What is a directed sperm donor?

A directed sperm donor is what we call a Known Donor at Cryos. This means that you do not find a sperm donor via our Sperm Donor Search, but instead use a donor that you somehow know already. Often, the directed sperm donor is a friend to the person(s) receiving the sperm who has agreed to help fulfil their dream of a child. In other cases, the donor and the recipient have agreed to become parents together without any romantic relationship, thus forming a rainbow family.

If you want to use a directed sperm donor, we recommend contacting a licensed sperm bank to ensure a safe sperm donation process. Cryos cooperates with selected Danish clinics regarding this and offers help with the Known Donor-process.

What is the process of using a directed donor?

Before using a directed donor/Known donor, it is a good idea to have a sperm analysis done to ensure that the donor’s sperm quality is suitable for donation. If the sperm quality is good, the first step is to contact a fertility clinic and get an introduction to the process. The clinic will perform a clinical examination cf. the Danish tissue regulation (“Vævsbekendtgørelsen”) and assess the directed donor’s suitability. The clinic will also make sure that the maternity/paternity matter will be discussed. The donor can then proceed to the actual sperm donation. In relation to the sperm donations, the sperm donor will also be screened for infectious diseases.

The sperm will be analyzed to check the quality and then frozen and stored until needed in fertility treatment. When using a directed donor, the ownership of the sperm is transferred from the known donor to the recipient (woman or couple).