Partnering with reputable, global donor banks to help you build your family.

There are many pathways for patients to arrive at a choice to use donor sperm. For some women, it is a choice to start a family themselves. For women in a same sex relationship, a sperm donor was always part of the plan to start a family. Heterosexual couples can also find themselves selecting donor sperm as a treatment option as not all men produce viable sperm or perhaps there is a heritable condition they don’t want to pass on to their child.

Donated sperm can be used in all fertility treatments. Your doctor will discuss the most appropriate treatment option for you and together, you can plan your fertility journey with donor sperm.

As there are no sperm banks in Ireland, Merrion Fertility Clinic imports donor sperm from two international sperm banks, Cryos International and European Sperm Bank.
Sperm donors are men aged between 18 and 45. Both banks are based in Denmark, and recruit a lot of men living in Denmark, but they also recruit in other countries like the United Kingdom, Germany, Cyprus and the Netherlands.
Donors must undergo extensive screening before they are accepted into a donation programme. This screening includes infectious disease screening (HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis, gonorrhoea), genetic screening (Cystic Fibrosis, Thalassemia, spinal muscular atrophy and others) and an extensive family history. Strict quality standards must also be met in relation to their semen analysis before they are accepted as sperm donors.

Yes, you can review the donor profiles yourself and make your selection from either Cryos International or European Sperm Bank. There are some restrictions on your choice unfortunately, these are
- That the donors CMV (cytomegalovirus) status is safe for you to use
- The donor has not reached the family limit for use in Ireland

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that causes few, if any, symptoms in most people. After an infection, you will carry inactive virus in your body for the rest of your life. However, if a woman is infected by CMV for the first-time during pregnancy, there can be health implications for the baby.
What Does This Mean for Me?
• You will need to be tested to determine if you are CMV positive or negative.
• If you are CMV negative: you must choose a CMV negative donor.
• If you are CMV positive: you may choose either a CMV positive or CMV negative donor.
For same sex couples, we suggest that both partners be tested to determine CMV status. This will be helpful if both partners want the option of using the same sperm donor or are considering Reciprocal IVF.

All donors used in Ireland must agree to be identifiable.
Their name, date of birth and address details will be added to the Donor Conceived Persons Register and will be accessible to their donor conceived children from there once the children reach the age of 18. The donor must sign a consent agreeing to this before they are available for selection for use in Ireland.

Information available about all donors includes physical characteristics like ethnicity, hair and eye colour, height and weight etc. There is also information about the donors health and family history. Some profiles include additional information such as education, professional status, hobbies and interviews with clinic staff. Photographs and notes from the donors are also sometimes available.

Yes, if you have a child from a donor, you can use the same donor to expand your family. The only limitation is the availability of sperm. Additional sperm can be reserved with a sperm bank and stored until you are ready to use it; you can talk to us about this at any time.