Donor Sperm Programs are in place with fertility specialists around Australia, and Dr Raewyn is no exception.
“We have a lot of lovely men who don’t wish to be fathers themselves, but who realise that they are able to help many people realise their dreams of becoming parents,” says Dr. Raewyn. “As a doctor, I spend quite a bit of time with these men, as I have to do medical histories on them to ensure all is fine. I find that they are really lovely guys. It is a very fascinating field of medicine and human nature – the altruism is wonderful to see.”
Accessing and Using Donor Sperm
The process of using donor sperm has a complex legal framework. However, this has been made so streamlined by fertility specialists like Dr. Raewyn, that women who wish to use donor sperm can access it quite easily.
“There are a lot of single women who wish to access donor sperm, who take the chance and decide to do it on their own,” says Dr. Raewyn. “Many of these are women who have frozen their eggs with us previously and haven’t found the right man. Some are just women who decide to do it on their own.”
Most women have a definite idea of the sperm donor they would like – a certain height, eye colour, hair colour, a certain background that matches with their heritage, and so on, is the most common request.
These women go on a waiting list and when they reach the top of that list, they receive a special log in code, and they are able to view the list of donor sperm available and choose from there.
“They don’t get to see photos of the sperm donor,” explains Dr. Raewyn. “Although in some cases he may provide a picture of himself as a baby. It just a number, with all the characterises – race, age, height, eye colour, body build, interests and hobbies, occupation, the education level they got to … some men even write letters to their potential ‘children’.”
For more information on your options, please contact Dr Raewyn.
Donor Sperm – Can you help?
The Donor Sperm Program at IVF Australia where Dr. Raewyn practices, is in need of men who wish to help others create a life. These people may include heterosexual couples who are having trouble falling pregnant due to male fertility issues, or same sex couples who wish to start a family. it may also be single women who have decided to go it alone. Dr. Raewyn and her team can guide and support you through the donation process and ensure it is a truly positive and rewarding experience for you.
All men who are healthy and aged between 21 and 45 are under are eligible to donate sperm. You may wish to donate sperm if you have already had your family and you wish to help others experience that same joy. It may also be that you aren’t ready to have children, or don’t wish to be a father, but you want to help others, or you may wish to donate to somebody you know directly.
Should you decide to donate sperm your privacy is protected until the child is 18 years of age. However, once a child is born via sperm donation, the identifying details of the donor must be given the NSW Health Central Register, as outlined by the Assisted Reproductive Technology Act 2007. Once the child reaches 18 years of age, they will be able to access the information and identify their biological father. This law was put in place for many reasons, one of which was to prevent distress from the child caused by lack of information about their biological parents.
It’s important to note that in Australia, it is illegal to take payment for any human tissue and this includes donor sperm. You will however be reimbursed for any out of pocket expenses, such as parking, travel and any medical expenses.
If you are interested in becoming a sperm donor, please click here.
