Sperm Donation

Sperm are the male germ cells or gametes that can fertilize an oocyte, resulting in an embryo, which can result in pregnancy.

Sperm donation is a voluntary and altruistic act, allowing a couple or a woman to fulfill the dream of parenthood using sperm from a third party.

There are a number of prerequisites for sperm donation. Candidates must be between 18 and 40 years old, have no sexually transmitted diseases, be free from hereditary diseases, and undergo blood tests 6 months after their last donation.

The sperm donation process is generally done in 3 steps:

• Sperm collection for preliminary analysis, fertility assessment, blood tests and interview (Psychology)
• Donations (maximum 7 sperm collections)
• Blood tests (6 months after the last collection)

CETI works with two internationally recognised sperm banks based in Denmark: the European Sperm Bank and Cryos International. Both banks ensure that all legal requirements are met to ensure that the donation is carried out safely.
The selected sperm samples are ordered from the gamete bank and sent to CETI facilities, complying with all safety standards to ensure that the quality of the samples is preserved.

The main reasons for using donor sperm are:

• When the quality of the semen is poor and pregnancy has not been achieved with the medically assisted reproduction techniques already attempted.
• In the absence of sperm (azoospermia) in both the ejaculate and the testicular biopsy.
• When the man is a carrier of a genetic disease.
• When the man is a carrier of a sexually transmitted disease and it has not been possible to eliminate the virus from the semen.

If the clinic does not have a sperm donation program, the samples required for treatments will be acquired from a bank that has all the necessary conditions and applies the legal provisions of Portuguese law.

As with oocytes, the donor must remain anonymous in relation to the recipient or recipient couple and vice versa. The anonymity waiver only does not apply to the individual born as a result of this process, if they are aware of this, and when they reach adulthood.

Law no. 58/2017 of 25 July – Article 10 – Donation of sperm, oocytes and embryos.

1 – Oocytes, sperm or embryos donated by third parties may be used when, in view of the objectively available medical-scientific knowledge, pregnancy or pregnancy without serious genetic disease cannot be achieved through the use of any technique that uses the beneficiaries’ gametes and provided that effective conditions are ensured to guarantee the quality of the gametes.

2 – Donors cannot be considered as parents of the child to be born.