 |
 |
|
The donors are healthy men between 20 and 40, from a sound background, and usually graduates. Those who are healthy, with no family history of illness, are requested to provide a sperm sample for testing. This semen is analyzed, and accepted only if it has superior qualities: a count over 100 million per millimeter; and motility of 70% to 80%. Their blood is than checked to make sure they are negative for AIDS, hepatitis and STDs.
After liquefaction, the semen sample is mixed with an equal quantity of the cryoprotectant medium (a chemical which prevents the sperm from being damaged even at very low temperatures) and is loaded into plastic straws. These are uniquely coded and sealed; and then placed in steel tubs of liquid nitrogen where they are frozen to - 196º. One day later, one straw is removed and thawed to see how the sperm have survived the cold (cryosurvival). Only samples which contain at least 25 to 40 million motile sperm are accepted.
The sperms are then kept in cold storage for 3-6 months, this is called the quarantine period that is how long it takes for the HIV virus (which causes AIDS) to become detectable in a person's blood after infection. The donor's blood is then retested for HIV, hepatitis and STDs, and the infected samples, if any, are discarded. This quarantine period allows doctors to minimize the risk of transmission of infectious diseases, such as AIDS.
Fig 1. Sperm being frozen in liquid nitrogen
Donors are paid a little more than conveyance costs - they are usually philanthropic men who have experienced fatherhood and want to make another couple happy. They are not allowed to produce more than 10 babies and the doctors generally scatter the offspring so that the risk of half siblings unwittingly marrying each other is reduced.
Sometimes couples wish to use a friend or relative as donor. However, there are many dangers in doing so. Over time, the donor's psychological make-up as well as the relationship with him may change. This change could create social and legal problems. Furthermore, the couple becomes dependent upon the donor's discretion to keep the insemination a secret. This is why using a known donor is not usually a good idea - however tempting this may seem.
© Dr. Aniruddha Malpani and Dr. Anjali Malpani www.drmalpani.com
Credits: How to Have a Baby: Overcoming Infertility
