Donors sperm bank
We have one of the first sperm bank in Spain. In the cryobank we keep samples from donors that have passed strict quality controls to offer the maximum guarantee to our patients.
A gesture that gives life
Gamete donation is an altruistic gesture that helps single women, lesbians or couples who require donated sperm to carry out their assisted reproduction treatment.
Why is it so important to have your own sperm bank
Having our own sperm bank offers a multitude of advantages for both patients and our medical team:
- Experience since 1985. We are pioneers in creating one of the first sperm biobanks in Spain.
- Exhaustive medical control prior to the acceptance of the candidate to donate.
- The quality of the sample is validated by our team of biologists beforehand. The number, motility, motility, and morphology of the sperm are taken into account and a freezing test is also performed.
- Samples that do not exceed 30-35 million sperm per millilitre of are not accepted. At least twice what the World Health Organization (WHO) considers normal to ensure optimal fertilizing function, and which it estimates at 15 million per millilitre.
- Maximum control of traceability of the sample and the use of the most avant-garde technology in all phases of the process.
- Rigor in the phenotypic assignment most similar to the recipient: We have thousands of contrasted phenotypes.
- Constant control of cryopreservation in liquid nitrogen tanks where semen is kept frozen at 196 degrees below zero. Its maintenance is carried out by experienced professionals.
- Independence and speed when making decisions by not depending on external banks.
- Each sample is stored independently and correctly identified.
- We have seven quality certificates, including ISO 9001 for quality management and UNE 179007 Quality Management for Assisted Reproduction Laboratories.
Selection of most suitable sperm donor
Your trust commits us. For this reason, at Instituto Bernabeu we offer you full guarantee of the processes to are carried out flawlessly. Before incorporating donors into our sperm bank, exhaustive controls have been carried out that go beyond those required by law.
Each applicant must pass previous psychological, medical and genetic tests. Only 9% of men exceed the strict quality filters required by the clinic and become donors (data from the first half of 2019). You should know that in Spain the donation of gametes is voluntary, anonymous and altruistic.
Step by step:
- The candidate must be between 18 and 35 years old.
- Among thousands of samples, we have a diversity of phenotypic characteristics classified by race, complexion, skin colour, eyes, hair colour and hair type.
- Previously, a review of the donor’s personal and family medical history is carried out to rule out psychological or neurological diseases; congenital; endocrine and digestive; oncological; and ophthalmology, among others.
- Applicants who pass this first control continue with the personal, social and psychological evaluation, carried out by a clinical psychologist.
- Assessment of the seminal quality of the male is another essential parameter. It is stricter than the criteria set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In addition, a freezing test is performed to verify that the semen will withstand cryopreservation at -196º.
- Screening for infectious diseases.
- Detection of the 10 sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) that have the highest incidence on fertility.
- In addition, we carry out the study of carriers of autosomal recessive diseases (GCT) on all our gamete donors, to prevent the transmission of more than 600 or 3000 genetic diseases (depending on the modality)
- At the same time, and with the emergence of the coronavirus pandemic, we have incorporated a COVID-19 immunity test as a protocol to all our donors
These examinations do not represent an increase in the cost of treatment for the patient. They are Instituto Bernabeu firm commitment for the trust placed in us.
Carrier study: Test of the 600 / 3,000 most serious hereditary diseases
All our donors undergo the genetic compatibility test (GCT) or preconception screening for recessive diseases. Through the massive DNA sequencing or New Generation (NGS) technology, the genetic analysis of the 600 / 3,000 most serious hereditary diseases that can be transmitted to the offspring is carried out. We are the assisted reproduction centre with the most extensive study of genes and also at no additional cost to our patients.
DNA biobank
In the DNA conservation bank, a donor DNA sample is kept for 20 years in the event that, in the future, it’s necessary to know their genetic code. You have the peace of mind of knowing that you can request this genetic information at any time for the prevention and adequate treatment of possible diseases that could affect the offspring in the future (prior the donor’s consent).