:: ISIS Regional Fertility Centre ::

ISIS Regional Fertility Centre

2180 Meadowvale Blvd.
Mississauga
Ontario L5N 5S3
Tel: 905-816-9822
Fax: 905-816-9833

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Therapeutic (anonymous)
Donor Sperm Insemination

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Therapeutic Donor Insemination (TDI) or Donor Insemination (DI) involves frozen sperm (preserved sperm) from an anonymous sperm donor bank deposited in the uterus at the time of ovulation.

TDI is an option when:

1. The sperm count or quality is poor and treatment with IVF with ICSI is not an option.

2. It is not possible to surgically recover sperm capable of fertilizing an egg from the male partner.

3. The male is a carrier of an undesirable hereditary condition where use of his sperm would increase the chances of this condition being passed to the children.

4. For single women or same sex couples.

Donor sperm is available from a variety of reputable sources. The sperm is stored frozen in straws. Donors of sperm are required to undergo a rigorous screening process involving physical examination, in depth family history and numerous tests for transmissible bacterial, viral and genetic conditions. Once accepted as donors, follow-up blood and fluid testing is continued until at least 6 months after their last semen donation. Each frozen specimen is only released if the donor remains free of any infectious illnesses. In addition, donor pregnancies are monitored to ensure that donors have adequate fertility and that a limited number of different women achieve pregnancies with the same donor.

Patients considering TDI are given a consultation with the ISIS counselor to discuss potential issues associated with the use of donor sperm. Your physician may also request some fertility investigations to ensure that there are no additional factors that may prevent a pregnancy from occurring. Once all appropriate investigations and counseling have been completed, a suitable donor may be selected by you. Coordination of the cycle is made with the assistance of the ISIS Donor Insemination Nurse who is also available to help you select a donor if needed.

The sperm bank will provide a list of available donors. A brief description will be given for each donor, including racial and ethnic background, blood type, certain physical characteristics and/or certain social characteristics that may be important. This is all available online. More detailed profiles are usually available on request, though often at an extra fee.

Women desiring TDI may choose to combine the insemination with natural cycle monitoring or with the use of ovulation induction medication. The response to the medications is monitored using ultrasound to follow follicular growth and using blood hormone levels to identify timing of ovulation. The timing of the thawing of the donor sperm and subsequent insemination are based on ovulation time. The insemination(s) are scheduled after a spontaneous LH surge or after a hormone (HCG) injection is given to trigger ovulation. The insemination involves placing a catheter into the uterus and delivering the thawed semen through the catheter with a small syringe. There are no known additional risks to the mother or developing fetus that are related specifically to the use of donor sperm.