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Donor sperm / Sperm bank in Austria

Available in our Austrian TFP fertility clinics

Sperm donation in Austria - our own sperm bank

Since February 2015, artificial insemination with donor sperm has been permitted in Austria as part of IUI, IVF or ICSI treatment. This recent legislation has resulted in a large increase in the uptake of treatments using donor sperm, which are now more common than ever.

The sperm bank at our fertility clinics

All TFP clinics in Austria have their own on-site sperm bank. Our donors are carefully selected and extensively medically tested.

According to Austrian law, our donors remain anonymous to the outside world. Only a child conceived with donor sperm has a right to know information about the identity of the donor from the age of 14. You also have the option of using the sperm of a donor known to you.

When might you need a sperm donor?

We recommend treatment using donor sperm (donor insemination) from the clinic's internal sperm bank if:

the male partner has limited fertility
the chance of having a genetically shared child cannot be improved by using any other fertilisation treatments
the couple are finding other fertilisation treatments too difficult
the male partner carries a genetic disease that makes using donor sperm the best option

lesbian couples wishing for a child of their own

Sperm donation procedure in our fertility clinics

After your first consultation with our experienced doctors, our IVF specialists and embryologists will help you select an appropriate donor in the donor database, with the aim of keeping the physical features of the couple. The social circumstances of donor and recipient are also taken into careful consideration and documented via a questionnaire.

The donor sperm will be set aside for you, and we will carry out treatment using donogenic insemination, IVF or ICSI.

If the couple wishes to have a second child using the same donor, the sperm can be reserved for a second pregnancy (as long as the donor does not cancel the agreement in the meantime). Each treatment is carefully documented.

All the documentation referring to each individual case is liable to legal storage and kept for a period of 30 years.

Costs of donor sperm use

Unlike other fertility treatments, the costs of treatment with donor sperm are not supported by the IVF fund. The costs therefore must be paid as a private payer, and depend on the treatment procedure. There is therefore no general answer to the question of donor sperm costs.

We would be happy to clarify these and other questions in a personal consultation with you - contact us now!

A step-by-step guide to using donor sperm at our fertility clinics

1. Testing of the donor and the donor semen

Sperm donors are examined very carefully. Acceptance as a sperm donor requires extensive examinations of the sperm itself, blood and urine.

In addition to the usual evaluation of the sperm criteria, the donor's blood samples, sperm samples and urine samples are examined for infectious and sexually transmitted diseases for every donation made. If the semen quality meets the WHO specifications for sperm donors, they are then frozen in a process known as cryopreservation.

However, before donor samples are released for use, they are stored for six months. After 180 days in quarantine, a blood sample from the donor is tested again for infectious and sexually transmitted diseases. Only then, if all samples test as healthy, are the sperm samples finally released for use.

2. Contractual obligation

Our clinic team will first explain to you in detail all the medical, legal and social issues related to sperm donation. You will then sign a written agreement with the doctor. This regulates the rights and obligations of all parties involved.

Often, a notarised contract is also required, which above all ensures the rights of the children born using donor sperm. Another written agreement is also signed with the sperm bank.

3. Choice of a suitable sperm donor

Couples who want to have children can then select a suitable sperm donor according to various criteria.

These include:

Hair colour
Eye colour
Ethnicity
Hair type
Build
Blood type
Height
Weight

4. Fertilisation of the eggs with the donor sperm

The woman's eggs are fertilised with the donated sperm. This is done either by heterologous or donor insemination, heterologous or donor in vitro fertilisation (IVF) or heterologous or donor intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI).

Your doctor will discuss with you the most fitting method to use. Our expert fertility clinic team will be happy to advise you on your options and answer any questions you may have.

Are there any risks in using donor sperm?

The doctors at your chosen fertility clinic will be happy to explain the risks involved in sperm donation with you individually as part of your consultation. For the woman, however, the risks are basically the same with fertilisation of her eggs by her partner's sperm. Possible risks of infection are largely removed by the intensive testing process mentioned above.

Are you interested in more details about sperm donation in Austria? We would be happy to advise you in detail in a personal initial consultation - contact us now!