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Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffSperm donation is a procedure in which a man donates semen — the fluid released during ejaculation — to help an individual or a couple conceive a baby.
Donated sperm can be injected into a woman's reproductive organs (intrauterine insemination) or used to fertilize mature eggs in a lab (in vitro fertilization). The use of donated sperm is known as third party reproduction.
A man who makes a sperm donation can be known or anonymous to the recipient. Sperm donations made to a known recipient are called directed donations.
You must be screened for medical conditions and other risk factors before you can make a sperm donation. It's also important to understand the possible emotional, psychological and legal issues of sperm donation.
- What you should know - Reproductive tissue donation. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/TissueSafety/ucm232876.htm?utm_campaign=Google2&utm_source=fdaSearch&utm_medium=website&utm_term=sperm donation&utm_content=5. Accessed June 8, 2012.
- Infertility fact sheet. Office on Women's Health. http://www.womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/infertility.cfm. Accessed June 8, 2012.
- Optimizing male fertility. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. http://www.asrm.org/uploadedFiles/ASRM_Content/Resources/Patient_Resources/Fact_Sheets_and_Info_Booklets/Optimizing%20male%20fertility%20FINAL%204-23-12.pdf. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Third party reproduction: A guide for patients. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. http://www.asrm.org/uploadedFiles/ASRM_Content/Resources/Patient_Resources/Fact_Sheets_and_Info_Booklets/thirdparty.pdf. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Intrauterine insemination. American Society for Reproductive Medicine. http://www.asrm.org/awards/detail.aspx?id=8576&terms=(+%40Publish_To+Both+Sites+or+%40Publish_To+ASRM+Only+)+and+third+party+reproduction. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Treating infertility. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp137.cfm. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Ginsburg ES, et al. Donor insemination. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Practice Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, et al. 2008 Guidelines for Gamete andEmbryo Donation: A Practice Committee report. Fertility and Sterility. 2008;90:S30.
- Wang C, et al. Treatment of male infertility. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Ginsburg ES. Procedure for intrauterine insemination. http://www.uptodate.com/index. Accessed June 7, 2012.
- Cooper TG, et al. World Health Organization reference values for human semen characteristics. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/publications/infertility/human_repro_upd/en. Accessed June 11, 2012.
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