Donor sperm bank
Are you male, aged 18-45? Could you give a gift of life?
Barts and The London Centre for Reproductive Medicine has set up a donor sperm bank - based at Barts Hospital - to boost its supply of sperm for couples and single women seeking fertility treatment.
Dr Amanda Tozer, lead clinician at the centre, says:
"Donating sperm to help someone have a child is one of the most generous gifts anyone can give. One in seven couples and single women seek medical help at some stage in their lives in order to achieve a pregnancy and for some, treatment with donated sperm is their only hope of achieving a pregnancy.
"At Barts and The London NHS Trust, we have one of the highest success rates in the UK for helping people achieve pregnancy, but our donor insemination programme relies upon a consistent supply of donor sperm."
To be a sperm donor, you should be aged 18-45, free of serious medical disability and without a family history of any inherited disorders.
Before being accepted as a donor, you would need to attend the centre at Barts for a consultation and to complete a detailed medical history.
During the period of time that you are donating, you would normally be be expected to attend the centre once or twice a week. On average, approximately 20 appointments are required in order to store a sufficient number of samples. We will try to fit your appointments around your schedule. You will also need to be willing to keep in contact with the centre for up to one year if you are accepted.
Until recently, men who donated sperm could remain anonymous. However, the law changed in April 2005 to remove anonymity from subsequent donors and allow donor-received children to access the identity of the donor when they reach the age of 18.
If you are interested in donating sperm, please contact Barts and The London Centre for Reproductive Medicine, in confidence, on tel 020 346 57102.
