Sperm Bank

How do I apply?

The application process for a sperm bank sample can be done electronically through our forms or in person at our clinic.

For both options we request the following information: contact information, receiving clinic, blood type and Rh, phenotypic traits (skin tone, hair colour and texture, eye colour, weight and size…), race or ethnicity.

When do I apply?

The best time to apply is at the beginning of the stimulation treatment, that way we have enough time to select the ideal donor and prepare the shipment. The request should be made at least 48 hours before the ART procedure if it is going to take place in Madrid, and 72 hours before if it will take place outside of Madrid.

How do we select the donors?

Donors must be older than 18, physically and mentally healthy, and have full capacity to act. Their health condition must meet the requirements of the mandatory examination protocol for donors based on the Spanish Law 35/88 on Assisted Reproduction that regulates the activities of Sperm Banks and specifies the necessary requirements for accepting donors and for the Bank’s operation.

We currently have a wide variety of donors with different physical traits, blood types, races, etc… The predominant traits we have are those of Caucasians, but we also have donors from diverse races.

Before being accepted, each and every one of the donors undergoes the prior examination as outlined in the legislation. We also include additional tests in order to make thescreening processmore extensive:

1. Personal interviewand medical history.
2. Two semen analyses.
3. Freezing / thawing
4. Semen and urine culture(Stamey test: first-voided urine, last-voided urine, prostate and urethral secretions, and semen with a ureaplasma and chlamydia analysis)
5. Psychological evaluation
6. General analyses including a test to detect sickle cell anaemia.
7. Serology:HIV, Hepatitis B y C, Syphilis.
8. KaryotypeTo rule out any hereditary diseases or chromosome abnormalities.
9. Cystic fibrosis and Beta Thalassemia.Although this is not one of the tests we are obligated to perform as a Sperm Bank, our clinic chooses to carry out a more thorough examination since these two diseases are more common among the Mediterranean population
10. Preserving donor DNA:Clínica Tambre is the first assisted reproduction clinic in Spain to offer the possibility of preserving the DNA of gamete (oocyte and sperm) donors. This service, aimed at those patients who have had a child thanks to egg or sperm donation at the Clinic, makes it possible to identify the donors’ genetic code in case the patients’ children develop hereditary diseases that require a diagnosis of the biological mother or father. The Clinic’s new service will allow us to retrieve and store donors’ DNA samples and will make it easier to provide descendants with their genetic medical history when needed. Our aim is to perform tests that confirm or rule out any possible family genetic mutations. DNA is extracted from a donor’s sample, and it is quantified, stably preserved and safely stored in the appropriate containers. This way we are able to guarantee that the analysis lasts for decades and that we know who it comes from.
11. Periodic check-ups.It’s very important that donors have periodic serology and microbiology check-ups. According to the Spanish Law on Assisted Reproduction, sperm may not be used until it has been tested negative for HIV twice and therefore we perform these tests every three months.

Confidentiality and Sample Transportation

Donating gametes is a formal, confidential, and free contract that is entered into between the donor and the authorised clinic. Gamete banks as well as the clinics’ donor and activity registers are obligated to guarantee the confidentiality of the donor’s identity information. Without prejudice to the above, recipients and children born from donor gametes are entitled to obtain general information about the donors which does not include their identity. Likewise, in extraordinary circumstances that pose certain danger to the child’s health or life, or where applicable, in accordance with criminal procedural law, the donors’ identity may be revealed in a restricted manner and without affecting the previously established parentage.

Sperm samples are transported in tanks of liquid nitrogen specifically designed for transporting biological samples. These containers are in turn sealed in secure packaging to avoid the samples being tampered with during transportation.