Melbourne IVF Recruits American Sperm Donors to Ease Demand

Melbourne IVF has commenced recruiting American sperm donors through a U.S. based sperm bank, with the aim of importing donor sperm to Victoria to meet the growing demand from our patients.

Melbourne IVF Medical Director Dr Lyndon Hale said the exclusive agreement with the American Cryobank is good news for Victorian women as Melbourne IVF will soon be able to provide a greater choice of donors for treatment.

'Melbourne IVF has and continues to be committed to recruiting Victorian sperm donors for the majority of its donors.

'Our hope is that by importing additional donor sperm from the United States that we will be able to provide greater choice of donors available, and provide the option for quicker access to treatment if a suitable local donor is not available," Dr Hale said.

All sperm donors from the U.S. will need to meet the requirements of the Victorian legislation, including mandatory counselling with a Melbourne IVF fertility counsellor, to ensure they fully understand the implications of their donation now and in the future.

Dr Hale said one of the key aspects of this counselling session is to ensure the donors understand that identifying information will be recorded in the event any donor offspring wishes to make contact when they turn 18.

'Based on our experience in Australia, the vast majority of sperm donors are agreeable to future contact from their offspring, and where contact has been established, the vast majority report very positive outcomes for both parties from any contact that has been made. We anticipate a similar response from donors recruited in the U.S.," Dr Hale said.

In line with Victorian legislation, American sperm donors will not receive payment for their donation, but will be reimbursed for reasonable expenses.

'It is important to remember that we are a community, and most of our Victorian donors donate out of a desire to help others, having known somebody close to them who has suffered from infertility, has struggled to conceive a child for many years, or who has had to use donor sperm to have a child," Dr Hale said.

Melbourne IVF has seen a steady increase in demand of donor sperm since legislation was introduced in 2010 allowing same sex couples and single women access to assisted reproductive treatment (ART) growing approximately 15% year on year.

The agreement with the U.S. based sperm bank forms part of a national agreement with Virtus Health, which incorporates Melbourne IVF, IVFAustralia and Queensland Fertility group.