocked fallopian tubes, severe endometriosis, etc.). In this case, the woman's oocytes are retrieved and fertilised in the laboratory using the donor's sperm.
The embryo(s) thus formed will then be transferred to the woman's uterus, where they will be able to attach and continue to develop.
Results
Pregnancy success during the sperm donation procedure varies according to the patient's age, any pathology and the quality of the embryo that will be formed if in vitro fertilisation is carried out.
Possible risks
Pregnancies obtained following sperm donation are no different from pregnancies obtained after normal sexual intercourse.
The rates of miscarriage and congenital malformations are identical.
Who is this type of treatment intended for?
Oocyte donation may be indicated when :
- The woman has no more oocytes (premature ovarian failure or advanced age)
- The woman has few and/or poor quality oocytes, making pregnancy impossible despite in vitro fertilisation techniques.
- The woman is a carrier of a serious genetic disease that could be transmitted to the child if her own oocytes are used.
Legal provisions
Belgian law allows oocyte donation between 2 people who know each other (direct or directed donation) or 2 people who do not know each other (anonymous donation).
Oocytes can be taken from a sister, close relative or friend, fertilised and then transferred to the recipient (directed donation).
It is also possible to make an anonymous egg donation or an anonymous cross-donation.
In Belgium, there are very few spontaneous anonymous egg donors. What's more, it is forbidden to pay donors or advertise them.
Donors only receive a small amount of compensation for the loss of salary caused by the time taken to make the donation.
In the case of anonymous cross-donation, you can bring a donor you have found in your circle. She could donate her oocytes anonymously to another couple and in exchange we will give you oocytes just as anonymously from another donor (anonymous cross-donation).
In principle, for anonymous donation, the donor must:
- Be over 18 and under 36 (35 years and 364 days).
- Meet the anamnesis criteria (personal and family medical history) and the para-clinical examinations requested by the doctor.
- Must meet the psychologist.
- Must meet with a geneticist.
In principle, for direct donation, the donor must:
- Be over 18 and under 39 (38 years and 364 days)
- Have at least one child
- Meet the anamnesis criteria (personal and family medical history) and the para-clinical examinations requested by the doctor
- Must meet with the psychologist.
- Must meet with a geneticist
However, these conditions are discussed on a case-by-case basis.
The donor candidate must, of course, meet strict medical criteria before being accepted.
As far as the recipient is concerned, she must have applied for MAP before the age of 45.
Embryo transfer is authorised up to the age of 48 (47 years and 364 days).
Treatment
The donor must undergo ovarian stimulation treatment to obtain several follicles and oocytes. This stimulation lasts approximately 12 days. It is based on the same principle as the treatments used in standard in vitro fertilisation.
The maturation of the follicles must be monitored by a gynaecologist: this requires a few blood tests and ultrasound scans, which can be carried out close to home if the results are received by fax or e-mail before 4pm the same day.
When the follicles are ripe, ovulation will be triggered by an injection late in the evening.
The donor must be at the clinic on the day of the retrieval for day hospitalisation. Oocyte retrieval is normally carried out under sedation (light general anaesthetic).
The receiver must have a check-up confirming her receptivity to embryo transfer, and she must also undergo treatment to prepare the uterus.
The cycle of the receiver does not necessarily have to be synchronised with that of the donor. In fact, it is perfectly possible for the donor to start her cycle and for the oocytes or embryos to be frozen before being transferred to the recipient at a later date, without any reduction in the chances of pregnancy,
In practice, most of the time, the recipient's and donor's cycles are out of sync, thanks to high-performance oocyte and embryo freezing techniques.
Results
The results of egg donation are good and depend essentially on the age of the donor.
On average, over 60% of recipients will become pregnant after their third transfer.
Please fill in the form to notify us of your entry into the cycle.
The secretariat will contact you within 3 hours of your request.
Please remain available by telephone.
Please note: If you send your cycle entry form at the weekend, it will be processed on the following Monday.