What is sperm donation?
Sperm donation is a process in which a man donates his semen to the sperm bank. The sperm bank is a body whose function is to absorb, organize, and store the sperm in a sorted and cataloged manner, and to provide it to customers as needed.
Sperm donation in Israel gained momentum after the Yom Kippur War, in which thousands of young men of marriageable age died, and there was concern that the level and amount of births in the country would decline.
Today, the demand for sperm donation has increased due to a large number of single mothers and lesbian women wishing to have a child, without outside male intervention in the process.
The Donation Process
The donation process is lengthy and complex. The donor undergoes
a short telephone questionnaire, during which the sperm bank staff checks whether the potential donor meets a number of requirements. The most sought-after characteristics are a satisfactory appearance, an above-average level of intelligence, sociability, and no background of mental or medical problems.
The candidate then undergoes a personal interview during which the bank staff interviews the candidate and gets an impression of his level of suitability and competence. The next step is a comprehensive genetic test, to make sure that there is no risk of taking sperm from the aforementioned donor.
In addition, a sample is taken from the donor’s sperm and it is firmly confirmed that the donation does indeed meet the requirements. The donation is made anonymously with the option of receiving additional payment for future donations. The sperm is stored in a test tube, and frozen under optimal conditions until it is received by the customers.
What is egg donation?
Egg donation is a medical procedure that is given to women who are unable to produce efficient and quality eggs on their own. The ultimate goal of this procedure is to allow many couples to have children. Egg donation officially became legal in Israel in June 2010 and is halachically permitted (within the bounds of Jewish law) by a significant majority of rabbis in the country.
Factors
The need for egg donation came due to several social reasons. In recent years, there has been a marked improvement in the status of women compared to men, and accordingly many women have chosen to postpone the labor of bringing children into the world, to later ages relative to what was accepted in the past. On top of that, same-sex relationships began to become prevalent in the public. Egg donations for gay couples combined with a surrogacy procedure, or alternatively the occasions of lesbian couples in which one woman carries the fetus and the other gives her the egg, have become common. There are also a number of medical reasons that can cause an egg donation process, such as the inability of the ovaries to produce eggs that can be fertilized, which is due in part to some genetic diseases, or due to some damage to the ovaries due to radiation, surgery, chemotherapy and more.
Donation stages
A number of comprehensive tests must first be conducted. The donating female should be in the third or early fourth decade of her life. In addition, it must be ensured that the donor or recipient of the donation does not have a background of genetic, infectious, mental, or gynecological diseases that may cause medical damage to the fetus and the destined mother. After selecting the donor, a tripartite contract is signed between the donor, the doctor, and the recipient of the donation. When the time comes to donate, the egg is aspirated with a needle and immediately fertilized with the desired sperm. After several days of incubation in the laboratory, the embryos are inserted into the uterus of the recipient of the donation.
Choosing a medical center
The Israeli route:
In recent years, some public hospitals have begun to establish egg donation programs for Israeli women. At this point the demand is high and the supply is low. Therefore most donations in the country are still made from donations from abroad.
The international route:
First, you need to choose a specialist doctor in the field, who is not affiliated with a single company and that will lay out several options for you, as well as accompany you throughout the process. There are a number of companies that assist in the logistical process of selecting the donor, the fertilization process, and bringing the embryos to Israel. The difference between the companies is in the country of origin of the donors, the variety of donors, genetic testing, bringing in frozen or fresh embryos, and more. Once you have selected the right company the doctor will refer you to a meeting with the company coordinator who will assist in selecting the donor.
Dr. Kedem will be happy to provide you with personal and dedicated care.
You are welcome to contact the clinic and arrange an initial consultation call without any commitment on your part.