Posted under Fertility Treatment by Dr. Suchetana Sengupta

Sperm Banking

Sperm Banking

For all those who are Indian, the movie ‘Vicky Donor’ seems to have opened up one’s eyes to both the concept of sperm donors and also the joy of helping someone have a baby. What it has done for us is open a flood of requests to act as sperm donors. This prompted me to write this article to give an insight on the background work.

Sperm Donation has been around for time immemorial, going right back to our mythological sages. Medically it’s been around since the late 18oo. Sperm donation definitely may be a way of earning money but I feel hardly anyone comes with purely that motive. It’s too tedious a task for just that. There is definitely an element of love and sacrifice involved.

One of the most important questions plaguing both donors and recipients is how a donor is recruited. Well, here goes……..

Donors are recruited through word of mouth and through advertisements. They are usually between the age of 18 and 35 yrs. They should be graduates. They must possess looks that can blend into the background of the local region.

The donor is asked to fill a detailed questionnaire about his health, the health of his siblings and parents, and genetic disease in the family. He is asked to detail his likes and dislikes, his sexual preferences, his political and social views. Thereafter he is examined by a Urologist for his general health. A sperm sample is now asked for, which is examined under a microscope. If he passes this test then his blood sample is drawn for HIV, Hep B, Hep C, Thalassaemia and some other general tests. If the donor passes ALL these tests, which is usually ONLY 1 out of every 10 who come, they are then recruited as Sperm Donors or ‘Vicky Donor’ J . They are asked to give sperm samples on a regular basis, each sample after testing is frozen at -196 deg C. the Donor is asked to come back after 6 months and his blood for HIV is tested again. Only if he passes this final test too, is the sample given and frozen 6 months ago taken out of the freezer and used for patients.

That in short is the story behind what goes into making of a donor. The bank segregates these samples and they are now recognised by only a number and not a name. Thus we do not differentiate on the basis of caste, creed or religion. When someone seeks a sample, we match based on parameters like, Height, Body colour, Eye colour, Hair colour, Blood Group etc.

I hope sincerely that this article helps dispel myths about how donors are recruited so that many more patients can come forward and take help from this service. This article hopes to help future donors too with information regarding what’s in store for them when they come into this programme.

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About the author

The author, Dr. Suchetana Sengupta is a Fertility Consultant at Care IVF Kolkata. For an appointment with the doctor, call +91-33-66-398-600. You can also book a Skype Consultation here.