(Fort Worth Fertility)
(Fertility)
(Fort Worth)
(817-348-8145)
Couples whose infertility is due to a significant sperm abnormality in the male sometimes choose to undergo insemination using sperm from an anonymous sperm donor. In AID the donor's sperm is inseminated into the woman's uterus at the time of ovulation, enabling the woman to conceive.
Donor insemination is an option in a number of circumstances, including when the sperm count is very low, when no sperm are present, or when sperm repeatedly fail to initiate pregnancy. These circumstances stem from a number of causes such as the absence of sperm production, previous vasectomy, or residual effects from chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Donor insemination may also be used in cases where both the male and female are carriers of a genetic disorder or a female is severely Rh immunized and the male is Rh positive.
In the uncomplicated patient, (one with no other known causes of infertility), pregnancy rates per cycle utilizing frozen sperm are about 15% per cycle. Please note that your chances for conceiving in a number of cycles are good but that not all patients will conceive. The uncomplicated patient may achieve a 60-80% cumulative pregnancy rate after 6 cycles of AID.
Fort Worth Fertility acquires cryopreserved (frozen) sperm only from reputable, licensed sperm banks. Semen is frozen in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -196°C, where all sperm activity is essentially halted until it is thawed. After thawing, most sperm return to the pre-freeze motile and functional state. To insure safety, the sperm donor is tested for HIV and other infectious diseases at the time of sperm donation, and the sperm is then frozen for six months. The donor is retested at this time, and if the donor's testing for infectious diseases remains negative, the frozen sperm is made available for use. While this does not totally eliminate the possibility of disease transmission, it makes the risk extremely low. Sperm banks provide profiles outlining the physical characteristics, race, ethnicity, educational background, career history, and general health of each donor. In addition to screening for infectious diseases, donors are also screened for genetic abnormalities and Rh factor. Donors are usually between the ages of 18 and 40, have had a thorough medical history check and often have a history of proven fertility. There are a number of sperm banks available. Below is a list of just a few which our patients use.
Transferring the sperm vials from a commercial bank to the Harris Methodist Hospital ARTS Andrology Lab is your responsibility. You will need to complete a sperm storage consent form obtained from the ARTS laboratory (817-250-7034). Most sperm banks require a separate consent form and payment before shipping sperm. In order to minimize shipping cost and to facilitate convenience, you may wish to order 4 vials of sperm. If you do not achieve pregnancy after 4 vials, you may wish to change sperm donors. In general, two types of sperm are available, pre washed and unwashed. Sperm preparation cost for pre washed sperm is slightly lower than the preparation cost for unwashed sperm, but we are able to accept both types depending upon your preference. When sending the samples please send to:
Harris Methodist Fort Worth ARTS Program
800 5th Avenue, Suite 215
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
Donor Sperm Banks
| California Cryobank 800- 977-3761 11915 La Grange Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90025 www.cryobank.com |
|
Cryogenic Laboratories |
Fairfax Cryobank |
Tubal patency is established by a hysterosalpingogram (HSG) done in the first part of the cycle. The patients ovaries are assessed by ultrasound and possibly blood tests. If these tests are normal you will be able to begin Donor Insemination (AID). If any of the screening tests are not normal, additional therapy and/or additional testing may be required prior to beginning AID.
Insemination of donor sperm is timed as closely as possible to the time of ovulation. Patients are generally given mild fertility medications and monitored with an ultrasound. When the follicles are ready the patient is given an ovulation medication so that one insemination can be performed at the appropriate time to maximize success. The donor sperm specimen is thawed on the day of the insemination, and then it is loaded into a small plastic catheter. During an intrauterine insemination (IUI), the prepared sperm are inserted into the uterus via the catheter. An IUI is a simple procedure that takes only a few minutes and is usually painless. After a short time following the procedure, the patient can resume normal activity.