Donation & Surrogacy

Donor Insemination Patient Information Leaflet

The leaflet is detailed below, or you can download the 'Donor Insemination Patient Information Leaflet' in PDF.

 

What is Donor Insemination (DI)?

 Donor Insemination is a treatment option for women in same sex couples, single women, and heterosexual couples where the male partner may not produce sperm. Couples may choose, due to life limiting heritable diseases in their family, to use donated sperm to avoid passing the disease on to their children.

Intrauterine insemination or IUI, is the least invasive form of treatment offered at our centre. IUI involves the introduction of prepared donor semen into the uterine cavity, following detection of the luteinising hormone (LH) surge. Following the LH surge, an egg is released from an ovary which travels down the fallopian tube to meet the sperm and be fertilised. The fertilised egg is now called an embryo and continues to travel down the fallopian tube, into the uterus, for potential implantation.

Before treatment can begin

• An initial appointment will be organised with one of our consultants. During this consultation your medical history and screening will be completed (AMH, CMV, rubella and viral screening for Hep B, Hep C and HIV). If applicable, we will also request your partner undergoes viral screening. You will also be provided with your consent forms and the consultant will forward your counselling referral.
• You will have a compulsory counselling appointment on the implications of using donated sperm. This appointment is used to discuss the legal and ethical aspects of using donor gametes and ways of discussing donor origins with any child born through donation.
• Your screening results and consent forms will be reviewed in a follow up consultation. A consultant will devise a personal treatment plan based on the type of treatment that you wish to pursue. Your details will be forwarded to the donation team who will assist you in sourcing your donor.
• Once you have selected your donor and your allocation is in place you can call the clinic on day 1 of your period to arrange treatment.

What happens during treatment?

This is a brief outline of an IUI cycle, not all cycles are regular or last the same period. If your cycles are irregular, your clinician may recommend your cycle to be triggered by medication. If you are ready to start treatment, call our nursing team and they will arrange for your medication prescription to be completed.

Please be reassured, our nursing team will guide you through each step.

• On day 1 of your period, call the nursing team at your selected clinic (contact numbers provided below). The nursing team will check your case notes to ensure all consent forms and screening results are in place. If a pre-treatment scan has not been performed, a scan will be booked for day 2 or 3 (a baseline scan) and on day 10 of your cycle. Please be aware, these will be internal scans.
• At baseline scan, the ultra-sonographer will review your ovaries and assess the lining of your womb.
• At your day 10 scan, the ultra-sonographer will look to see if a lead follicle is developing on your ovaries and check to see if the lining of your womb is thickening. Please be aware that if there are more than 3 lead follicles developing, treatment may have to be abandoned due to the risks involved in multiple pregnancies. This decision would be made by a clinician.
• From your Day 10 scan, the nursing team will ask you to test your first morning urine using the Clearblue^® ovulation kit; the solid smiley face will indicate your LH surge.
• Once an LH surge is detected, call the nursing team and you will be booked in for your treatment the following day and be provided with a time to attend.
• On treatment day, the neck of the womb is examined using a speculum; this is the same instrument used during a cervical smear. A very fine tube is used to introduce the prepared sperm through the neck of the womb into the uterine cavity. This procedure lasts about 5 minutes and is performed by a nurse or doctor.
• Two weeks following your procedure, you will be asked to perform a pregnancy test. Should your treatment be successful, a pregnancy scan will be booked. If your test is negative, you may wish to book in for a further cycle. A nurse will contact the donor team to organise further donor allocation for future treatment. Alternatively, you may wish to take a pause in treatment.

 

Use of ovulation  induction

Ovulation induction can be achieved using Clomiphene (Clomid) in the form of tablets or injections. The use of stimulation means we can be more precise about the day of ovulation.

 

It is important that you also read the leaflet, Ovulation Stimulation, for further information on the side-effects of treatment.

What further counselling is available?

Fertility treatment can be demanding and stressful. Personal and independent counselling is available as we have experienced fertility counsellors you can see at any stage of your treatment. Any counselling you receive will be kept confidential. You can contact them directly on 0151 702 4075.

What information is shared with the Human Fertilisation & Embryology authority (HFEA)?

You should note that all treatment/s and outcomes are entered onto the HFEA Register. All details of the donor are entered onto the Register for future use and for informing enquiring 18-year-olds as to the identity of the donor.

 

Other important information

It should be noted that the current law indicates the maximum number of families that can be created with a single UK donor is 10. Some donors may stipulate a lower number than this. The total number of families created (globally) may be higher than 10 for donors imported into the UK from an overseas bank. You should also understand that a donor has the right to withdraw consent for the use of their sperm. This could mean that if you had a child through DI and you wanted a sibling pregnancy, and the donor withdrew their consent to use, then their sperm cannot be used.

HFC does not supply donor sperm for home insemination purposes.

 

Useful contacts

The Donation Team 0151 282 7516, Email: lwft.donorbank@nhs.net

The Hewitt Fertility Centre Counselling Team 0151 702 4075

Hewitt Fertility Centre Liverpool Nursing Team 0151 702 4123, option 1

Hewitt Fertility Centre Knutsford Nursing Team 0151 702 4078

 

Document Code: P-INFO-DI-2	Version No: 12	Document Title: Sperm Donation, Information for Recipients
Date of issue: 16.12.2024	Date of review: 16.12.2026	Owner: R Russell	Author: A Hall

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The leaflet is detailed below, or you can download the 'Blood-borne Viruses (HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C)' leaflet in PDF.

Blood-borne Viruses (HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C)

Patients wishing to have fertility treatment require viral screening as part of their investigations. Viral status affects how your eggs, sperm and/or embryos are processed and stored in the laboratory. Viral screening is in place to ensure that the risk of passing blood-borne viruses on to others is as low as possible. Viral screening protects our patients and their eggs, sperm, and embryos, in addition to protecting our staff. Patients who are seeking treatment with donated gametes or embryos can request information about the donor’s screening status (e.g., viral, genetic). Patients can also request information on the sensitivity and suitability of any tests. It is important to note that screened gamete providers can still be a carrier of genetic disease or infection.
Each patient and partner (if applicable) who will be having eggs, sperm and/or embryos stored will require the following investigations, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B and C. You will be required to sign a consent form which gives the staff permission to take the blood sample and send this for testing.
Please do ask a member of staff if you have any questions, alternatively more information regarding these viruses can be found at:

• HIV aware: www.hivaware.org.uk
• National Aids Trust: www.nat.org.uk
• Terrence Higgins Trust: www.tht.org.uk
• Averting AIDS and HIV (AVERT): www.avert.org
• NICE Guidelines Hepatitis B: Hepatitis B | Health topics A to Z | CKS | NICE
• https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg165/documents/hepatitis-b-scope2
• British Liver trust: Hepatitis B - Hepatitis B - British Liver Trust
• NHS (2018) Hepatitis C https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hepatitis-c/
• Hepatitis C: Hepatitis C - Hepatitis C - British Liver Trust
• Home | British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (bashh.org)

General questions

How can infection with blood-borne viruses be prevented?

The main ways to prevent infection with blood-borne viruses is to avoid activities that put you at risk, such as sharing needles and having sex without a condom. Vaccination for hepatitis B if you are at high risk (e.g., health care/laboratory worker) is recommended.

What happens if my test is positive?

If your test is positive, you will be contacted without delay by the medical team at The Fertility Hewitt Centre and referred to another hospital for specialist care, which will include counselling and if required possible treatment. As each hospital has their own process you will be guided accordingly by the specialist team you are referred to.

Will I be able to undergo treatment without being tested?

If you wish for us to freeze and store any “spare” embryos created during your treatment cycle, then you must be tested prior to treatment. The Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority (HFEA) is our governing body that upholds fertility law. The HFEA requires any patient and partner (where applicable) to be screened before you are starting treatment to ensure the storage requirements for your eggs, sperm and embryos are possible.

If there is a new diagnosis, there will be a delay in the start of any treatment to ensure safety of all patients and staff and to discuss on an individual basis any changes there may be to your treatment process.

Document Code: P-INFO-GEN-18 Version No: 13 Document Title: HIV & Hep Screening
Date of issue: 15.02.2024 Date of review: 15.02.2027 Owner: J Mutch Author: S Wood