Using a Known Donor

A fertility treatment with a Known Donor implies that a woman or a couple finds the man who is going to be the(ir) sperm donor. It might be a friend who wants to help, or maybe you are two people who are not romantically involved but still wish to have a child together. 

Here is how a known donation takes place 

Upon a known donation, the ownership of the sperm is transferred from the Known Donor to the recipient (woman or couple), and the sperm sample will never be included in our standard donor programme. At Cryos we analyze, wash and freeze the sperm so that it is ready to be used for fertility treatment at the clinic. Additionally, we test the Known Donor for infectious diseases in accordance with the current legislation (see the Danish Health Authority’s Guide nr. 9356 pkt. 8.1 of 26.05.2015).   

Once the analysis and washing are done, the sperm is frozen and stored at Cryos for up to 6 months or until it is used for treatment. When it is time for the treatment you can request the shipping online– we will then make sure to send the sperm sample directly to the clinic where the treatment is going to take place.

Before a known donation can take place, the Known Donor must be screened for suitability and for infectious diseases. At Cryos we test the Known Donor for infectious diseases. If you would like to have the Known Donor tested for genetic diseases, an additional test can be purchased for a fee. Afterwards, the fertility clinic is responsible for assessing the Known donor’s suitability. It is also the fertility clinic that ultimately approves the Known Donor and the question of paternity/maternity will be discussed.

Before starting the Known Donor process, you should consider testing the sperm quality of your Known Donor, since the quality can be of great importance when deciding the number of treatments and the chance of pregnancy. 

Sperm sample and test for infectious diseases  

The sperm sample is made at Cryos. We recommend that the Known Donor has been sexually abstinent for two days prior to the test, thereby securing the best possible sperm quality.

The donor can donate up to 3 times within 7 days, and up to 3 sperm samples can be analyzed, washed and frozen. It is up to you whether you want to freeze 1, 2 or 3 sperm samples, as long as the Known Donor is tested for the required infectious diseases within 7 days after the first donation has been made (in accordance to the Danish Tissue Act (Vævsloven)).

Upon the last donation, the donor is again tested for infectious diseases through a urine sample and a blood sample. If the Known Donor has previously been infected with chlamydia, gonorrhea, or other diseases, or if he is at risk of contracting one of them, it is a good idea to have the Known Donor tested for this in advance. In that way you can avoid having one or more frozen donations stored, which cannot be used.

Once the last sperm donation is done and the Known donor has been tested for infectious diseases, it may take 7-10 business days before we have the results of the tests. When the test results come back negative, we can send the donation(s) to the clinic.

We test for the following diseases:

The urine sample is tested for:  

• Chlamydia  
• Gonorrhoea  

The blood sample is tested for:  

• HIV (anti-HIV ½, NAT (HIV)) 
• Hepatitis B (anti-HBc, HBsAg, NAT (HBV)) 
• Hepatitis C (anti-HCV, NAT (HCV)) 
• Syphilis 

An additional test for genetic diseases can be purchased. 

Process overview