Sperm donation can help single, lesbian and infertile couples achieve their dream of becoming parents. The gift of giving someone the chance to bring a new life into this world is the best gift anyone could receive.

There are two main motives that drive donors:

• 1. Donations from fertile men who wish to preserve their reproductive options. Men often bank sperm for future use when facing surgery, cancer treatment, vasectomy, gender reassignment or a low sperm count (oligozoospermia). Similarly, men who work in occupations that put their fertility at risk -- like athletes, soldiers or men who work with environmental pollutants -- often use sperm banks.
• 2. Donations from men who contribute for altruistic or financial reasons. Donor sperm helps infertile couples or single parents conceive.

A survey carried out by the HFEA in 1993 as part of its consideration of the issue of payments to gamete donors, found out that the large majority of semen donors were young single students who were primarily motivated by payment. It was also pointed out that these men would not donate if payment was removed. However, it has been pointed out that the wish to be paid and the wish to help an infertile couple are not mutually exclusive, and that many men take both considerations into account when they decide to donate. The NGDT-survey pointed to the fact that payment was the main motivation for students while altruism was the primary motivation of older men. Though the statistics gathered before the legal change regarding anonymity were somehow mixed, sperm donors were largely supportive of anonymity. However, multiple studies reported that there were exceptions. Some studies identified that more sperm donors would be happy with the possibility that their offspring would attempt to contact them later in life than is generally assumed. The presumption that anonymity is necessary in order to protect the continued availability of donated sperm has been undermined by several studies which have indicated that a significant proportion of donors, especially among those who donate during their late twenties and thirties, would be willing to be identified.

The use of donor sperm for human conception can be traced back to the 18th century, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that efforts to freeze, store and thaw sperm began to materialize. In 1949, scientists discovered a technique for freezing semen with glycerol, a method that proved less likely to injure sperm.

Retrieving Donated Sperm

Donated sperm is usually collected from known or unknown sperm donors. It is up to you and your partner which type of sperm donor you would like to use. Unlike the process of egg donation the majority of sperm donors are anonymous and have had donated their sperm, through masturbation, to a sperm bank. Known donors also donate their sperm through masturbation. This sperm is typically handed over to your fertility clinic right after it is produced.

Preparing the Donated Sperm

Before donated sperm can be used in your IUI treatments, it first must be rigorously tested and examined. As in the process of egg donation all sperm donations are tested for infectious diseases, including STDs, before they can be used in IUI or IVF treatments. Sperm screenings can be performed by your fertility clinic or they will be performed by the sperm bank. Donated sperm is also washed, in order to ensure that only the most motile sperm are used during the fertility procedure.

Freezing the Donated Sperm

The majority of donated sperm, particularly anonymous sperm donations, are frozen and quarantined for a period of six months prior to use. This helps to limit any possible chances of infecting you or your child. Sperm is frozen in plastic or glass tubes that look much like straws. Known as cryopreservation, frozen sperm can generally stay fertile for a period of at least two years. Sperm are mixed with a special protective solution prior to freezing to keep them from developing frost bite.

Using the Donated Sperm

After the donated sperm has been quarantined for the appropriate amount of time, you can begin to get ready for the IUI treatments. There are different types of artificial insemination treatments, including intrauterine, intravaginal, intracervical, and intratubal insemination. Whichever treatment you and your partner choose to pursue, the treatment will need to be timed according to your menstrual cycle. IUI typically takes place within six hours of ovulation. Your reproductive endocrinologist will monitor you for ovulation by performing ultrasound scans and LH tests for egg donation.

As you near ovulation, the donated sperm will be thawed so that it can be used in the IUI procedure. Sperm is thawed slowly, and at room temperature. Once you are within six hours of ovulation, the donated sperm will be transferred into syringes, so that it can be transplanted easily into your uterus.

Things you should know about donating sperm

If you donate sperm to a lesbian couple (civil partnered) or in infertile heterosexual married couple, you will have no parental or financial responsibility.This gives sperm donors the reassurance that if they choose to help lesbian or infertile couples, that they will not be pursued for child support in any way. Donating to a single woman or lesbian couple (non civil partnered) means that you would be the child's father in the eyes of the law, unless legal advice had been sort.